Without our spinal column we would not be able to sit up, to walk, or to basically do anything. In a similar sort of way, we depend upon a mental backbone to provide us with a coherent perspective and a means to interpret the evidence around us. By a mental backbone, I am referring to that string of beliefs which are our starting points for understanding the world around us so that we can makes sense of it and discover a sense of direction.
Let me introduce you to what I call the whitewash backbone. It is reflected by statements like: "I've got my own religion between me and God; I don't need to do the church thing. I am OK." Or perhaps he or she might say, "It really doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are someone who is loving and accepting of others."
Such a list of personal thinkums about how life functions seems to be almost limitless. People are free to believe anything they want; their system might even be internally consistent. But what if those beliefs do not reflect reality as it really is? If a person's framework for understanding their life is significantly different than their actual status, I call that whitewash. Whether that whitewash be a thickly slapped coat of rosy white over wormwood or a depressing gray hiding a beautiful mahogany, it would be misleading.
In the Bible we find claims to how live really is and how we measure up. If those claims are true, then any personal beliefs which significantly differ would merely be whitewash. For example, would it not be tragic if God extended salvation on a different basis than what someone assumed?
A skeptical backbone can involve assuming that there is no God and interpreting this world as simply being the product of natural forces. From such a perspective, might not someone lance forth a number of skeptical questions toward the Bible? "How can I accept the Biblical message as being true when I don't know of any fish today that could have swallowed Jonah? How can I believe that Jesus walked upon water? etc."
Although those with a skeptical backbone might view their perspective as insightful, there is a piece of evidence which should call them to consider radical surgery. Jesus Christ's resurrection suggests that a total spinal replacement, a totally new outlook and way of thinking (Eph. 4:21-24; Rom. 12:2), might be in order. For if Jesus has been raised from the dead and if as the Word who became flesh he has revealed the Truth (John 1:14; 3:31-35; 14:6, 10), then an objective standard of what is right and acceptable to God does not depend upon what I think is right and fair, but upon what God has already revealed.
Understanding the implications of the resurrection can also alter how we perceive and understand the Bible. If God has the power to raise the dead and if God has raised up Jesus as Lord, then there is no difficulty with this same God causing Jesus to walk on the water. In fact, nothing within scripture would be impossible - regardless of how incredible it might seem to a modern secular naturalistic mind frame. Furthermore, if Jesus has been raised from the dead, then all of his teachings would not merely be curious incidental events of history but a window into Reality. His teachings such as: "I tell you the truth, unless one is born of water and spirit, one cannot enter into the kingdom of God" and "no one comes to the Father except through me" would be the way things really are. John 3:5; 14:6
The resurrection is an essential vertebrae of the Christian's backbone. As Paul would write: "If Christ has not been raised, then our message is worthless ... but now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." 1 Corinthians 15:14,20 If we are willing to see with our eyes and hear with our ears, the realization of the resurrection can cause us to willingly undergo radical surgery to reshape not only our entire outlook on life, but also lead us to worship God in spirit and in truth.
Barry Newton, Copyright © 1999, Revised 2005
Other Articles of Interest Might Include:
Jesus is Good NewsThe Honest Hourglass (Implications of Jesus' resurrection for meaning in our life)
One Huge Hinge (The Resurrection)