Senin, 06 Oktober 2014

What It Means If Jesus Survived Crucifixion

By Jocelyn Davidson


If ancient texts of many faiths can be believed, there has been no Jewish Messiah. The one who the Jews believed would come to save them from their sins has not appeared. If Jesus survived crucifixion and continued his ministry to several ancient cultures, the Christian faith is baseless. However, history itself has to be rewritten to support this belief.

The main refutation of this theory is the Christian scriptures, the Bible. Of course, it's to be assumed that this book of history and doctrine of the Christian religion should follow the 'death on the cross' story line. However, there are many reasons why the scriptures carry more weight than other ancient documents.

Much of history is based on ancient texts that are not contemporary. The existence of Plato, for instance, is revealed in documents dating no closer to his life than 500 years. Christian beliefs, in contrast, are founded on writings that date to 100 AD. It is true that no personal writings of the twelve disciples have been recovered, but the Jewish method of copying sacred books kept the text consistent throughout antiquity.

The four gospels of the New Testament serve as 'eyewitness' accounts, consistent enough to be considered evidence in a secular court. Matthew and John, Jews and apostles, wrote shared experiences during Jesus's ministry, while Luke, a Greek, and Mark, a Jew too young to be an original disciple, wrote of what they 'knew to be true'.

For believers who know the tenets of the faith, no sacrificial death on the cross or resurrection would render the plan of salvation null and void. Paul addresses this in his writings. He stresses that, by dying for the sins of mankind and rising to new life, Jesus made a way for sinful man to enter into relationship with a holy God. Only a blood sacrifice was acceptable as atonement for sin under the Jewish law; no deception would have sufficed.

God does not reward earthly life that is not redeemed by the blood of his son. A 'good' life is not sufficient to atone for sin that separates man from God. Only those who accept that they are sinners, deserving to die, and that Jesus's death on the cross paid their penalty can become the children of God. The Lamb paid the price for all, and his resurrection made him the firstborn of all who have new life in Christ.

This man said he was the Son of God and that whoever had seen him had seen the Father. Hundreds of years of prophecy foretold the coming of such a one to restore the covenant God made with Abraham. Prophet after prophet revealed truths that could only have come from God. There are no prophecies about a ministry for the Son of God on other continents and shared with other teachers.

Suffering punishment on a Roman cross would indeed be horrific, but suffering is not enough to fulfill the requirements of the law. Only an authentic resurrection could explain the explosion of the Christian faith across the ancient world or the hope that lives in the heart of the believer.




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