TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. However, there are exceptions to the rule.

Many people have been cheated by ponzi schemes which promise high financial returns initially. These investment scams do not have a credible business model to sustain high yields. So after a period of time, creators of such schemes simply take the hard-earned money of investors and disappear.

You should smell a rat when you are approached to invest in such schemes. When an investment vehicle promises fantastic returns in a short period, it is probably what you have been suspecting from the very beginning – too good to be true.

                                                                         

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” also applies to issues in the spiritual realm: 

• Eternal security for believers even if they deny God or continue living in sin

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• Futures sins automatically forgiven when we believed in Christ

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Belief in eternal security is wishful thinking. And so is believing that our future sins are forgiven at conversion. Both are examples of the statement: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

However, some things that appear incredible are, in fact, trustworthy:

• It may sound too good to be true but it is a fact: Salvation is by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). God declares us righteous based on our faith in the cleansing blood of Jesus.

• It may appear incredible but Christ, through His death at the cross, forgave our sins and healed our diseases (Psalm 103:1-5).

• This may be wishful thinking to some but it is true: Jesus offers hope to those who grieve over the death of their loved ones.  *

 *    Footnotes: 

Jesus visited Martha to console her while she was grieving over the death of her brother Lazarus. Besides sharing her grief, He offered hope. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25).

Everything about the Christian faith hinges on one thing: “Did Christ rise from the dead?” If Christ were not raised, then the faith of believers is futile as they are still guilty of their sins. And Christians are among those most to be pitied for clinging on to a false hope (1 Corinthians 15:17,19).

Is Jesus making an empty promise to Martha? Or is it true that since He defied death – proving that He is divine, not just a great teacher – He is able to offer eternal life to all who trust in Him?

Atheist-turned-believer Lee Strobel shared about his journey of faith: “I used to consider the resurrection to be a laughable fairy tale. After all, Yale Law School had trained me to be coldly rational, and my years of sniffing for news at the Chicago Tribune had only toughened my naturally cynical personality. But intrigued by changes in my wife after she became a Christian, I spent nearly two years systematically using my journalistic and legal experience to study the evidence for the resurrection and the credibility of Jesus' claims to being God. I emerged totally convinced and gave my life to Christ …” (Lee Strobel in “God’s Outrageous Claims”, page 170).

Beyond objective evidence, many Christians can testify to the reality of Christ’s resurrection power – His guidance, provision and healing. Indeed, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.