The Resurrection of Jesus (1): It’s all or nothing

Humans are amazing creatures. We are so industrious, diligent and creative. We make giant leaps forward with every year that goes past. According to many leading atheists, so creative are humans that we are even able to invent gods to worship, ways of living and bizarre rituals in religion. In the atheists mind, God is merely a human construct that relies solely on something called ‘faith’, which cannot be substantiated by evidence as it is ‘faith’. So wretched is this worldview, in the atheists opinion, that they have labelled faith ‘a virus’ (see Why God won’t go away). How do you feel about this comment? Do you agree or disagree, and why?

What is ‘faith’?

Faith, in my opinion, is a misunderstood concept. If you take the view of the atheist, then what you are referring to is ‘blind faith’. Faith, according to the Christian bible, comes from the Greek work pisteuõ, which means ‘I trust or I believe’ or ‘I am trusting or I am believing’. To say that you have faith in something means that you have examined or observed some form of evidence or evidences and come to the conclusion that it is trustworthy. Every human on this earth demonstrates faith every day. You might have faith in your spouse, your car, your house and even the chair that is holding you up while you read this article. Atheists have faith in the scientific evidence that, in their mind, proves the non-existence of God, the Muslim has faith that Muhammad accurately scribed down the words of Allah and so on. Faith is based on evidence and blind faith is based on a lack of evidence.

The Christian trust

The Christian faith, or better put, Christians trust is based on a man named Jesus. Christians believe, or trust, that Jesus was God incarnate, who died on the cross and rose three days later to reconcile us back to himself. Over this series, my goal is to examine the historical evidence that points to the reliability of the resurrection of Jesus. The content used in these articles will draw heavily from three books titled ‘The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus’, ‘The Case for the Resurrection’ and ‘The Message of the Resurrection’. Additionally, I will also draw key information and implications for the resurrection from the bible. Before we do this however, we need to address one issue.

Christianity isn’t just another religion!

The common view that all religions are the same and lead to the same path, is an absolute idiotic worldview. Sorry if you hold this view, but after a careful examination of the facts, you will have to conclude that each religion is very unique, and that only one is absolutely correct. Take Jesus words for example:

“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)

See, if Jesus is right, then no other religion can be correct except for Christianity. He clearly states that the only way back to God is through him. Additionally, Jesus gave us an amazing sign to prove that he is the one true way to God. This sign, or evidence, is that he will die on a cross and rise again three days later (Matthew 12:40; 26:61; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34; John 2:19-21).

It all comes down to this, the death and resurrection of God. The Apostle Paul states in the bible:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:14-15, 17)

The faith, trust or belief, depending on what you want to call it, hangs solely and squarely on the proverbial shoulders of the resurrection. Did Jesus rise from the grave, or is it a huge hoax? If he did, then what does that mean for humanity, and more personally, what does that mean for you? This series is aimed at answering these questions. Please stay posted for the next article in this series as we begin to examine the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.

Science and Jesus (7): Is the Darwinian Axe at the Throat of Christianity?

Science and a faith in Jesus, according to the New Atheists, are absolutely incompatible. This is the bell that Professor’s Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett are slamming. The New Atheists, armed with a version of Darwinian Theory, aim at dismantling and destroying humanities belief in any sort of god!

Over the last six posts, I have endeavoured to demonstrate that the claims of the New Atheists are not only false, but the ways in which these men argue their case is misleading and unfaithful. Additionally, the evidence provided in the past six posts (see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6) has articulated the strong compatibility of Science and a faith in Jesus.

Today, after a great deal of research, I will strive to tackle the issue of “Evolution”. I will confess that I am by no means an expert on this matter, both scientifically and theologically. However, I do believe that I have a fairly good grasp on both, enough to write an article on the matter (please correct me in the comment section if you feel I am incorrect in any way). Additionally, I will state, at the time of publishing, that I have not placed my foot in the Creationist, Intelligent Design or BioLogos camp (I will define these terms in this article). I guess, you could call this article an informal discussion.

Evolution by natural selection

Evolution by means of natural selection is a theory developed by the late Charles Darwin. It was and is considered a major breakthrough in the field of biology, due to the theories ability at defining the reasons for the rich diversity of life found on earth. This theory has been received with a mix reception. For most atheists see this theory as an end to the belief in God. Alternatively, some Christians see this theory as an attack on the teachings of the scriptures. However, not all Christians feel this way as some Christians subscribe to Darwinian Theory (see Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4).

