More Than a Myth

7/20/18              Gustavo (video)             about 35

Can’t we just believe in the “idea” of Christ?  Does it really matter if he was a historical person or just a myth? 

I was talking with a man named Gustavo at the park, who seemed to have thought through many of his beliefs in regards to Christianity, so I was surprised that he took this question so lightly.  He said it really didn’t matter to him whether Jesus actually existed, what was important was the example He set for us to follow.  

To the casual observer, these might seem like petty questions between believers, but the Apostle Paul wrote of Jesus’ actual death and resurrection as being central to the Gospel:

“But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dea  1 Cor. 15

d, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Paul believed the validity of the Gospel depended completely on the resurrection, which couldn’t have happened if Jesus was just a myth.

Part of the problem, I believe, is a misunderstanding of the primary purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Even if Jesus’ purpose was just setting an example for us, then it would make a world of difference if the example of humility we strive to follow actually happened or not.  

But Jesus died primarily as a sacrifice for our sins; He took the punishment we deserve in order that our sins do not go unpunished and God’s perfect justice would be satisfied, but also in order that God could express His perfect love and mercy for all who receive Him.

Love requires sacrifice.  We can’t just believe in the “idea” of Christ anymore than we can just believe in the “idea” of love or of justice.  Ideas need the context of reality to be anything more than just a nice idea.

Watch our full conversation  HERE