As we make decisions, we all want to know what is on the bottom line. There may be several paragraphs with details of all matters, but we all want to get to the end because the bottom line clearly states the vital facts. It is so important that we examine the closing paragraphs of truth to see “the bottom line” of Christianity. What are those paragraphs?
There is an Almighty God. If this is not true, then there is no bottom line of Christianity. We are animals who live about seventy years, and then it is all over. If there is no God, there is nothing beyond the grave, for there was nothing before birth.
The Almighty God, the Creator, has revealed Himself. Even if He existed, there is nothing about His existence that impacts our lives unless He has revealed Himself. He might exist, but there is nothing we can do to find Him unless He lets us know that He is.
The Almighty God has revealed Himself in a way we can understand Him. His grandeur surpasses all that we can imagine, but if His revelation is only to a select few, then we have no responsibility toward Him. Unless He has revealed Himself to common people like us, there is no way to respond to Him, for there is no way we can know about Him.
The Almighty God has revealed Himself by becoming a man, living among us and revealing Himself through this “man.” Here is the central focus of the matter. Before reaching this part of the closing paragraphs, only our intellect has been involved. However, if the claims of the man of Nazareth are true, then this totally changes the matter. Jesus is a man of history. Even if there was no Bible, there is overwhelming proof that He lived. Yet, He did live! One cannot be honest with himself without investigating Jesus. He is a man of history, and the details of His life must honestly be dealt with in the same way we deal with every man of history.
The Almighty God has proven that the man of Nazareth is the Son of God. The blind did see, the deaf did hear, the lame did walk, the lepers were cleansed, the tempest was calmed and the dead were raised. One cannot honestly ignore these facts! The final unanswerable truth is the empty tomb. Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead!
The Almighty God has given all authority to Jesus, and He will judge by how we respond to this authority. God is! He has revealed Himself! He has revealed Himself so that we can understand Him! He has come and lived as a man and revealed Himself to us! He has been raised from the dead! He did ascend to heaven’s throne! He will return to judge us someday!
Be sure to read the bottom line of Christianity!