Is Jesus Real?

     Even the greatest and most vocal skeptics of Jesus do not debate that he lived and that he died by means of a crucifixion. Where the debate typically comes in is over whether or not he is God. They typically argue, he was a great teacher who got crucified, but that’s where they stop. There are many arguments against that perspective even without looking to the Bible. The most powerful, in my mind, being the consistency of all the Apostles claiming Jesus is God and that he rose from the dead. Not a single one backed down from that claim, even when facing extreme methods of their own death for making those claims. Even Judas, one of the 12 Apostles, killed himself after he realized who he just betrayed.

     For those who are not skeptics and do believe Jesus is God and who do believe the Bible is true…

At what point did Jesus become real to you?

     The Bible records may conversions, the point at which someone goes from not believing to believing. It also provides some events which may influence that decision. It may have been the miracles they witnessed, the testimony of someone, a personal experience, or the mere realization that only God could do what Jesus did. Here are a few examples…

Because of what they saw or would see:

Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe - John 4:48 

So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” - John 4:48

Because of a personal experience or someone else’s experience:

“Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe?” - John 1:50 

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” - John 4:39 

And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” - John 4:41,42

Because only God could have done that:

When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” - Matthew 27:54

So, What Did It Take for You to Believe? 

     For me it was simple. It didn’t matter how good I tried to be. Even if that was the metric and my score was 95% good, there would still be 5% not good or as the Bible calls it, 5% sinful. For reference, in case you are wondering about your score, in my experience, the good vs not good score correlates more closely to baseball scores where if you are at 50/50 you are an amazing person. Nonetheless, the metric isn’t more good than not good, it’s perfection, 100% good, 100% of the time (birth to death), which all us can agree, is not possible.

     And that, my friends, is all it took for me to realize exactly why Jesus came, why he allowed himself to be crucified, and why he rose from the dead. It’s that exact point at which Jesus became real to me. It’s that exact point at which I was forgiven, 100%, wiping out my sin. And, it’s that exact point where this amazing journey with Jesus began (not ended).

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he [Jesus] would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he [Jesus] has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. - Hebrews 9:24-26

And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. - Hebrew 10:10 

For by a single offering he [Jesus] has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. - Hebrews 10:14 

I [God] will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. - Hebrews 10:17

How do you get forgiven, sanctified, saved?

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved [sanctified, forgiven]. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved…For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. - Romans 10:8-10, 13.

Jesus is Real. It’s Just that Simple.

 For more on ‘The Scoring Game” download a free copy of my book, “The Greatest Commandment, A Personal Journey that Changed Everything.”