If Jesus had not
risen, I would not be a Christian. What I mean is, even if other people were Christians, even if there were
churches, even if Christianity was a recognized religion just as it is today,
if Jesus’ resurrection had not happened, I would not be a Christian. I would
wash my hands of the church. I would not attend for my own enjoyment. I would
have nothing to do with organized religion. Jesus is the only reason I am a
Christian, and if Jesus’ story were not true, I would have no interest in
acting as if it is.
If Jesus had not
risen, I would still be an ethical person, at least, when it suited me. I have
witnessed the effects of a licentious lifestyle, and I know the havoc that
drugs, unlimited alcohol, promiscuous sex, and materialism can create in a
person’s life. Just because I would not be a Christian does not mean I would be
an immoral person. But morality is not the same as Christianity, and a person
can behave ethically without being religious, even if it is inconsistent to do
so. If Jesus was still in the tomb, I might follow many of the New Testament’s
moral teachings, but I am certainly not going to waste my time professing or practicing
a religion that is a lie.
The only reason
I am a Christian, the only reason I am a member of the church, the only reason
I attend and work and worship as part of a local body is because I believe
Jesus did rise and is alive and is seated even now at the Father’s right hand.
The church has given me my best friends, my life’s passion, and even my
livelihood, but truthfully, it has also brought me my greatest pain, my deepest
betrayal, my strongest grief, and my most anguished loss. If Jesus were not
alive, I would wash my hands and walk away from it all, not because I desire
something else but because I refuse to live or practice a lie.
Before you cast
stones at my calloused attitude, read carefully the words of Paul (1Cor.
15:1-19). It all hinges on the resurrection. Some may be willing to be
religious regardless of the truthfulness of their faith system’s claims. Not
me. If it is not true, I want nothing to do with it. I would leave the church
tomorrow and never be a Christian again. But I can’t do that. I won’t. Because
Jesus really did rise. He really is alive. And that is why we believe, why we
preach, why we work, why we suffer, why we struggle, why we endure, and why we
will continue to do so…until he comes again. -JME
