All The Counsel of God

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27

So much for “replacement theology” and God being all done with Israel. Israel’s best days are yet to come!

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

A great memory passage on how this world is not our home. We should be transformed from it, not conformed to it.

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8

Notice that the spiritual gifts in these verses do not include unknown tongues. Rather than being the “initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost,” tongues (unknown or not) didn’t even make the list.

^“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21

It’s not enough that we stop doing evil things. We must replace evil with good, lest we slip back into the old ways. It’s not enough to not take vengeance on an enemy. We must find ways to show kindness to them and bless them. Matthew 5:44 says “ But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

“But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:13-14

Jesus has a persistent way of showing again and again the great gulf that is fixed between the ways of earth and the ways of Heaven. We simply do not operate with the motives and compulsions by which God operates, but we ought to, and we can!

The Pharisee-host to whom our Lord was speaking probably profited little from this lesson on heavenly etiquette, but there is an eternally valuable truth to be gleaned here. Man’s natural motivation is to perform most of his so-called charities with an eye to a return in kind on his investment – and even the budgets of churches can show the same tendency, but God’s way is just the opposite.

We should not be surprised, therefore, when we encounter a natural reluctance among men to give sacrificially for the sole purpose of sending the Gospel message to the ” … the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind” (Luke 14:13), who in the darkness of some distant pagan land hunger for a life-giving taste of the Word of God. We should not be surprised; no, but we can heed the Word of God here and now, and take fresh stock of our own lives to make sure our investments are made with an eye to heavenly values.

Let it be a forever settled conclusion that for the individual Christian or for the church that truly enters by faith into the God-given task of sending forth the Gospel to the lost world, the investment is going to be of a nature that cannot in this life be recovered. Such giving therefore lacks the fleshly appeal that can be incorporated in a “drive” for funds for a new organ, added comforts in the pews, or for the building of yet another church, and the chalking up of another statistic for our denomination.

But wait- isn’t that precisely what Jesus warns against in the text? What He is saying is that the highest possible motivation in Christian giving is the fact that ” … they cannot recompense thee … ” The Son of God speaks words here that are utterly foreign to man’s natural thinking.
But note well the promise that He utters in the same breath, ” … thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14). You will be repaid all right- and with currency of an eternal and unchanging value!

Here in a very real sense, then is an invitation – and an opportunity- to ” .. .lay up … treasures in heaven … ” (Matthew 6:20). But all too few, we fear, will display the joyous discernment voiced by the enlightened soul of Luke 14:15, who cries out, ” … Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.”

How true! But if we would partake of that bread there and then, we are going to have to learn to let go of it gladly here and now, and send it on ahead in faith – by giving it where there is absolutely nothing in it for us, to those who” … cannot recompense … “

“… as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious …” (Mark 14:3).

This woman could have gotten a vase that would not have cost so much as those made of alabaster. She might have brought perfume that would have cost only fifty pence; this cost three hundred. As far as I can understand, her whole fortune was in it. She might have been more economical; but no – she got the very best box, and put in it the very best perfume, and poured it all out on the head of her Redeemer.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, the trouble is that we bring to Jesus too cheap a box. If we have one of alabaster and one of earthenware, we keep the first for ourselves and give the latter to Christ.

We owe Jesus the best of our time, the best of our talents, the best of everything. Is there an hour in the day when we are wider awake than any other, more capable of thought and feeling? Let us bring that to Christ. We are apt to take a few moments in the morning when we are getting awake or a few moments at night when we are getting asleep for Jesus; but if there be an hour in the day when we are most appreciative of God’s goodness and Christ’s pardon and Heaven’s joy, oh, that is the alabaster box to bring to Jesus.

We owe Christ the very best years of our lives. When the sight is the clearest, the hearing the acutest, the arm the strongest, the nerves the steadiest, the imagination the brightest, let us come to Jesus. Let us not wait until our joints are stiffened and the glow is gone out of our temperament and we arise in the morning as weary as when we lay down at night.

The passage I am going to draw your attention to is without question one of the most terrible warnings in the Bible. I am convinced every time I dare face it in a serious way. It forces upon me a picture of myself standing before the judgment seat of Christ with the blood of multitudes dripping from my hands. It charges home upon me the awful sin of omission, and I cannot escape. Let us examine it now.

