ANCHORED FAITH
Non-Christians
The Challenge:
Just Answer 2 Questions
Question 1
Remove all your bias/preconceived notions and
logically lay out the facts while answering:
Did the man known as Jesus from a small town of Nazareth die and rise from the dead (resurrect) 3 days later?
Why this question?
The major religions all have their own opinions of who Jesus was, but which one is correct? Christianity is based on a real historical event that either happened or it didn't. If you want to debunk all of Christianity, then it comes down to this one question. Paul, one of the writers in the Bible, even stated in 1 Corinthians 15:16 "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile..." Most will claim that Jesus was the greatest moral teacher and most famous man to ever live. The only blemish he has is that he claimed to be the Son of God, which actually, only someone morally inept or out of their right mind would actually do.
If he rose from the dead, then Jesus is who he said he was, the Son of God, and fulfilled hundreds of prophecies about a savior for all mankind that were historically written hundreds and even thousands of years before his life. This also means that we should then believe the things he said about giving us a way to be freed from the burden and punishment of our sins or wrong doings and the guilt that comes with them, that we should trust the things that he says are moral and just, and that we should hold on to the hope we have for their being a heaven where there will be no more pain and suffering when we pass on from this life.
Spoiler - if you lay the facts out it will take you more faith to believe the resurrection of Jesus didn’t happen then if it did, but you have to come to that realization on your own. Many have and that is why this man Jesus who was poor, had no political power, and no formal education somehow has become the catalyst for the largest religion in the world. He has had the world calendar changed because of his life, has 2 major holidays celebrated for him every year, he is the most written and sang about man that has ever lived, and has buildings on every corner where people come to recognize what he did for us every Sunday. People can love him or hate him, but centuries later people can't stop talking about him.
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Click below for some recommended resources to help lay
out the facts and evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
Question 2
If the first question is true, then what difference does it make and what do I do now?
Option 1:
You can simply just repent or ask for forgiveness for the things you have done wrong and put faith in the fact that Jesus already took on your punishment.
Why did Jesus do this? God loves us, so he gave us free will instead of controlling us, but we often decide to hurt others with our free will. It would be unloving if God wasn't just and didn't punish people who hurt others. Out of his own grace he created a way that we could still be in his goodness for eternity by finding a replacement for our deserved punishment, through Jesus.
We all have hurt many people and deserve to be punished for all the wrong doings we have done. Our good deeds can never wipe away the things we have done wrong, but God created a way to lift that burden from us. All you have to do is accept your sinful or can't meet his moral standard of goodness, and that Jesus has already taken on your deserved punishment as your savior. This confirms with God that that you recognize that His law is still good, and that you still want to be in his goodness in heaven for eternity, even though your actions often say you may want differently. If you can’t humble yourself to do something as simple as that, then God gets the message. Those that don't see God's moral law as good and accept Jesus as their savior are showing God that they truly don't want Him.
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Option 2:
You can ignore the impact of Jesus’s sacrifice on your life and deny God's moral law is good. In doing so you are in essence the god of your own life, following your ever evolving relative truth that depends on what you decide is good. Whether you realize it or not, if you deny recognizing God’s moral law is good and Jesus’s redemption for your sins, then you are telling God that you don’t want to follow what is right or be in His goodness now or for eternity.
It's your choice and it's a beautiful thing that you get to make that choice. God gave you free will to make this choice because he loves you. He also gave you his moral law in the Bible to truly define who he is and to create a standard that he can justly give you what you want. No one likes to talk about it, but if your actions show you don't want God in your life, by denying his moral law and Jesus, then He will give you what you want. Once again if the first question is true, proving Jesus is the son of God, then what Jesus said about Hell is true. Hell is the place you will go where you will have no relationship with God and where you will not be able to cause pain and suffering to those who chose they wanted to be in God's goodness. He isn't going to force you to join him for eternity in heaven if you don’t want a relationship with Him now.
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God isn't going to let you go that easily. Your friends, family, strangers, dreams, or even things such as the Anchored Faith Challenge are going to give you a constant reminder about the decision you need to make. God is going to make sure that you are certain of your decision before your time here on Earth is over. It's your choice, but I just hope you choose right.
Thank You!
If you made it this far then I can't thank you enough for taking the time to at least read through this challenge. If you find this challenge helpful in any way please forward it on to others. God gave us the truth inside of us and in his word in the Bible, to guide us and protect us in this life. We will be praying that you seek this truth in your life and that you hold onto to it.