I get it—you think that religion is the opiate of the masses. You’ve seen “Christians” act in judgmental and hypocritical ways. You think believing in God is simply a way for people who are afraid of death to make sense of the world, and that the Bible was a system of authority to control people.
But that’s not who Jesus is.
Yes, people can act as if mesmerized by a cult, Christians can be hypocritical and judgmental —using their belief as a cudgel while enthroning themselves as superior to others, and yes, the promise of eternal life is an enticement to those who fear the unknown. And though Western civilization was founded on Biblical principles, it can be used as the Law of Moses was — followed to the letter, but the heart of it lost.
But that’s not who Jesus is.
The promised Messiah, God in human flesh, came to earth to die. A just judge had to see the proper punishment for sin paid, and only a spotless Lamb could pay that price. You cannot look around this world and say we are better now or that we are truly progressing. Technology may be doing so, but the human condition? It’s moving backwards. People are ruthless towards each other, we’ve lost the love of neighbors, we are divided against each other instead of united with each other. We are sinful, and while humans were always sinful, we are moving towards sin rather than love and grace.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) And He did exactly that in establishing his upside-down kingdom. A world where selflessness triumphs over selfishness, where giving is better than receiving, where the needs of others trumps those of our own. Where we love our neighbors the way we desire to be loved.
You may think the Bible is a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but there is nothing in antiquity that is more attested to than Jesus and the Word of God. Not Caesar, not Plato and Socrates, not Alexander the Great. There are more manuscripts and testimonies attesting to Jesus’s life and resurrection beyond anything else in history.
But, at least for me personally, and certainly to many who believe, how He has worked my life is an undeniable testimony. And no shame or ridicule or anything you put in my face will make me ashamed or recant the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Christ, there is freedom. Today, we celebrate Easter, commemorating His resurrection, His conquering of death. The most important thing in this world is not your job, your bank account, the clothes you wear, the car you drive, the winner of the football game. No, it’s a thing of eternal consequence. Some say all paths lead to God, but there is only one door, one gate, and it is narrow.
It is out of my love for you that I write this, because I want you to know Jesus as I do. He doesn’t lead to riches or accomplishments, though I can and will admit to having been blessed in this life. Narrow roads are hard to traverse, but there is nothing better in this life than following Him and His ways. I will never be perfect as long as I live, and there are many of you who would love nothing more to cast stones, see me downtrodden, hurl insults and seek to wound. But I love you still, and yearn for you to come to Christ.
He is Risen, He is God, He loves you, and He came to earth to die, so that in Him you might live. I beckon you to seek Him, because He has already bought your life with a high price. You just have to accept the gift He has given you.
I promise, it won’t be easy. But it will be worth it.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)