“It’s A Wonderful Life” is such an inspirational film because it reminds us how precious our lives really are. No matter what awful things may be going on in our lives, we should never lose hope. We should never give up or think that our lives are insignificant. Each one of us have impacted the lives of other people. Some have had a positive impact, others—not so much. But for those who have sought to live a righteous life, something would be missing in this world, if for some reason we didn't exist.
As true as that is for you and me, think about how much more significant that is for the person of Jesus Christ. Think about what life would be like if Jesus was never born!
First of all, if Jesus never existed, we would have no Christmas. Can you imagine how different your December would be without Christmas?! And not just Christmas…We wouldn’t be living in our current “Year of our Lord.” Jesus split time in half. Everything before Jesus was B.C. We now we live in the A.D. This is a new era, defined by Christianity—a Christian Age.
Now there are some stone-cold atheists that believe our world would be better off without religion altogether. But, in my view, Christianity is one religion we couldn’t do without. History tells us that at one point, half of the population of the Roman Empire in the first century A.D. were slaves. Slaves, in both Greek and Roman culture, had the same value as livestock. They looked on slaves with contempt—as less than human. But Christians taught that slaves have the same value to God as a free man. Christians introduced a concept of equality not based on wealth, might, or class. Without Christianity, would this concept have ever developed?
Although it is true that Christians participated in the slave trade, and that some slave owners in the American South also professed faith, it was devout Christians in both Britain and the United States that worked together to end this horrible practice, which was thousands of years old. Christianity was a great influence in helping end slavery in the United States.
And what about women’s rights? During the first century A.D. women had few rights in the Roman Empire. Women in Athens had the social status of a slave. Roman women had more freedom, but none of the rights of a male citizen. Jewish women were not allowed to speak in public. Although there are still ways that women are fighting for equal status in our society, the Suffrage movement was largely Christian women who fought the battle to gain voting rights for women in this country. If Jesus was never born, women would be not be as well off in this world as they are today.
What about the issue of social welfare? Compassion for the less fortunate was not a prominent teaching in Roman or Greek culture. In fact, it was rare. There was no such thing as a public hospital. During the plagues, historical accounts tell of the dead and dying being thrown along the sides of the public roads, and left unburied. It was the Christians who came out of hiding to help the sick and dying, often being persecuted, and sometimes killed by officials for doing so.
After the legalization of Christianity by Rome, Christians established public hospitals and hospices. The Christian philosophy of helping those in need was a shocking contrast to the treatment of the sick, poor, and disabled in the cultures of the time, and of the cultures that came before. Most of the largest charitable organizations on the planet today were founded as Christian welfare programs. The Red Cross and the Salvation Army are two of the most prominent.
Some in our world would point to the Crusades and the Inquisition as examples of Christianity being a great oppressor, and even a great evil. Certainly there have been wars and atrocities performed in the name of God. But the truth is, Christianity has been and always will be a force of great good in this world. Human beings have learned compassion and generosity from the new religion begun by a poor Jewish carpenter over 2000 years ago. Without Jesus, I believe that we would live in a brutal world, where each person looks out for his own interest, where women are treated as weaker, inferior sex objects and possessions, and children grow up in homes with little safety or stability.
Overall, I believe that Christianity more than any other religion has contributed to huge humanitarian advances in culture, law, government, music, medical care, social welfare, and more. And these are only the physical, non-spiritual, benefits of the Christian faith.
John Lennon once sang a song asking us to imagine a world with no religion. Take that a step further: Imagine a world without Jesus. I have—and it makes me shudder! Without Jesus, we would be lost in our sins. On the day we died we would stand before God with no hope, no forgiveness. God’s wrath would be upon us instead of his mercy. Thank God for sending his son to Bethlehem. Without Jesus, we’d have no Savior. Without Jesus—there’d be no Christmas (and no Easter for that matter) In fact, there’d probably be no Fourth of July (No United States). Bedford Falls would not exist. This world would be one big Pottersville!
Because of Jesus each one of us has the hope of eternal life. All you have to do is place your faith in Jesus Christ. God sent him to earth on a mission. His mission was to save humanity from the curse of sin. You and I can receive forgiveness if we just open our hearts to Jesus. Through Him you will find hope. Ask Him to come in and take control of your life. Let go and watch what Jesus can do. He’s changed the trajectory of the world! He can change your life as well!
(Excerpt from sermon script, Sunday 11/29/2015)
Sources:
“How Christianity Changed the World” by Alvin J. Schmidt
“What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?” by D. James Kennedy
