How Can We Believe And Love Jesus?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles
While Jesus lived on the earth He appeared to be just like any other man (Philippians 2:8). He had a body, He ate, slept, and talked just as all men do. After His resurrection, it was imperative that eyewitnesses knew that the body of Jesus, which had been put in the grave, had indeed been raised.
Jesus had not pretended to be dead in order to fool men — the soldiers made sure that he was dead (John 19:32-33). The same nail-scarred body that went into the tomb came out of the tomb three days later alive (Matthew 28:1-6; cf. Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:23; Matthew 20:17-19) — it was not an apparition (Matthew 28:9-10; Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-31).
To verify His bodily resurrection, Jesus appeared to His apostles and when they were afraid and thought He was a spirit, He said:
“Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me, and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).
Many times, as they preached the gospel of Christ, the apostles would affirm that they had seen Jesus alive with their own eyes.
John wrote:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).
Thomas saw, believed, and confessed — “My Lord and my God,” (John 20:28).
Jesus said to Thomas:
“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Someone asks, “We have never seen Jesus with our eyes, so how can we believe?” We have never handled Him, as the apostles did, and we’ve never conversed with Him or heard Him speak, so how can we love Him?
Our faith is not some blind leap into the dark hoping that Jesus may be real and seeing that desperate leap as the only answer to our dilemma in this life. Our faith is based upon evidence (Hebrews 11:1). The kind of evidence that demands investigation (Acts 17:11), that invites the honest heart to “Come and see” (John 1:39-41).
The Word [Jesus] was in the beginning with God and that Word became flesh and died that man might be saved (John 1:14; Romans 5:6-10). But Jesus who died, was raised from the dead and seen of men — thus our faith is in a “living” Savior (cf. Revelation 1:18; Revelation 4:9).
Though He is not seen now, men believe in Him and love Him because of the overwhelming evidence in God’s word and secular sources. This unchanging faith found in God’s word (Romans 10:17), gives substance to living and a reason for happiness (John 10:10).
From the evidence found in the New Testament, being a Christian and living the Christian life, is the only kind of life that has any real substance and meaning (1 Peter 1:8-9; 2 Peter 1:1-11).
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- Bible”Faith” and “Evidence”
- Is The Bible Really The Word Of God?
- Test All Things