Is your life based on truth or untruth? Lives must be built on truths. Faith must be founded on truth statements. Regarding Resurrection Sunday, did Christ rise from the dead?
For those whose lives are based on untruths, the results are disastrous in the end. Look at the genocide caused by the lies of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge’s ideology combines Marxist elements with extreme version of Khmer nationalism. Their ideology posited Khmers as “Aryans among Asians”, who were morally superior to the Chinese or Vietnamese. The Khmer Rouge attempted to turn Cambodia into a classless society by depopulating cities and forcing the urban population into agricultural communes. More than 2 million people died from executions, starvation and disease.
One major religion denies the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Their followers believe that God rescued Jesus from the unbelievers, and raised Christ to heaven. The general view is that someone else was crucified in Jesus’ place. The major point is that if Christ did not die on the cross, then all mankind are still in their sins.
Jesus says, “Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate’s reply to Jesus is similar to many people who question truths, “What is truth?” (Jn 18:28)
Ungodly and wicked people have been suppressing the truth about God. If there is no God, then there is no future judgment. So we see all kinds of “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Gal 5:19-21).
“For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” (Psalm 10:3-4)
For those who live as though there is no God, they will seek to serve their desires and indulge in senseless pursuits of asceticism or other pleasures. If the dead are not raised, this would be life’s motto:
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1Cor 15:32).
But God’s truth is that everybody will die, and after that comes judgment (Heb 9:27). Also, “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezek 18:20). Christ has risen to take away the sins of all who would believe in Him. He will return to judge all men based on their lives, their deeds and their faith in Him. Many mouths will be shut on that Day of judgment. Those who believed in Jesus’ death on the Cross and His resurrection will not come into judgment.
These are the words of Jesus:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (Jn 5:24)
Make Christ’s resurrection known as truth
Challenge your friends to believe in the facts of Jesus’ death, burial, and the resurrection. Tell them of His post-resurrection appearances. These are recorded in the Gospels and Acts. The Apostles of Jesus were martyred for their faith. Tell them that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1).
The alternative is to believe in these lies, and suffer the consequences and face the future judgment of God:
- There is no God
- Jesus did not die on the cross, he only fainted
- Jesus did not rise from the dead
“Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Rom 3:4).
Here is the good news for all who live by God’s truths: “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb 9:28)
Elder Yoong Yuen Soo
