I have bad news: I’m dying. I have worse news: so are you. Whether
sick or healthy, young or old, Christian or not, conservative or liberal,
democrat or republican, each of us has an inevitable date with the moment in
which we will depart this world. Most of us have a bit of trouble with this. In
fact, of all the things that scare us, for most, death is the ultimate terror.
As the book of Genesis reveals, it was not supposed to be
this way. Death was not part of the picture “in
the beginning.” We were always supposed to live forever in glorious
and perfect splendor with our Creator. To live “happily ever after” is the
fitting ending to so many fairy tales—and movies, TV shows, novels, and the
like—because this is the way things are supposed to be.
Death was the tragic consequence of wanting to rule
our own world. But thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus and His
resurrection, death does not have the final say in the lives of those who have
put their trust and hope in the One who died for our sins, and who was raised
to life on the third day. As one scans history, no other date put such a mark
in time as when Jesus Christ shed His grave-clothes and departed the tomb.
Of all the religions of the world, only Christianity claims
an empty tomb for its founder. The physical resurrection of Jesus is the
cornerstone of Christianity. British theologian Michael Green said it well when
he noted, “Without faith in the resurrection there would be no Christianity at
all.” Noted biblical scholar, professor, and author Wilbur M. Smith said that,
“The resurrection of Christ is the very citadel of the Christian faith. This is
the doctrine that turned the world upside down…” Indeed it did.
C.S. Lewis notes that, “In the earliest days of Christianity
an ‘apostle’ was first and foremost a man who claimed to be an eyewitness of
the Resurrection,” or more accurately, a witness of the resurrected Christ. He
adds that, “to preach Christianity meant primarily to preach the Resurrection.”
And preach they did.
The transformation of the disciples of Jesus is one of the
greatest evidences of His resurrection. For decades following Jesus’ death and
resurrection they preached His “good news.” Biblical references and strong
extra-biblical sources have almost all of the disciples dying martyrs’ deaths.
James, the son of Zebedee, according to Scripture was, “put to death by the
sword (probably beheaded).” According to early church historians Peter was
crucified in Rome,
and Paul (of course not one of the original 12, but an apostle nonetheless) was
beheaded there. Strong church tradition has Thomas, the “doubting” disciple,
being run through with a spear.
The faith of Jesus’ Apostles spread to thousands upon
thousands in a relatively short period of time. As the “good news” of Jesus
spread, many of the early believers suffered intense persecution. Fulton
Oursler, in The Greatest Faith Ever
Known, notes that “Thousands of these men and women would die themselves in
the arena, burning on pitch-soaked pyres, crucified, they would die for Jesus
Christ, and for the Faith, the Church that Christ founded.”
The persecution of the church continued for centuries. Nevertheless,
Christianity endured, and the number of Jesus’ followers continued to multiply.
After Constantine’s conversion in the year 312 the church passed from
persecution to privilege. Councils were called, the Scriptures were translated
into various languages, and faithful missionaries carried the gospel to ever
farther reaches of the world.
The impact of the resurrection of Jesus extends far beyond
religious institutions. The influence that Christianity has had on the world
can be measured in practically every facet of life. Everything from the family,
to science, government, medicine, art, literature, business, and so on, has
felt the impact of the message of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The world’s first university, birthed in 1088, was The
University of Bologna in Italy.
It was founded to teach canon law. The second oldest university, The University
of Paris, grew out of the cathedral schools of Notre-Dame and soon became a
great center for Christian orthodox studies. Dr.
Alvin J. Schmidt, in his book Under the Influence: How Christianity
Transformed Civilization, points
out that every college established in colonial America, except the University of Pennsylvania,
was founded by some denomination of Christianity. He adds that, preceding the
Civil War, 92 percent of the 182 colleges and universities in the U.S. were
established by some branch of the church.
By around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg
had nearly perfected his printing press. Making use of movable metal type,
Gutenberg’s press was the world’s most efficient means of large-scale printing.
This process of printing remained virtually unchanged for four
centuries. The first major work mass-produced on
Gutenberg’s press was the 42-line Bible (or “The Gutenberg Bible”). This
magnificent work ushered in the age of the printed book, and the era of mass
communication. Soon, millions of homes, schools, and churches had their own
copies of God’s Word, and news of the resurrection of Jesus now spread faster
than ever before.
Many of the greatest artists in
history—Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Donatello, Da Vinci, Salvador Dali—were
followers of Jesus. This is evident in that many of the great works they
produced were scenes or characters from Scripture. Beethoven, considered by
many to be the world’s greatest composer, wrote some
of the most profound Christian masterpieces of history. Johann Sebastian Bach
was, as one scholar put it, indeed “a Christian who lived with the
Bible.”
Some of the most famous and influential founders of what is
considered “modern science”—Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Pasteur—were
Christians who operated from a strict biblical worldview. For example, in 1595,
in Kepler’s first major work, he thought that he had discovered “God’s
geometrical plan for the universe.” As a Christian, Kepler believed that the
universe was designed by a Creator and thus should function in a very logical
fashion. He went as far as to define his view of “science” as “thinking God’s
thoughts after Him.”
Isaac Newton is considered by many to be the greatest
scientist who ever lived. He is most famous for his laws of motion and universal gravitation. On
gravitation he noted that, “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it
cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows
all that is or can be done.”
Recognizing that “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in
it…” and knowing that we are merely stewards of the Creator of all things,
those who follow Jesus are the most generous people on the earth. Take note of
the number of influential charities inspired by Christianity. Among them are
The Salvation Army, Campus Crusade, Feeding America, Catholic Charities, Compassion
International, Samaritan’s Purse, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Habitat for
Humanity, World Vision, and the YMCA.
The first hospital in North America, the Hospital de Jesus
Nazareno (the “Hospital of Jesus of Nazareth”), was founded by Cortés. With the
aid of Benjamin Franklin, the first hospital in the U.S, Pennsylvania Hospital,
was founded by a Quaker, Dr. Thomas Bond. The Catholic Church alone operates
over 1,100 hospitals and long-term health care facilities in the U.S.
This great nation—the
miraculous United States of America—that we inhabit was founded
almost exclusively by Christians and upon Christian principles. On July 4,
1837, in a speech delivered in the town of Newburyport Massachusetts, John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, and the
6th U.S. President, proclaimed,
Why is it that, next to
the birthday of the Savior of the World, your most joyous and most venerated
festival returns on this day? [Independence Day] Is it not that, in the chain
of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the
birthday of the Savior? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first
organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon
earth?
The impact of Christ’s
resurrection can be seen in individuals and institutions, in art and
entertainment, in science and industry, in calendars and carols, in tribes and
in nations. All of human history—from Creation to Christmas to the Crucifixion—culminates
in Jesus leaving His earthly tomb. As I implied earlier, and as history clearly
reveals, the resurrection of Jesus stands aloft every other event the world has
ever known. Again, virtually every facet of our lives has been impacted by the
empty tomb left by Jesus. Though we may acknowledge Him on our currency,
and measure our years from His birth, our only real hope is in His
resurrection. In the end, the only things that will matter, the only things
that will be truly lasting and good, are the things we did in His name.
Copyright 2021, Trevor Grant Thomas
At the Intersection of Politics, Science, Faith, and Reason.
www.trevorgrantthomas.com
Trevor is the author of
The Miracle and Magnificence of America
tthomas@trevorgrantthomas.com