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel3: 17-21).

It is the fearful sin of omission, the sin of withholding the glad tidings. So important does God consider it that twice He gives the same warning, for it is found again in the thirty-third chapter of the same book. It lays upon me the obligation of telling others. And to fail in my duty is to put my own life in peril.

Naturally we think first of the heathen lands where darkness reigns, and where Christ has never been preached. And well we may. Has not God commanded us? Did He not bid us go and take the Gospel to all the world? And have we any excuse? And yet nineteen hundred years have passed and still the larger portion of the world has never yetheard the message.

There are the closed lands and the far away lands where no Christian has ever set foot. Such great cities as Mecca and Medina in Arabia; Herat, Cubul, and Khandahar in Afghanistan; Thassa in Tibet and Bokhara have never yet seen the face of a preacher of the Gospel, for these cities are officially closed. They still wait untouched, unreached.

But let us come closer home. What about the souls in our own land? How tragically many there are who, in spite of all our religious work, have never yet heard the Gospel!

But let us come still nearer home. There is the city, town, or village in which we live. Can we point to any tangible effort that we have put forth for its evangelization? Dare we stand before God and say we have done what we could to warn the people? For if not, mark you, their blood is upon us.

Oh, yes, you say, we have prayed, and wherever we have gone men and women have felt the influence of our silent Christian testimony. Very frequently we have spoken to them of Christ. Yes, and is that all?

No, we have built a great church, a large tabernacle, into which we have invited them to come and hear the Gospel. And many, very many, have accepted the invitation. Well, and is that all? Is that all? Why, what do you mean? What more do you expect?

My friend, what about the multitudes that have never come? And what about the foreigners, the Jews and Chinese, the Fin landers and Poles, the strangers within our gates? And what about the Roman Catholics and all those who believe in salvation by works? Yes, and what of the rich who would never deign to darken our door, and the poor who feel we do not want them? What of the prostitutes who walk our streets, and the frequenters of questionable houses? Yes, and the inmates of our jails and prisons, our reformatories and hospitals? In a word – what about the multitudes who will never come to us, whom we can never hope to meet, but who are perishing because they have never heard the warning?

Did God ever tell us to build churches and then expect sinners to come to them? Never! His Word is not “Come,” but “Go.” Again and again He emphasizes it. “Go out” is His order; “Go ye,” His command. And if we don’t, if we fail, if we disobey- ” … his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel 13:18).

Responsible we surely are.”… this day is a day of good tidings …”, cried the lepers of Samaria, “… and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell …” (2 Kings 7:9). Could they keep it to themselves? Of course not, and neither can we if we are to be clear of the blood of all men.

Think of such cities as Chicago and New York. How many, do you suppose, in spite of all the missions and churches, in spite of the thousands of Christian people, preachers, and evangelists, have ever heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ? ” .. Go ye … and preach the gospel…” (Mark 16:15).

Objection is often raised, even by some sound in the faith, regarding the exposure of error as being entirely negative and of no real edification. Of late, the hue and cry has been against any and all negative teaching.

The brethren who assume this attitude forget that a large part of the New Testament, both of the teaching of our blessed Lord Himself and the writings of the apostles, is made up of this very character of ministry – namely, showing the Satanic origin and, therefore, the unsettling results of the propagation of erroneous systems which Peter so definitely refers to as ” … damnable heresies … ” (2 Peter 2:1).

Our Lord prophesied, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). Within our own day, how many false prophets have risen; and, oh, how many are the deceived!

Paul predicted, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to drawaway disciples after them. Therefore watch … ” (Acts 20:29-31).

My own observation is that these ” … grievous wolves … “, alone and in packs, are not sparing even the most favoured flocks. Undershepherds in these ” ••• perilous times … ” (2 Timothy 3:1) will do well to note the apostle’s warning, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers …. ” (Acts 20:28). It is as important in these days, as in Paul’s -in fact, it is increasingly important – to expose the many types of false teaching that, on every hand, abound more and more.

We are called upon to ” … earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3), while we hold the truth in love. The faith means the whole body of revealed truth, and to contend for all of God’s truth necessitates some negative teaching. The choice is not left with us. Jude said he preferred a different, a pleasanter theme, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:3-4).

