To read more testimonies from around the world about the saving work of Jesus, see Lost and Found: How Jesus Helped Us Discover Our True Selves from The Gospel Coalition.
In this video, Kevin DeYoung points out that Jesus is both a historical fact and a present source of hope.
The following is a lightly edited transcript provided by a transcription service. Please check video before quoting.
Two thousand years ago, there was a man named Jesus of Nazareth. He’s a real person. Even the most skeptical historians today acknowledge he really existed. We have the best evidence we can have from the first century that he was a real person. He was reputed to be a wonder worker, to be a prophet, to be a person with a large following, at the very least.
So there’s this man, Jesus, and he died. And three days later, he rose again. He rose again for our sins. He died that our sins might be paid for. He rose again that we might be right with God. And in these 2,000 years, no one has adequately accounted for the appearance of Christ to more than 500 witnesses at the same time as an empty tomb.
If there was a body of Jesus somewhere, the Romans would’ve presented it. His disciples wouldn’t have died for what they knew was a lie. But beyond all of that and we could talk about the history of Jesus’ death and resurrection, until you understand, and I understand, that we’re sinners.
And I know that’s not a popular word, but we’re sinners. We don’t do what we ought to do. The things we want to do, we don’t do. The things we don’t want to do, we keep on doing. And we’re sinners that need more than a second chance, sinners that need more than just a clean slate. We’re sinners that need forgiveness, need a righteousness that’s not our own
And the only comfort that we have in life and in death is that we belong to Jesus. It’s history, it’s fact. Yes, it’s theology. But, more than that, it’s life, and it’s hope, and it’s comfort.