Why Should You Believe In Jesus and His Resurrection?

The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most significant events in human history. We measure time based on years before and after His birth. Why should an intelligent perspn believe in Jesus’ and His resurrection? 2000 years later. This post outlines several reasons you should seriously consider as you work through what to believe or reject.

Jesus was a real person, No serious historian doubts it, even His critics.

Jesus was a real historic person who died by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans. Therre are detailed eyewitness accounts of his life, ministry, death, and resurrection within the bible recoded within 60 years of the events and well preserved since then. These accounts are included in the biblical books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

There are several ancient texts outside of the bible whih reference Him by name, His death via crucifixion, and the growing communinty of followers who believed in His ressureciton in the flesh. These extra-biblical acounts include accounts from people who were critics and did not accept Him as The Christ, the Messiah, The Savior. The most prominent extra-biblical accounts include

No serious historian doubts that He was a real person who died by Crucifixion in the time frame descibed in the bible, and that large groups of people at that time came to believe in His resurrection.

If you want to dig into this, start here: https://www.history.com/…/was-jesus-real-historical…

Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophesies written centuries before.

The old testiment makes over 300 predictions about God sending a savior, some very direct and specific, some more allusory or metaphoric. Jesus fulfilled them. The more you dig into these, the more amazing they are both individually, as a collection, and as part of an integrated overarching narative. The chances of a single person fulfilling just 30 direct and specific prophesies made before He was born is staggering. Born from the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jessie, and David, in Bethlehem, called immanuel, Kings bearing gifts, Exile and then return from Egypt, Sinless life, a messenger would preceed Him, He would minister in Galilee, Teach in parables, Enter Jeruselum on a donkey, Rejected by his people, Spit upon, Beaten beyond recognition, Bear our burden, Offer no resistance, Crucified: Nails in hands/feet, Hang on a cross, Die with the wicked, Buried with the rich. Just fulfilling these specific activities as a human being on a mission would be nearly imposible. Then add fulfillment of prophesy about supernatural enabled Human activity: Born to a virgin, God declares Him Son of God, Holy Spirit would rest on Him, Blind will see, Deaf will hear, Lame will walk, Dead will rise. When you understand that each of thse predictions was fulfilled, you realize this guy was the real deal, He was seriously connected to God the Father because only God can predict the future, He did just that. Then the ultimate prophesy fulfilled: Raised from the dead, Ascend to Heaven, Sit at the right hand of the Father, King over all nations. Only God can predict the future, and only Jesus as the Son of God can fulfill all of these prophesies.

I encourge you to review the prophesies and how they were fulfiled.

The are listed in logical groups with hot linked references here: https://www.gotquestions.org/prophecies-of-Jesus.html

They are arranged in order of thier fulfillment here: https://christianityfaq.com/how-many-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill-over-50-examples/

Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection

Jesus was asked repeatedly how people will know He is who he says he is. He told them to whatch what He does. He specifically stated His mission and predicted the activities that would unfold, including being rejected byreligious leaders, being put to death and being resurrected after 3 days.

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31

“For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” Mark 9:31

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” Mark 10:33-34

Jesus offers a prophetic promiss to the religious leaders. He connects the dots between His future death and ressurection, and the activities of the old testament character Jonah. He says as Jonah was released from captivity after spending three days in a whale, Jesus would be raised after spending three days in the grave. He also says the folks who listened to Jonah and repented will stand in contast on judgement day to all the folks who reject Jesus and His teachings now.

“Then some of the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we would like to have you do something special for us to see.’ He said to them, ‘The sinful people of this day look for something special to see. There will be nothing special to see but the powerful works of the early preacher Jonah. Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of a big fish. The Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the grave also. The men of the city of Nineveh will stand up with the people of this day on the day men stand before God. Those men will say these people are guilty because the men of Nineveh were sorry for their sins and turned from them when Jonah preached. And see, Someone greater than Jonah is here!” Matthew 12:38-42

There were over 500 eye witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, many were persecuted and died for what they saw and believed.

How do I wrap my head around His resurrection in the flesh? Believe the eyewitnesses willing to die for what they saw. Paul describes the witnesses including himself.

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas (Peter), then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-7

Think about these witnesses. 12 humble disciples were willing to suffer torture and be put to death for testifying they interacted with Jesus after He was raised in the flesh; 11 of the disciples were tortured and killed for thier beliefs, and John died on an isolated island having been exiled for His belief. This level of committment is very unlikely if Jesus resurrection was a lie. The watergate perpetrators were some of the most powerful men in the world and they could not maintain their lie for 3 months at the threat of being put in jail, these guys remained committed to their testimony under torture to the point of death.

Jesus appeared to well over 500 witnesses at various times and places over the 40 days after His resurrection. Many of these folks were still alive when Paul referenced them in His letters. Why would 500 eyewitnesses be willing to be excommunicated from society, persecuted, and possibly stoned to death for claiming they saw Jesus resurrected in the flesh if it was a lie. It wouldn’t happen.

