The Better Question

 “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.”
1 John 1:2 (NIV)

What would you say if someone told you Jesus never really existed?

In the world of ancient historical documents, a dozen manuscripts is considered solid evidence. That is what historians have for Julius Caesar, and nobody questions whether he lived or led Rome. Fair enough. 

But there are more than 24,000 verified manuscript copies of the life of Jesus Christ. 24,000. He is the most documented Person in the ancient world, and it is not close, or even in the same ballpark. And John says that is actually the smaller of the two things you need to know about Him.

John, the eyewitness who was there, says the more important question is not whether Jesus lived but who He was. "The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us" (1 John 1:2, NIV). 

Every other religion has to point to something outside called eternal life, whether it be nirvana, paradise, or utopia. But Jesus points to Himself. He walked, He talked, He touched people's lives in the real world, and through His Spirit He is still walking, still talking, and still knocking on the door of your heart right now.

Whatever is weighing you down today, you are not reaching for a religion or theory. You are reaching for a Person. And He is always reaching back.

Prayer: Father, thank You that my faith is not built on a feeling but on fact. Help me move past every doubt and every argument to the one thing that actually matters, into knowing You personally right now. In Jesus' Name, Amen.