I have a 5-year-old son who is obsessed with all the typical boy stuff. These days, his obsession centers around snakes, spiders and sharks. Almost daily, he’ll ask me if he can look at pictures of one of those three on my phone. So I’ll google “sharks,” click on images, and hand the phone over to him to feast on images of sharks until his little heart is content. And pretty soon, the questions begin:
SON: ”Daddy, is this shark real?”
ME: “Yes son, that is a real shark.”
SON: “Daddy, is this one real?”
ME: “Yes son, that one is real too.”
SON: “Daddy, is this one real?”
ME: “No, son, that is very obviously a cartoon drawing!”
Even though he’s only five years old, he’s learned that just because you see it on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s real. #fakenews!
I wonder if you’ve ever had the same question concerning the resurrection. Is the resurrection real? Did it really happen?
If you’ve ever asked that question, that doesn’t make you a bad person or a bad Christian. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that if the resurrection didn’t happen, we Christians are “to be pitied more than all men,” because we have devoted our lives to a lie! So you should want to know if the resurrection really happened!
If you find yourself wrestling with the question of the reality of the resurrection, I would ask you to do two things:
- Watch our Easter sermon from this Sunday if you missed it. We gave some arguments that support the reality of the resurrection. You can find that video here: clifec.com/sermon/easter-2018/
- Ask God to give you the assurance that you are looking for regarding the resurrection.
It’s okay to tell God that you are having doubts. In John 20:24–29, Thomas told Jesus’ disciples that he couldn’t bring himself to believe in the resurrection until he had some proof. God did not strike Thomas dead on the spot! Instead, Jesus showed up and met with Thomas face-to-face, and he let Thomas touch him in the places where the nails were. Jesus gave Thomas the assurance that he needed.
I believe that God will give you the assurance that you need, too. So, if you’re having trouble believing, tell God, “I want to believe, but I’m having trouble believing. Help me to believe.” Pray that prayer, and see what God will do!
And if you want to talk over Jesus, the resurrection or faith with someone, we would love to talk with you! Send us an email at info@clifec.com and we’ll set that up.