Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE TRUTH

 THE TRUTH

“What is truth?”

Pilate is reported to have posed the above question at the trial of Christ in Jerusalem and as recorded in John 18:38. It is a question that many have pondered over the years, especially as it pertains to the subsequent crucifixion and then resurrection of Jesus. Did such events truly take place or was it all a deception as some religions and many people believe? Does it really make any difference whether Christ arose from the dead or is it enough to just believe that He did? After all, many believe that the truth is simply what is right for you; and if it works for you then that is essentially your truth. So much of a story can be changed by the way one looks at it, and by the bias of the one writing it.

But the universe does not work that way. There are specific laws that are true whether or not we agree or desire them. The Law of Gravity exists, although we can modify it by special  means, and if you don’t think it applies to you, just try jumping off a tall building. The Law of Thermodynamics is similar, and although modifications can be made, deterioration develops in everything whether we like it or not. And if you don’t believe in the Laws of Motion - well, try  standing in front of an oncoming train.

The point is that universal truths exist and the evidence for those truths exist whether we like it or not. We must accept the evidence or receive the consequences of our denial. So this is the weekend in which we remember the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. There is considered to be more evidence for that event than for any other event in ancient history but many still deny its reality.  

J. Norman Dalrymple Anderson was a dean of the faculty of law at the University of London, chairman of the Dept. of Oriental Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and Director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in the University of London. He stated:

The evidence for the historical basis of the Christian faith, 

for the essential validity of the New Testament witness to the person 

and teaching of Christ Himself, for the fact and significance of His atoning death, 

and for the historicity of the empty tomb and the apostolic testimony of the resurrection, 

is such as to prove an adequate foundation for the venture of faith.*

There are multiple other sources which corroborate the above statement and indicate firmly that there is a truth to the crucification and resurrection which is as basic as the Laws of Physics and not subject to individual whims or desires. It is a fact which must be either accepted as is or rejected, and that is up to each individual. But as Paul put it:

 

…if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty…

For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 

And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 

Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable.

(1Corinthians 15:13-18)

But now Christ is risen from the dead, 

and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

For since by man came death, 

by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 

For as in Adam all die, 

even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

(1Corinthians 15:20-22)

Christ said, in John 14:6, that He was “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” If what was said about Him is true, then what He says should also be true and that does give one a lot to think about.

*The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict - Josh McDowell, page 219.