1 Corinthians 15:20, But now Messiah is risen from the dead. Why Believe in Yeshua the Messiah? Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ll believe it when I see it”? Is seeing really believing?  Many people saw Yeshua when he was on this earth, but most didn’t believe him.

It has been 2000 years since Yeshua walked this earth, and since we’ve never seen him, nor even talked to those who saw him, what is the basis of our faith? Is faith in Yeshua blind? Or are there logical reasons to believe in him?

For those of us who have had a faith in Yeshua for a while, for us there are a myriad reasons that have come together to form the basis of our faith. However, for those who are new in their faith walk and don’t have a lifetime of “spiritual experiences” that corroborate that faith, initially finding a basis for that faith can be difficult.

Some people come to Yeshua because that’s their last hope. They’ve hit rock bottom in their lives and there’s no where else to go. They hear and believe the gospel message of hope and end up experiencing the power of the Yeshua and his Holy Spirit in their lives. Others take a more reasoned approach to establishing a faith in Yeshua. Perhaps their lives haven’t hit rock bottom, but they know they’re missing something — there’s still a void in their life. They sense that there must be more to life — a higher purpose — than simply existing and then dying. Others come to faith in Yeshua because they look around and see intelligent design behind everything in existence, which speaks of a Creator, which leads them to want to know more about him. Some people come to Yeshua as a way of dealing with their on mortality.  In their quest to answer the question of whether there’s life after death, they come to faith in Yeshua. Perhaps some come to faith in Yeshua due to the pang of a guilty conscience because of their sin and the need for redemption. Some people have studied the world’s religions and find that only the gospel message as presented in the Bible addresses the deeper issues of life.

These are all valid and logical reasons for coming to faith in Yeshua. Whatever the reason for believing what the Bible says about Yeshua, there are good reasons to believe in him  based on both the claims of the Bible and logic.

Yeshua — A Historical Figure

Whatever we think about Yeshua pro or con, he was a historical figure. More has been written about him than anyone else, and he has impacted the world more than anyone. There must be something to all this, and thus we have

to deal with this reality. Twenty-seven different first-century New Testament documents attest to the reality of his existence and to his impact on humanity. Additionally, numerous Christian, Jewish and Roman historians from the first and second centuries attest to his existence and his positive impact on the lives of thousands, if not millions of people.

An Important Question

There are other reasons to believe in Yeshua. If God became a man, as the Bible claims of Yeshua, and if the man Yeshua was God as he and the Bible claim, then what would we expect of such an individual?

• He would have had an unusual entrance into this life (e.g., a virgin birth).
• He would have been without human weaknesses, foibles and failings (i.e., be sinless or perfect).
• He would manifest supernatural abilities (i.e., signs, wonders, miracles, unusual supernatural powers, possess supernatural knowledge).
• He would have an intellect superior to that of the brightest minds of his day.
• He would have a perspective on life different than ordinary humans.
• He would speak the greatest words ever spoken.
• He would have a lasting and universal influence on humanity.
• He would be able to answer men’s deepest questions and fulfill men’s deepest longings and desires.
• He would exercise power over death.

Yeshua was the only human who has ever met all of these qualifications.

Dealing With the Resurrection of Yeshua

For two millennia, he resurrection of Yeshua has been viewed as one the greatest proofs that he was he who said he was. Let’s face it, either the resurrection of Yeshua is the greatest and most vicious hoax ever foisted on humanity, or it was the most fantastic fact of history. Each person must answer this question for himself or herself, deal with the ramifications and adjust his or life and belief systems accordingly. The resurrection of Yeshua is a well documented fact — both from the numerous references in the Scriptures and from extra-biblical sources written by people who knew those who had witnessed the resurrection. Can we trust the accounts of those witnesses to that event?

Dealing With Historical Facts

When an event occurs in history and there are enough eyewitnesses to attest to its occurrence, then reasonable individuals from subsequent generations usually accept it as fact. To not do so is to deny reality. We routinely accept countless historical facts based on past eyewitness accounts even though we weren’t there. I believe that George Washington was the first leader and president of the United States, even though I never saw or met him, nor were any photos, videos or recordings taken of him. My belief is based on eyewitnesses accounts of his existence and other historical documentation (his house, his portraits, is writings and so on). When looking back 2000 years into ancient history, it becomes more difficult to prove whether someone lived or not, and whether the claims made about that person are true. In the case of Yeshua, it is a fact that there are many historical events from ancient times that are less substantiated than the life, death and resurrection of Yeshua. Daily, we take this for granted. If we fail to accept what the Bible and history say about Yeshua, then it’s because we just don’t want to deal with the facts and adjust our lives accordingly. Many people refuse to hear the truth about Yeshua because they’ve hardened their hearts to the truth. Yeshua talks about this in Matthew 13 in the Parable of the Sower.