Paul likewise admonishes us to ” … have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11). This does not imply harsh treatment of those entrapped by error quite the opposite. If it be objected that exposure to error necessitates unkind reflection upon others who do not see as we do, our answer is, it has always been the duty of every loyal servant of Christ to warn against any teaching that would make Him less precious, or cast reflection upon His finished redemptive work and the all sufficiency of His present service as our great High Priest and Advocate.

Every system of teaching can be judged by what it sets forth as to these fundamental truths of the faith. ” … What think ye of Christ? … ” (Matthew 22:42) is still the true test of every creed. The Christ of the Bible is certainly not the Christ of any false “ism.” Each of the cults has its hideous caricature of our lovely Lord.

Let us who have been redeemed at the cost of His precious blood be” … a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). As the battle against the forces of evil waxes ever more hot, we have need for God-given valour. There is constant temptation to compromise, but “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (Hebrews 13:13). It is always right to stand firmly for what God has revealed concerning His blessed Son’s person and work. The “father of lies” deals in half-truths, and specializes in most subtle fallacies concerning the Lord Jesus, our sole and sufficient Saviour.

Error is like leaven, of which we read, ” … a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent looking, and, therefore, more dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any error, or any truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure and repudiation. To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His Word, and treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died.

Exposing error is most unpopular work, but from every true standpoint, it is worthwhile work. To our Saviour, it means that He receives from us, His blood-bought ones, the loyalty that is His due. To ourselves, if we consider ” … the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt … ” (Hebrews 11 :26), it ensures future reward, a thousand-fold; and to souls caught in ” … the snare of the fowler. .. ” (Psalm 91:3)-how many of them God only knows it may mean light and life, abundant and everlasting.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

This is a great eternal security passage. It can also be used to expose the fallacy that “God loves everybody.” God’s love is not universal; it is “in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He so loved (past tense) the world (at Calvary) that he gave his Son. Those who reject His Son also reject his love and receive his wrath instead (John 3:36). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:3

That’s what people are doing: seeking to establish their own righteousness instead of submitting to God’s righteousness.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10

Here’s another couple verses from the Roman’s Road group.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13

The Lord really has a way of simplifying salvation. How can anything be more simple than calling on someone? No good works, no baptism, no church membership—just asking.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

Faith isn’t blind. Faith is based on God’s word. So, since it takes faith to be saved (Eph. 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.”), it takes God’s word to be saved (1 Pet. 1:23, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”). The proper order is fact, faith, then feeling.

” … I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

It should be enough that God ” … hath said … “, even if ten thousand other voices, both within and without the soul, should speak the contrary. His love is everlasting, ” … I have loved thee with an everlasting love … ” (Jeremiah 31 :3). His covenant is everlasting (Isaiah 61:8; Hebrews 13:20) and unchangeable. “Thus saith theLORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant … ” (Jeremiah 33:20-21). Think of it! Just as much as it is impossible for man to change the seasons or the day and the night, so is it impossible for God to break His covenant of mercy to one of His servants. Though ” … we believe not, yet he abideth faithful…” (2 Timothy 2: 13).

All healthy, thriving, stalwart Christians become so by appropriating the promises. David said, “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart” (Psalm 119:111 ). “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage” (Psalm 119:54). All who believe the promises ” … rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1 :8), even in seasons of great heaviness through manifold temptations, knowing that ” … all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

The sincere milk of the Word of God is food for babes in Christ by which they grow (1 Peter 2:2). It is through the Scriptures that they became “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith … ” (Colossians 2:7). Jesus has left His own with many comforting promises of His abiding presence and help in time of need.

‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His Word;

Just to rest upon His promise;

Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord. “

It takes little persuasion to get us on the move when we are faced with a bee or two, a snake, or a mouse. The dictionary defines the word persuasion as a strong belief or conviction. With this in mind, let us consider a few of the involvements in a persuasion or call.

Perhaps no single thing “bugs” more young people regarding the Lord’s service, particularly abroad, than this persuasion or call. To some it is comparatively easy and crystal clear. To others it is like floundering in heavy seas for many days and nights. For Paul, it was a once-for-all “knock-out-blow” on the Damascus Road from which he never recovered- to doubt. This assurance characterized his life’s testimony to Timothy in salvation, saying,  “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). In his dedication there was not a cloud in the sky, not a moment’s hesitation. Thus he could testify unflinchingly later in life, “…I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision” (Acts 26: 19). The spiritual need of men loomed before him larger than any local horizon, and he was off.

