Articles
If Christ Is Real
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But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, . . . that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. (Phil. 3:7-10)
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In the last few years, psychiatrist Jordan Peterson has made headlines by challenging the postmodern mush that our modern culture has become. His YouTube lectures and books have inspired a multitude of young people to escape the bonds of perpetual victimhood and take control of their lives. By his own admission, Peterson is an agnostic; yet he acknowledges the value of Biblical faith in helping people find that direction.
Earlier this month, while interviewing Jonathan Pageau on a YouTube podcast, Jordan Peterson made this startling admission about the historical reality of Jesus Christ: "I believe it's undeniable, . . . but I don't know what to make of it, partly because it's too terrifying a reality to fully believe. I don't even know what would happen to you if you fully believed it."
What made his confession even more remarkable was that while speaking those words, he choked up and had to pause to compose himself. (See the 2:40 clip here.) It's not exactly a Damascus road moment, but clearly the identity of Christ is now more than just an intellectual pursuit for Peterson; it has become personal.
Wherever Peterson's quest takes him in the future, the struggle in which he is currently engaged represents what's at stake for all of us in "the Jesus question." If He really is the Son of God who rose from the dead, it confronts us with a terrifying reality that should shake us to our core.
If Christ is real, then my life has value, no matter how twisted and corrupted it may be. The greatest man who ever lived died for me . . . for ME . . . and that changes everything.
If Christ is real, then death is not the end. There IS a life hereafter, and I should live every day in expectation of it. My life has a purpose, a meaning, a goal, a destiny, and I need to get busy fulfilling it.
If Christ is real, then I'd better get my act together, pronto. Someday I will stand before Him to explain how I spent my brief time here in this life. It is imperative that I use it well, while I have the opportunity.
Knowing Christ transformed Saul of Tarsus from an angry, bitter young man to a self-sacrificing advocate of Christianity, who turned the Roman Empire upside down almost single-handedly.
If Christ is real in your life, how is it transforming YOU?
--David
