The Biggest Claim in History
It seems like every week we are inundated by grandiose claims the purpose of which is to move us to action. Inevitably, the goal is to motivate us to buy or believe something.
A while back, I saw a commercial on TV for a product called “Flonase,” which the manufacturer claimed helps one deal with nasal congestion. The most striking assertion was, “This changes everything!” No, I’m not kidding. It would appear that all I have to do is use Flonase and it changes everything. Not just something for some people but everything for everybody!
I must confess to leading a business over many years in which our goal was to move people to buy what we were selling. In our case, it was investment fund products purchased through registered investment advisors. Now, besides the fact that my firm put (and continues to put) a very high value on ethical conduct, we operated within a highly regulated industry governed by rules designed to protect investors against unscrupulous operators making untrue claims.
For example, investment product XYZ offers investors a guaranteed return of 12% per annum without any risk of loss! Now, if in fact the claim were true, all investable cash in Canada would swiftly move into the hands of the brilliant investment manager able to produce a 12% risk-free annual return.
Actually, anyone with any real knowledge of investing will tell you that it is impossible to earn any return without taking risk. Common sense tells us that if something is too good to be true, it is not true. However, emotions fueled by the prospects of riches have a funny way of interfering with our reasoning faculties!
To recognize a lie, first you have to understand the truth.
That said, there is one event that, if true, does change everything for everybody – including every CEO, every VP and every other marketplace leader in Canada and around the world. That event was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 2,000 years ago. The apostle Paul was a brilliant intellect who set out to eliminate the early church. However, he had an encounter with Jesus Christ after He rose from the dead that changed his life. As a result, he became a passionate follower of Jesus. He and most if not all of the eyewitnesses to the resurrection ultimately died for defending their claim that Jesus rose from the dead.
Their claim implies that Jesus lives today, which is my testimony and the testimony of every follower of Jesus. The fact of the resurrection lends credibility to Jesus’ claim that He is the truth.
Think about it. The resurrection really does change everything!
Photo by Brett Jordan from Pexels
