Pastor John Piper offers "Eight Reasons Why I Believe That Jesus Rose from the Dead".
Here is reason three.
The disciples were almost immediately transformed from men who were hopeless and fearful after the crucifixion into men who were confident and bold witnesses of the resurrection.You can read the all eight reasons here. This aspect has always resonated with me. The transformation of lives back then and now testifies to the resurrection of Jesus. The change in my own life testifies to it as well.
Their explanation of this change was that they had seen the risen Christ and had been authorized to be his witnesses. The most popular competing explanation is that their confidence was owing to hallucinations. There are numerous problems with such a notion. The disciples were not gullible, but level-headed skeptics both before and after the resurrection. Moreover, is the deep and noble teaching of those who witnessed the risen Christ the stuff of which hallucinations are made? What about Paul’s great letter to the Romans? I personally find it hard to think of this giant intellect and deeply transparent soul as deluded or deceptive, and he claimed to have seen the risen Christ.
Jesus is risen from the dead. He is alive. He is risen indeed. Praise the Lord.
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;"......Amen!
ReplyDeleteAmen
DeleteI think that is one of the most compelling arguements, for sure.
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