One of the bonds of Christianity that bind all brothers and sisters in Christ together is a common hope that we share.  The Hebrews writer declares that we have to “lay hold upon the hope set before us,” and that the hope that we have is “an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…”

The foundation of our hope is Jesus Christ.  The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ give us hope, the precious blood of Jesus sustains our hope, and the glorious appearing of Christ will bring our hope to fruition.  All that we hope for is realized in our faith and confidence in Christ.  Do you believe in Jesus?  Without faith in Christ, we are destined to be doomed.

John 8:24 (ESV)
²⁴  I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

What does it mean to believe in Jesus, and what is involved in doing so?  That is what we will be thinking about this week as we wind down.

Believing in Jesus begins with accepting that He was a historical person, that is, He was a real man who lived on this earth at a historical place and time.  I know that some claim that Jesus is simply a mythological person, but He does not fit the normal profile of a myth.  Generally speaking, myths have some common characteristics, none of which describe Jesus.  They usually have some sort of exaggerated bodily form, but Jesus was a man with normal human features (2 legs, 2 arms, etc.).

Myths generally defy chronology and topology, having no time or place of origin.  As I have already suggested, that does not apply to Jesus.  He was born at a specific place (Bethlehem), and at a specific time (during the reign of historical people such as Tiberius, the Roman Emperor, Herod, king Judea, and  Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, etc.).  Unlike myths, the time and place that Jesus came onto the scene can be easily verified.

It is because of these truths that any true historian (worthy of his or her title) would readily deny that Jesus is just a mythological being.  The historian may not believe in Jesus, not accepting some of the other things that we will look at this week, but he will affirm that Jesus was a historical person whose existence can be verified.

The truth is, we have historical references to Jesus, as a real person, in each century going back to when He was born.  This is why there is just about as much evidence, from a secular standpoint, to believe in Jesus as a historical person as there is for other historical people like George Washington.

The majority of historians and writers, both enemies and friends of Jesus, whether they be Jewish, Roman, or Greek, treat Jesus as a historical person.  He was a real man.  Believing this is the beginning of believing in Jesus.  There is much more, however, that you must accept if you claim to believe in Him, and for the rest of this week, we will look at some of those things.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.