Faith #4: The Preposterous Gospel of Christ

Number 4 on my list of top 10 reasons for faith in Jesus is probably the most compelling reason, because this preposterous Gospel of Christ was born in a hostile culture and has succeeded in the most hostile nations, growing miraculously in the worst conditions.

The way of faith in Jesus is not designed to be imposed on its followers, nor is it designed to bring its leaders wealth or respect in this world. It was not intended to be sold or marketed - it is difficult and some would say impossible to spread this faith without the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. Even after Jesus was resurrected and appeared to over 500 of his followers, the kingdom that he established in heaven only "went viral" after Christ had been seated on his throne and sent the Holy Spirit to those he called.

[Note: If you haven't noticed from my other posts on this "Reasons for Faith" topic, the kingdom of heaven has nothing to do with religions and governments.]

The gospel message itself is called "foolishness" to the nations of this world, and a "stumbling block" to the Jews whom Christ came to reach first. Of all the improbable ways to start, this kingdom began with the King himself being whipped and hung naked on a cross to suffer and die with criminals. To make it even more unlikely, he called his followers to take up their own cross and follow him - which almost all of them did - leading to lives of eternal impact that ended in persecution and death. These are not the ways of charlatans or philosophers, but rather simple men who were transformed by a revolutionary gospel piercing deep into their hearts by the Holy Spirit of God.

This is the Gospel of Christ:

1. God created this world and gave mankind authority over his creation.
2. Mankind sinned by rejecting God and choosing to live by their own knowledge.
3. Sin resulted in the mortality and depravity of mankind.
4. As he promised, God sent his only Son to redeem mankind from their slavery to sin and death.
5. The accumulated debt of the sin of mankind could only be paid by the precious blood of God's perfect sacrifice - the death of his only Son.
6. The resurrection and ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God makes him the Lord of all creation.
7. We are saved from sin and death when we believe in our heart and confess Jesus as Lord.
8. When we receive Christ we are blessed with joy, eternal life and the riches of heaven.

This preposterous gospel of an all-powerful but merciful, self-sacrificial God is the message of the eternal kingdom that rules the hearts and minds of believers. It is built on things only God can do and continues only by His grace and the power of his Holy Spirit. It is this grace that provides my faith and sustains my soul.

Faith #5: The Resurrection

This is Number 5 on my top 10 reasons for faith in Jesus.

The defining reason why Christians over the millennia have professed faith in Jesus is the resurrection. Without the resurrection there would be no Christian faith. Even though Jesus performed miracles and preached a revolutionary and very righteous message, without the resurrection Jesus would be viewed as perhaps just another Old Testament prophet, or just a good man as many humanists believe.

The resurrection of Jesus is one of the most irrefutable events in the Bible, and its impact on his followers and on world history are undeniable. Early in my journey from skeptic to believer I was presented with the evidence for the resurrection by Josh McDowell. Rather than creating my own list of proofs I will just refer to this page "Evidence for the Resurrection" for background.

To summarize, the disciples of Jesus were so convinced of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ to the right hand of God that they were willing to suffer and die to obey him and spread the good news to the ends of the world. They did this not out of greed, nor were they converted at the point of a sword or spear.

To the contrary they resisted these forces and spread the gospel in the face of opposition from both their own culture and the rulers of the world. This is not the response expected from a group that had been scattered in fear while their Rabbi was captured, tortured and crucified by soldiers acting on the demands of an angry radicalized mob.

The resurrection of Jesus and the coming of his Holy Spirit changed the disciples into a fearless group of evangelists who changed the world. The truth of the resurrection means that Jesus lives forever as the Lord of all creation for all time.

Faith #6: The New Covenant

Number 6 on my top 10 reasons for faith in Jesus is the New Covenant - the covenant of Grace, sealed by the blood of Jesus, which provides the promise of redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life.

The Bible describes many covenants between God and men. Here are a few:

• The covenant with Noah (Genesis 9) - the promise of natural order based on Noah's faith and sealed by the shedding of blood.
• The covenant with Abram (Genesis 15) - the promise of land based on Abram's faith and sealed by the shedding of blood.
• The covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17) - the promise to make Abraham the father of many nations through faith and sealed by the shedding of blood in circumcision.
• The covenant with Israel  (Exodus 19) - the Law given through Moses that effectively became the constitution for the nation of Israel. This covenant was also sealed by the shedding of blood. This covenant promised blessings or curses conditioned by Israel keeping the covenant.
• The covenant with David (2 Samuel 7) - the promise of God to establish the Kingdom of David and the everlasting kingdom of his descendant, prophesying the Messianic age.
• The promised covenant of grace (Jeremiah 31) that would be fulfilled by the coming Messiah.

The fact that this ancient faith prophesied its own fulfillment in a way that its most ardent proponents did not even understand is testimony to the truth of the Gospel. The prophets of the Old Testament even prophesied the rejection of the Messiah and the obsolescence of the old covenant of blessings or curses. This mysterious ending was intentionally hidden until it was fulfilled and revealed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him... (Isaiah 11:1-2)

The covenant of faith remains, sealed for all time by the blood of Jesus and available to people of every nation because of His resurrection and enthronement at the right hand of God. The covenant with Israel and the Law of Moses with its Levitical priesthood was made obsolete at the same time by the priesthood of Jesus.

What we are left with from now until the end of this age is what all Christians trust and believe, which is the Kingdom of God and Jesus Christ at his right hand, ruling our hearts through the power of his Holy Spirit. The kingdoms of this world and our own sinful flesh remain to be destroyed at his coming. It is this promise, the hope of glory, that gives me faith to live in this present age.