“To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3

Eyewitness interaction with Jesus after resurrection convinced His own brother, James, that He was “the Christ”

Jesus’ brother James did not fully believe Jesus was the son of God, the Christ, the Messiah, despite witnessing numerous miracles over several years.

“For even His brothers did not believe in Him.” John 7:5

It was not until he witnessed Jesus risen from the dead that he fully believed.

“Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles” 1 Corinthians 15:7

James was so convinced that he became an apostle/missionary, served as leader in the first Christian church in Jerusalem. He went on to write one of the letters now included as the book of James in the new testiment. He suffered persecution and was stoned to death for his belief. None of this would happen if you did not truly believe what you saw.

First hand interaction with the risen Jesus, converted Saul/Paul from being Jesus’ staunchest enemy to becoming Jesus’ staunches supporter.

Paul was actively working to persecute believers when the risen Jesus appeared to Him on the road to Damascus and radically changed Him. He repented, became a believer and went on to be one of the primary forces spreading the early Church. His writings make up almost half of the new testament.

“Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” 1 Corinthians 15:8

Why did these folks belive? They saw the goodness, and the goodness leads you to repentance.

As a process guy, I learned that the best processes pull value through the steps of a process rather than tru to push things through. If the customer pulls exactly what he wants, exactly the right things come out. If the supplier tries to guess what the customer wants and pushes lots of stuff towards a customer, you end up with lots of stuff at the end of the process and only some of it might be what the customer wants, the rest of it is wrong and causes problems. It is the same thing with spiritual stuff. Folks who focus on pushing truth at you and demand you comply, only make it harder to ge ton board. If you focus attention on God’s goodness, folks become receptive to talking about the truth involved in creating the goodness. The goodness “pulls” the truth. So what Goodness did Jesus deliver during His visit here, and why should you be interested in paying attention?

Jesus is “The Truth”; Evidence that God loves you.

Would you be willing to give your life for something you believe in? Each military veteran does just that. God loves us so much He sent His only begotten son to rescue us from this fallen world, to restore that which was lost through sin. Jesus loves us so much He was willing to sacrifice His earthly life, to bear the burden of our sin on His back to the point of death, trusting in faith the Fathers’ promise to resurrect Him in glory on the third day. That is some serious love, and that is some serious faith. The eye witnesses believed what they saw and had faith enough to admit what they saw and suffere whatever consequences that entailed. Jesus suffered and died to provide you evidence of God’s love. The least you can do is love Him back.

Jesus is “The Way”; The only way back to the Father.

You were born with a sinful nature, and you are a sinner. Sin seporates us from God, we are at war with Him in our mind and heart. The penalty for sin is death, eternity seporated from God. Jesus paid the price for our sin with His body. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and His innocent blood is on the mercy seat. When you repent of your sins and accept Jesus as Lord of your life, you instantly become cataloged as one of His followers, a member of His official body of followers, the body of Christ. Jesus is our High Priest in the Holiest of Hollies intercessing with the Father. We are connected as one through His blood. The Father sees you through Jeuss blood as innocent, blameless and beyond reproach. Guilt, Shame and condemnation have no place when you are one with the Father. This is not something you can earn, You can not do someting wonderful to offset your sinful nature. This gift of being restored into right relationship with God is only available to those who belief and put thier faith in Jesus.

Jesus is “The Life”; His resurrection gives you a direct path to eternal life

Jesus was there in the beginning; All things were created through Him. He came here in the flesh as the expressed image of God so we could see what God is like, and see what kind of life He wants us to live. His prophetic birth as a real human is tangible evidence that God is real and that He loves us. He loves us so much that even though we were working against His agenda as sinners, He sent His son. Jesus came here to save that which was lost. He took sin and death to the grave, and was resurrected into new life. His resurrection in the flesh is proof that God’s word is the truth, that Jesus was who He said He was. His resurrection paves the way for restoring our purpose in this life and clear expectations for spending eternity with Him when we are done here.

Our sinful nature drags us into thoughts words and acitons that seporate us from God, the source of life. When we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as lord, we are born again into new life. When we are baptized, we wash away our old self, and are raised into new life with Jesus. As we purposfully deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily and follow where Jesus leads us, we are changed. Our hearts are warmed, our minds are renewed, and our lives are transfomred. We strive to please God and actively resist temptation. We find joy in doing the good works set before us. We become willing to sacrifice in this life for promisses in the next. the kingdom of God becomes evident and manifests inside us here and now. This is only available if you believe, put your faith in Jesus, make Him Lord of our lives, and embrace the Holy Spirit operating inside us.