Strange isn’t it? It takes no persuasion, no special call to plunge into work at the mine head when fellow-workers and loved ones are trapped hundreds of feet below. “My buddy is down there.” “My daddy is down there.” “My sweetheart is down there.” How true! Can’t you just feel the tug and throb of compassion. Can’t you sense the urgency of life and death. Years ago, when Henry Throne and Dave Fellin, Hazelton, PA, were trapped 365 feet below the surface in a mine disaster, workmen drilled the clock around for days to make the breakthrough. I can fairly hear the shouts of joy and almost see the tears of relief as those rescued men rose to view.

What then is involved in this missionary persuasion? Let us consider four things:

First, Paul was persuaded of his own salvation. From that moment he was no longer his own. He could say on his initial encounter with Jesus, “Lord.” The first step in missions is the Lordship of Christ. It is simple but essential.

Second, Paul was persuaded of infinite protection as he declares in Romans 8:38-39,  “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He could unreservedly say, “… none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself … “ (Acts 20:24). This assurance, like Daniel’s, took him through all things, and in all places, under all circumstances triumphantly. He didn’t quit after the first year or term of service! ” … Arise … ” said Jesus, ” … and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6). ” … I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9: 16). Paul arose; he went; he learned; he suffered; he endured.

Third, Paul never flinched from his first flush of love and devotion for his Lord. Thus, he could say in testimony before the great king, “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). One thing that hinders many from accepting and following through with the Lord’s call is the fear of the cost in separation, sacrifice, the ever foreboding uncertainties, and insecurities. “I just   the price. I just can’t do it. I can’t! I can’t!”

Paul’s similar problem was solved in Acts 26:17, when the Lord said, “Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee.” His persuasive call rested with the Lord on the word delivering. Is not this all anyone requires? ” … but God is … my portion for ever” (Psalm 73 :26), said David.

Fourth, Paul’s vision became vocal. Profession became practice. Passion became possessive. Persecuting feet became preaching feet. Loud anathemas gave way to vibrant maranathas. “And straightway he preached Christ … that he is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20).

Millions of people live without sufficient food, shelter, clothing, and health facilities. Many, many live in extreme poverty and go to bed hungry every night. Our problem is dieting; their problem is living. Their problem is not only living, but dying too. Theirs is not only a problem of wandering through this world lean, but the tragedy of drifting into eternity lost.

Yes, someone is down there, way down there, in that mineshaft of sin – really millions of them. Will you be persuaded to rescue some of them? David Livingstone was. He said, “I place no value on anything I have or possess except in relation to the kingdom of God.”

I challenge each of you to ask this question, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3: 16).

Due to the tremendous amount of high-pressure advertising and salesmanship that exists today there is a tendency to be suspicious and treat lightly anything that is offered to us free! We will always look for a gimmick or catch of some kind. We are prone to doubt anything can be of value that is offered to us free. Because of this condition we are apt to think of anything that is free as being cheap. This attitude is carried into religion and salvation.

Because of the doubt and suspicion that we have concerning anything “free,” efforts are made to put a “purchase price” on salvation. Men rebel at accepting a free salvation and will put forth every kind of effort to “buy” salvation. They will try to buy salvation with their good morals, with their good works, with their baptism, with their rites, rituals, and ordinances, with their church membership, and their church activities. It seems as though we want to put a price on salvation, a price that we can pay so that we can be able to say how much our salvation cost us. Probably this is one of the main reasons why the truth concerning the salvation of God has been so twisted and distorted. A tremendous percentage of organized Christianity is nothing more than the efforts of man to buy salvation.

Any salvation that would be so low in value as to be purchased by our puny, sinful efforts wouldn’t amount to much. How ridiculous to think that any of our works of righteousness would be valuable enough to be able to purchase salvation. It seems as though one of the hardest things to realize is that we are completely unable to adequately pay for our own salvation.

Because of man’s efforts to purchase salvation, salvation has been cheapened. Anything that could be purchased by our efforts could not amount to much. Thus man gets a low opinion of salvation.