Hardened Hearts

In Yeshua’s Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:3–23), we are confronted with the difficult issue about who will receive the gospel message and thus enter into the kingdom of heaven and who will not. Put into modern vernacular, he is discussing who will receive YHVH’s free gift of salvation resulting in immortality and who and who will die in his sins to perish for eternity.

Yeshua’s discussion all started when his disciples asked him why he taught the people using parables. To them, it was as if he were deliberately obscuring the gospel message.

A superficial reading of his response in verse 15 to their question may imply not only a lack of  impartiality but a brutal selectivity on the part of Elohim when it comes to determining who he will choose to receive the gift of salvation including the gift of immortality. If this  is the conclusion one draws from Yeshua’s response, then what he said contradicts other scriptures that indicate Elohim’s unconditional love for the whole world and his desire that all be saved (John 3:16; 1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 2:9).

The fact is that a thorough reading of this passage shows us another important truth, which in no way impugns the character of Elohim, but instead leaves the onus on man.

After giving this parable, Yeshua quotes Isaiah the prophet (Isa 6:9–10), where we learn that it’s up to the individual as to how far they want to go with Elohim spiritually. All humans have eyes and ears to see and hear, but merely seeing or hearing doesn’t equate with understanding or perceiving. Sadly, many people want to dabble in religion, or to have a religious experience, but they don’t want to change their lives spiritually, to give up sin, and then to submit to the will of Elohim as revealed in his written Word, the Bible. This is because they have willfully hardened their hearts and closed their eyes (Matt 13:15). YHVH isn’t going to cram is “religion,” so to speak, down their throats. For example, in the Gospel record, we read that many people followed Yeshua out of curiosity and in hopes of being healed physically, or getting fed or seeing a miracle (John 6:26; Matt 12:39), but when he demanded obedience, many turned away from following him (John 6:66). The same is true of people today. Though Yeshua called many to follow him, few actually did (Matt  20:16; 22:14). Of the thousands who flocked to see Yeshua during his earthly ministry, only about 120 people remained faithful to him (Acts 1:15).

Why would Yeshua (and Isaiah) express reluctance at having some people come to saving faith in Elohim? The answer lies in the Parable of the Sower itself. Yeshua explains that the good seed of the gospel message is sown on various types of ground. Only that which is sown in the fertile soil produces fruit. Though the seed germinated and began to grow in the bad ground, it eventually died because of unfavorable external factors. Yeshua in explaining this parable to his disciples says that many people receive the good seed (i.e., they hear the gospel message), and they respond favorably to it initially, but they’re not willing to go all the way, for their hearts and minds are only open superficially. Once the excitement and emotions of their spur of the moment decision dies down, they go back to their old lifestyle. Peter describes those who initially respond favorably to the gospel, but turn away in this way in 2 Peter 2:20,

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Yeshua the Messiah, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Of those who are superficially converted but turn away, Yeshua, elsewhere likens such a person to a house that gets cleaned and swept spiritually of evil spirits, but if that person doesn’t guard his house to keep it clean, the evil spirits will come back in greater force than before to repossess the house. Yeshua exclaimed that the latter state of the man is worse than his first state (Matt 12:43–45).

It is perhaps for these reasons that, though Yeshua clearly desires all to be saved, he only wants those who will be serious about their spiritual walk to be saved, to lessen the possibility of those who are less serious from making spiritual commitments, getting saved, then falling away into a worse spiritual state than before. Yeshua values quality over quantity when it comes to his disciples.

What’s more, he spoke the mysteries of the kingdom in parables, so that those who were serious would be forced to take the step of faith necessary to gain understanding. Those who are unwilling to push forward in the pursuit of truth aren’t worthy to have the mysteries of the kingdom entrusted to them. It would be like casting pearls before swine or giving that which is holy to the dogs, as Yeshua elsewhere states (Matt 7:6). Again, many are called and few are chosen.

Power Over Death

There are powerful logical reasons to put one’s faith in Yeshua the Messiah and to believe what the Bible says about him. His resurrection from the dead is perhaps the greatest reason to trust in him. The fact is that of all the world’s religions, only the religion of the Bible has a leader and founder who defeated death and resurrected from the grave.

The fear of death is the mother of all human fears. Only Yeshua exercised victory over death. Not only that, he predicted his own death as well as his resurrection to the exact hour. No one else has ever done that.

Yeshua offers that same power-over-death victory he experienced to all those will place their trusting faith in him and will then walk in submissive obedience to his ways as revealed in the Word of Elohim — Bible. It’s that simple. Believe, receive and obey, and you to will experience the same victory over death that Yeshua did!