"Do You Believe this?”

 “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”                      (John 11:25-26 ESV)

Do you believe this? Do you know who Christ said this to and what happened afterwards? Jesus had traveled to Bethany because His friend and loved one, Lazarus, had died. Today’s text was spoken to Martha, the sister of Lazarus. Jesus said this to her right before He had the stone moved from the tomb of Lazarus and called to the dead man, “Lazarus, come out.” At which time, Lazarus walked from the tomb alive again.

Now it was a great day for Lazarus, but it was not perfect. You see, Lazarus was not given an eternal body. He rose again in the flesh. Eventually, at a time we are not aware of, Lazarus would die again. This time, we can have hope that after his second death, post-resurrection, Lazarus will rise again in an eternal body to be with Christ again in heaven. I guess we will not know until we meet him.

Many witnessed this miracle performed in Bethany, and many believed in Christ afterwards, and yet many did not. We read about the resurrection and the promise of eternal life. Did you witness it? I did not either. So how can we believe? How can anyone believe? Have you ever been asked this question? Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”(John 20:29)

What is the answer? I guess this answer will vary depending on whom you ask. Ultimately, we who believe do so because of the grace of God, which has given us the ability to understand the gospel and have the faith He has provided us. I did not “get” faith, did you? Faith was bestowed upon me when my eyes and ears were opened to Jesus Christ. When this happened, my heart changed, just as the heart of every true believer does.

We believe that Jesus is the resurrection because we believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. God cannot lie; therefore, every word written by every believer under the inspiration of God is true. The Bible is, literally, the Word of God. Because of grace, we believe Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, as well as the daughter of Jairus (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56). We believe Jesus healed the many who are documented in the gospels. Most importantly, we believe that Christ raised Himself from the dead just as He spoke of during His confrontation with the Pharisees (John 10). In raising Himself, we can believe that because He had this power, He can also raise us in the resurrection.

So, Jesus’s question still stands: Do you believe this? If you do not, you are reading this for a reason. You were led to this message with a purpose. God has a purpose for His chosen ones, those He decided before the beginning of time, would believe in Him. There is life after death. It can be beautiful beyond compare, residing in the presence of the one true living God, or it can be a nightmare, an eternity of darkness, isolation, pain, and suffering with no hope of reprieve.

Choose life, choose Christ. He is your Savior. You cannot earn salvation. Just ask Christ to save you from your sins, from yourself, from the grips of Satan, and He will. Choose eternal life in Jesus Christ. What are you waiting for? You have just received the invitation to accept Christ as your Savior and begin a new life in Him, with Him living in you.

If you do not know Christ and have questions, please message us here at In Messiah, and we will be happy to show you Christ through the Scriptures.

Grace and Peace.