Not a Myth!
Some of you have seen this; many probably have not. Finished files are the results of years of scientific study combined with the experience of years. Silently count, just once, the number of times the letter F appears, and write the number down. Got it? How many wrote down 3? 4? 5? 6? There are six. Our eye tends to skip over the “of’s.” This is part of a tract from Ray Comfort’s ministry, and he uses it to make the point that if we are wrong about the number of F’s, it is no big deal. But we cannot afford to be wrong when it comes to knowing the truth about who Jesus is, why he came to the earth, and what God will do about sin with those who do not know Jesus. And most of the world finds it’s faith rooted firmly in what Peter calls “cleverly devised myths.”
Apart from faith in Jesus Christ and belief that the Bible is the Word of God, all that the world is left with to try and understand why we are here are myths. Peter wants his readers to know in his second letter that what he is giving them is the truth, and that he and the other apostles did not come to them with cleverly devised myths. Look at that phrase for a moment. There are so many myths that the world chooses to believe, and they are easy to believe because they are clever. Otherwise they would not gain any traction, at least not for long. But they are devised, which means they are made up by people. If you go to some countries in eastern Europe and ride on a city bus in the heat of summer, as I have, don’t expect the bus to have AC. And don’t expect the windows to be open. You will be crammed together and sweltering in the suffocating heat because the people there believe any kind of manufactured and moving air will make you sick. No window fans, and all windows on cars and buses will stay tightly shut. That’s an irritating myth, but probably not deadly. One that has led to the slaughter of millions is the myth that an embryo is just a blob of tissue. Another that can have deadly consequences is that all religions are the same, just like all roads lead to the top of the mountain.
I used to teach my students about the Law of Noncontradiction in college when I had a full semester and time to develop a short course on logic and reasoning. I would ask them this series of questions: What do Christians believe about Jesus, I asked? (Son of God, Savior) How did he die? (cross) What happened three days later? (resurrected!). Ok, what do Muslims believe about Jesus? (prophet; NOT God’s son). How did he die? (He didn’t. On the day of the crucifixion, another person was miraculously transformed to look like Jesus and took his place). So, according to Islam, Jesus was not God’s Son, did not die on a cross, and was not resurrected. Can both Christianity and Islam be true? No. Do all religions teach what we need to know to be saved? No.
The Greeks and Romans of Paul’s day did not care whether their so-called gods, little g, even existed. They knew they were mythical. But the story of Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection is not a myth. One of the proofs is that ten of the eleven disciples died martyr’s death because of their faith in Jesus. Only John died of old age. RC Sproul writes, “Peter was not ready to put off his mortal tent for a myth but for that which he had witnessed.”
Jesus and salvation that comes through him alone? Not a myth!