Another thing that seems to cheapen our salvation is the association of the Gospel with the cheap theatrical appeal, emotional orgies, and third-rate entertainment that exists in the name of religion.

Man needs to learn that salvation is free but not cheap! It is free, not because it is worthless but because the price has already been paid. When Jesus Christ died upon the cross, He paid it all. The terrific price for our sins was the death of Jesus Christ. In His death He paid the price for every sin that you and I had committed and purchased salvation, thus enabling Christ, and Christ alone, to be able to offer unto us the free gift of salvation. We cannot buy it, we cannot earn it, we cannot merit it. It is ours to receive as a free gift. It would be impossible to place a value upon salvation. It goes beyond our minds to understand the infinite work of redemption from Hell and salvation to Heaven.

Maybe as you read this, you are one who has put forth efforts to purchase salvation. Surely now you can see the futility of this effort, and you will turn in repentance and by faith look to Jesus Christ and accept that which He has purchased for you – free salvation.

1. The Old Testament foretold the resurrection.

Such evidence is most clearly seen in some of the Messianic Psalms. Compare Psalm 2 with Acts 12:33; Psalm 16 with Acts 2:22-36. See also John 20:9.

2. Jesus Christ Himself foretold His resurrection.

In all three synoptic Gospels, our Lord declared several times that He would be crucified and then in three days would rise from the dead. For examples, see Matthew 12:38-40; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22-23; Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 8:31; Mark 9:30-32; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 9:22; Luke 18:31-34.

3. On the third day the tomb was empty.

Scholars agree that the tomb was empty. The women found it empty (Luke 24:3); Peter found it empty (John 20: 1-10); the angel said it was empty (Matthew 28:5-7); and even the Jewish Sanhedrin admitted it was empty, because they had bribed the guards to lie about what had happened (Matthew 28:11-13 ).

4. No answer but an actual resurrection can explain why the tomb was empty.

Space here does not allow detailed replies to the shopworn theories designed to explain away the resurrection (the swoon theory, the fraud theory, the hallucination theory), but convincing refutations abound. Our faith does not rest on myths or philosophical speculations, but on a historical event. Jesus died and rose from the dead in an actual place and at an actual time.

5. Many saw Jesus and spoke with Him after He arose.

Jesus did not just come out of the tomb and then disappear. That morning He appeared to Mary Magdalene alone (John 20:14-18), then to the two 2 Marys (Matthew 28:8-10), to Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5), to two disciples on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-31). He appeared that night in the upper room to ten of His disciples (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-23). A week later, He appeared to eleven disciples early one morning at the Sea of Galilee (John 21: 1-23). Once He appeared to five hundred brethren (1 Corinthians 15:6).

6. Witnesses not only saw Jesus, but talked with Him and examined His wounds.

When Thomas thrust his hand in Jesus’ side, he exclaimed, ” … My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). On another occasion, Jesus said, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:39). This should answer once and for all the charge of cults who argue that Jesus’ resurrection was a spiritual one and not a bodily one.

7. The ascension testified to the fact that He had risen.

Without the resurrection, of course, there could not even have been an ascension, an event clearly recorded in Acts 1:10-11. This took place forty days after He arose. Jesus had ” … shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs … ” (Acts 1 :3).

8. The Apostle Paul saw the risen Lord and preached it as central to his message.

An encounter with the risen Lord (Acts 9:3-6; 1 Corinthians 15:8) converted Paul from a fanatic persecutor of the early church to its foremost missionary. Paul preached the resurrection throughout his epistles. See such passages as Romans 6:4-11; 1 Corinthians 15; Ephesians 1:19-23; Colossians 1:18. The account of the resurrection occurs so many times, in fact, that one authority writes, “Paul, more than anyone, is the apostle of the risen Lord; he is supremely the ‘witness of the resurrection.”‘

9. Stephen and John saw the risen Lord

Stephen saw Him as the angry crowd, with Paul in the midst, was about to stone him to death (Acts 7:54-60). John saw him on the Isle of Patmos (Revelation 1: 10-18).

10. The church through the centuries in itself has been a witness to the resurrection.

Since the days of Pentecost, when Peter made the resurrection the very heart of his message, Christians have exemplified in one degree or another the victory and power of the resurrection released on that morning when Jesus Christ arose from the grave. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central event in world history; but of course, it’s much more than that. It’s also the best news in all the world.