How can you be punished for disbelieving something that is “unprovable”?*

*Question raised on a “Christmas” website!   

 

    Unprovable!? How can Jesus be unprovable? Over 500 people saw him alive and many were still alive when Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 15:6. His resurrection was proved then, and a 2000-year gap doesn't disprove it or make it necessary to prove it again.

     But for the convinced Christian, there is better proof. The Bible says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psa.34:8)

     A child learning to bicycle knows exactly when she “has it”. So does a new swimmer when he changes from sinking to successfully staying up and breathing. We sometimes call this an “epiphany”.  The new cyclist may need to learn other types of bicycles and even motorcycles. The swimmer needs to learn new strokes and different conditions of water, such as a pool or open sea.

     It is the same with becoming a Christian---what we know within us confirms that we are in the right place. We don't get all the answers. The new Christian “just” needs to learn more of Jesus. But the initial step has been taken—Christ is proved— and there is no going back.

Why? Tell me, why??

         On vacation recently, my wife and I sat through a Sunday morning sermon in which the main point was, “Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour!” After thirty minutes and twenty repetitions, we did indeed get the point. The preacher used all his authority as a pastor of 50 or 60 years’ standing, to enforce the command, over and over. But his reasons were vague or non-existent. Why not, “Accept Confucius”, or “Accept Joseph Smith”?  I accept only Jesus! But to avoid any doubt or confusion, I want to lay out a few reasons for accepting Jesus.

Some background is necessary, however, so here are a few scriptures to set the scene:-

·         “Anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists.” Hebrews 11:6. There are many false gods but only one true God.

·         “You created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11. That ‘true God’ created us.

·         “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. We have failed him.

·         “The one who sins is the one who will die.” Ezekiel 18:20. Because we have failed we have to die.

·         “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:3. Unless we turn back to God we will perish.

·         “There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5. Jesus is the only connection we have to God.

·         “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31. Only Jesus will make things right.

With these seven scriptures as a basis, here are three reasons to accept Jesus Christ as Lord:-

1.      To avoid punishment for our sins. Since God is infinite and one sin is infinitely evil, the punishment must be infinite, that is, eternal! Trusting Jesus for this reason is good, but sometimes we just call it “fire insurance”. The rich man in Luke 16 never trusted the Lord and ended up in Hades.

2.      Because we are desperate, and don’t know what else to do. This was Peter, sinking in the sea: “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:30. This was my own position—I reached out for Christ like a drowning man.

3.      Because we love him. “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19. This is worship—Jesus loves us enough to die for us. We want to say thank you and give ourselves back to him.

There are wonderful and profound reasons for trusting Jesus. He rescues us from punishment and great loss, but he also comes to live with us and puts his Holy Spirit inside us. We will never be alone again. And one day we will see him face-to-face. As the second last verse of the Bible says, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”