If Jesus was the Son of God and His story is true, then I dare say reading the Bible is something everyone would want to do. The offer and chance to have eternal life is a pretty strong motivation, in my mind. However, the teachings of Jesus also present us with an equally strong motivation of a different variety. To not believe in Jesus and repent of our sins causes us to bear the penalty for those sins ourselves. This penalty is eternal separation from God and the banishment of our souls to a literal Hell. Indeed, if Jesus is God, the bookshelves in our bookstores should not have too many Bibles left on them.
As a result, if Christianity is true the implications are indeed profound. C.S. Lewis states the claim of Christianity well when he said: “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.”1 Pastor Mark Driscoll echoes this thought when he stated: “No one can remain neutral regarding Jesus’ resurrection. The claim is too staggering, the event too earthshaking, the implications too significant and the matter too serious. We must either receive it or reject it as truth for us. To remain indifferent or undecided is to reject it.”2
The Bible and Christianity for 2,000 years has withstood the test of time. But for Christianity to have withstood this test and be based on a lie or a hoax would without question make for the most fascinating reading ever conceived – just to ponder and find out how this could be.
If Christianity is true then you have a heaven to gain and the journey of a lifetime ahead of you. By choosing Jesus you can experience true joy and peace in a world that has gone haywire. And if Christianity is true then you want to avoid a real hell at all costs.
Of all the questions in life there can be no doubt that the most important question of all concerns the truthfulness of Christianity. In the last analysis it is the only question that has eternal implications. The next time you are witnessing it is imperative that the person you are sharing the gospel with is made to understand that they owe it to themselves to examine the claims of Christianity because their eternal destiny hinges on what they believe about Jesus. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel and make sure that the person you are witnessing to knows, if true, that Christianity is of infinite importance.
1 Charlie H. Campbell, Apologetics Quotes (Carlsbad, California: The Always Be Ready Apologetics Ministry, 2020), p. 9.
2 100 QUOTES BY MARK DRISCOLL [PAGE – 2] | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
I’ll be brief because I’ve addressed this before more than once.
Two times were told, “if Jesus.” Five times were told, “if Christianity.” The implication is that the unbeliever is in the judge’s chair and as CS Lewis said, “God is in the dock” as though He and His word are on trial. This is never the case. They know God exists, they choose to be at war with our God and if the do not repent, God gives them up. Rom. 8
I prefer a statement like “because Christianity is true” or “because Jesus is God.” We are on the offensive team and there’s no neutral ground. It’s not fair for us to withhold the truth by encouraging them to “explore” Christian claims only to have them repeatedly “suppressed in unrighteousness.”
Christians have been begging unbelievers for too long to “Try Christ, what do you have to lose?” The truth is they better “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.” Ps. 2:12