“And he said unto him, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).
This is the testimony of Abraham, in Christ’s parable of the rich man in Hades, concerning the type of evidence needed to induce repentance in the hearts of those still on earth. There are many today who would seek a sign before they believe God’s word. Even then, however, said Jesus, they won’t believe if they are unwilling to believe the Scriptures, especially the writings of Moses. “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:46,47). Those who refuse to believe the historicity of the words of Genesis can hardly believe in Christ.
Certain well-meaning Christian apologists today argue that the Genesis record of early history is too controversial, so we should emphasize Christ’s miracles instead, especially His resurrection, to lead men to Christ. These are indeed powerful evidences, for one can argue effectively that Christ’s bodily resurrection is the best-proved fact of history.
Nevertheless, Christ asserted-and experience confirms-that those who reject the Mosaic account of creation and the other foundational events of history will not believe in the resurrection either, regardless of the evidence. The early apostles indeed preached the resurrection to those who already believed in creation and the Scriptures (e.g., Acts 17:2,3), but they preached first the creation, then the resurrection to those who did not (e.g., Acts 17:18-31).
Therefore, according to Christ Himself, people will not truly repent unto salvation, even when faced with overwhelming evidence of His resurrection, unless they are first willing to believe the holy Scriptures, especially the records of Moses in the first book of the Bible. HMM