Jesus is “The Light”; He was the light of the world, and He handed the torch to you

Jesus lived a model life of love and truth. He loved us so much He was willing to come here as a human baby, then suffer and die to rescue us. He lived a sinless model life. He lived in perfect harmony with God the Father, He denied His own agendas and did only His Fathes will. He focused on serving others, including washing His disciples feet. He had great compassion for those in need, He fed the hungry, healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind. He brought many the good news of the kingdom of God, He encouraged repentance and a return to focus on God as center of your life. He was willing to suffer persecution and abuse in this life, for the promise of eternity with God in heaven. He even forgave those who tortured Him and put Him to death. His life was a light in this dark world, He want’s you to pick up the torch, follow His model: Living humbly, Understand God’s agenda and get aligned with His will, Be empowered by the Holy Spirit, Focused on serving others, Suffering in this life for promise in the next one, to the point of death. Become the light.

Jesus was the “Son of Man”

Was He God? Was He Human? Yes and Yes. He was a human being born in the flesh but with a divine nature direct from God. He was the expressed image of God, when you saw Him, you saw God. But He called Himsellf the “Son of Man” to highlight His human aspect. He came as a human so you could relate to Him.

He needed to be human and live a human life. He needed to fulfill the terms of the law given through Moses, if you sin, you deserve death. He needed to live the sinless life that we could not accomplish, and then shed His innocent blood as a perfect lamb sacrificed for mankind.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17

He needed to live a human life in the flesh and live it to the letter of the law, a perfect and innocent life. He then He had to get the devil to violate the law and kill Him, an innocent man. By this amazing series of actions He god the devil judged guilty, defeated.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” Hebrews 2: 14

He took the burden of our sins on His back, He paid the price for our sins to set us free.

” who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”1 Peter 2:24

He was born in the flesh as a baby, He was rasied up and grew in stature. He studied the scripture and became wise. He was baptised as an adult and recieved the Holy Spirit, just as He asks you to do. He humbled himselfe and served others, including washing His dissciples feet, just as He asks you to do. He did good works for those in need, just as He asks you to do. He pursued God’s will rather than His own, Just as He asks you to do. He was willing to suffer abuse in this earthly life and forgive those who administered it, for the promise of eternity with the Father, just as He asks you to do. He was willing to deny His earthly life to the point of death, on the promise of Glory to the Father, and eternity wiht Him, Just as He asks you to do.

Jesus was proof in the flesh of God’s love for us, and His promises ot us. Jesus ressureciton made Him the first born again of many, and you are to be one of the many when you believe in Him.

When Jesus says “Believers will do the works I do and more” it becomes a significant opportunity for you to step up your game as a believer.

Jesus is “The Resurrection” ; He provides a path to overcome death, and hope we will see our family and friends again after they pass.

Death in the flesh appears to be rather permanent. Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates God’s promise for us to live on with Him after this life. No one who truly follows Him shall ever die. We can have hope to see our departed friends and family again in due time. Goddbye is not goodbye forever, it is godbye from this life, see you soon enough in the next.

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

You are dead in your sins, you are at war with God and His agenda for you, you are living for yourself, focused on earthly things and this temporary earthly life. You pursue self-serving short-term agendas rather than positioning yourself for eternity and investing in His kingdom. Focus on yourself separates you from God, and cuts you off from His protection and support. Without a direct connection to God’s love, Your heart grows cold and hardens as you experience life’s challenges. You become so focused on you and your situation that it is difficult to have compassion for others and focus on helping them.

Jesus is the manifestation of God’s promise of eternal life. God is real, God loves us so much he sent his son, Jesus is God in the flesh so you can see Him and relate to Him. Jesus suffered and died to pay the wages of our sin, He denied his earthly body and took sin to the grave. He was raised from the dead to live forever, just as you will be raised from the dead…figuratively and literally.

Belief in Jesus reconnects your soul, your innermost self, to God. Understanding His suffering for you, brings your life into perspective. If He suffered and died for me, then I owe it to Him to pay attention and devote my life to serving Him. If He forgave those who sin against Him, I should be able to forgive those who sin against me. As you purge your sinful nature, it makes room for Him to form in you. It opens the door for you to come into complete union with Him now, and stay with Him for eternity.

Belief in Jesus and the Gospel message, opens your inner mind, it elevates your thinking from the fleshly outward focus on your plight in this world, to the inner/upward spiritual focus of God’s your role in His kingdom. Jesus life, death and ressurection opens the door to renewal of your mind and release into new life. Jesus is the resurrection in you.

If you are seriously pondering all of this and you don’t believe yet, Just Ask Him!

If you still don’t believe, Just ask Him. Say: “Jesus if you are who the bible says you are, the Lord of the universe, the Word made flesh. the Truth, the Way, the Life, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Redeemer, the Savior, please reveal yourself to me in some meaningful way. If you truly gave your life for me, I want to get to know you.”

You must be serious about it though. If you ask with all your heart he will answer, If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him. If you do not, you will not. It is up to you! He is waiting.

If you remain serious and are still not convinved, let me know, i just might be able to help you.

Believe! He is risen. Acknowledge Him, Invite Him, Let Him lead you into the life He intended for you when He put you here, and then enjoy eternity with Him forever more.

Happy Easter