For the sake of this argument, I will break evolution into two categories, microevolution and macroevolution. It has been proven that life on earth is evolving but to what extent. Basically all life has the ability to adapt to its environment. This is called microevolution. Additionally, the principles of microevolution are then applied to what’s called macroevolution, which is the understanding that over long periods of time, life can adapt and evolve into a new species (speciation). According to most leading Christian Scientists, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence for macroevolution.

Life, according to this theory began a couple of billions of years ago. It appeared as one replicating cell, which over a great deal of time, evolved into different forms of life. According to the biology experts, humans are related to modern day Chimpanzees, as we share a common ancestor with them, which is the result of thousands of years of evolution.

What about how the bible describes Creation in Genesis?

The first thing we need to ask ourselves when reading Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 is what are the main point / s of this text? Is this text detailing the mechanisms, processes and duration by which God created the world or is it addressing other issues? According to Longman and Dillard (2006), the text is not at all concerned with the process of creation, but rather, it is describing how God is the sole cause behind the creation of the universe and humankind. Additionally, they argue that Genesis 1 and 2 demonstrates how humanity is dependent on God and how God created everything from nothing, which the theologians term creation ex nihilo.

Both Longman and Dillard (2006) and Dickson (see Part 4) emphasis how we must read Genesis 1 and 2 in its historical context and further analysis of this will reveal the apologetic nature of the text (for more on Genesis’ interaction with Enuma Elish, see Part 4). This view is echoed by a great many Christian theologians!

How do Christians believe God created the life?

There are currently three schools of thought amongst Christians today about creation. These are the Creationists, Intelligent Designers and BioLogists. Simply put:

• Creationists view Genesis 1 as detailing the order, processes and duration God used to create the world. Some creationists would insist on a young earth theory, generally ranging between 6 000 to 10 000 years old (see Answers in Genesis for more).

• Intelligent Designers (not limited to Christianity) holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection (see Explaining the Science behind Intelligent Design for more).

• BioLogos, also known as Theistic Evolution (not limited to Christianity), holds that God used Evolution by natural selection as the mechanism to create life on earth. BioLogists will insist that natural selection is not unguided, but that God was behind this process (see The BioLogos Forum for more).

There seems at times, to me at least, to be a slight overlap between Intelligent Design and BioLogos. Check out the links for more information as these descriptions are very brief and simple.

What’s the verdict?

I think in light of the evidence, Evolution by natural selection does not pose a threat to Christianity or the Doctrine of Creation, as the New Atheists would put it. Scientists like Francis Collins and Alister McGrath, both BioLogists, are emphatic in pointing out that through this science, we can see the hand of God. Either way, God is sovereign over the world, his word will last forever and science will continue to show humanity the processes and mechanisms by which God achieved his creative works (Isaiah 40:8; Romans 1:19-21).

The absolute lynch pin for me and many others is the resurrection of Jesus. Professor Simon Conway Morris, a Christian, a Palaeontologist and a BioLogist, explains how his faith rests in the resurrection of his Lord Jesus (see Real Scientist Real Faith). The evidence pointing towards the resurrection is overwhelming and those who dare point to the contrary are left short.

Jesus, who is God the Son, came and lived a sinless life and died a sinner’s death on a Roman cross. He did this to offer those who put their trust in him, new and eternal life (John 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:8-10). I encourage you to not believe everything you hear but to investigate for yourself the truth. The evidence pointing to Jesus as the eternal God, resurrected Messiah and King of the Universe is overwhelming. As Jesus said, search and you will find (Luke 11:9).

Resource Review: Know the Truth

“What is truth” (John 18:36-38), asked Pilate to Jesus. I ask you, is there truth and is it fixed and attainable? According to the bible, truth is fixed and attainable. In this excellent book by Bruce Milne, he details the core teaching of the bible. I recommend this book to those who have a basic understanding of the bible and are interested in Christian doctrine.

'You will know the truth,' said Jesus, 'and the truth will set you free.'

Christians have already begun to know God and his truth. This handbook assists in that liberating knowledge, as it opens up the great themes of God's Word and shows how they fit together.

Each chapter deals with one aspect of biblical truth and encourages further study with Scripture references to

look up, questions for discussion, and books for additional reading. The main sections conclude with practical reflection on how the Bible's teaching challenges us and moves us to adore the living God.

This new edition of Bruce Milne's widely appreciated Know the Truth has been extensively revised and updated to ensure its ongoing relevance and value as an excellent introduction to Christian doctrine.

384 pages Hardback
Price: Approx. $9.95