A few years ago D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe wrote a book titled What if Jesus Had Never Been Born. It is a tremendous volume and the foundation for this article. Here are 5 amazing changes that have occurred because of Jesus Christ (and would not have if Jesus had never been born):

The Poor have Hope

Prior to Christ, organized charity was virtually nonexistent. But in Matthew 25:37-40, Jesus taught that when we help the poor we are serving Christ Himself. Thus, charitable organizations such as the following came as a result of obedience to Christ’s teaching: The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, YMCA & YWCA, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Food for the Hungry, and Compassion International. If Jesus had never been born, the poor would be far worse off.

Education is Available for the Masses

Prior to Christ, only the wealthy were educated. But Scripture teaches us to study and learn: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). In the early 1900’s illiteracy was rampant in pagan nations, while Protestant countries had a vastly higher rate of literacy. Almost every one of the first 123 colleges and universities in the US has Christian origins. This includes Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and so on. Christians started universities mostly to train Christian ministers. Around the world, Christian missionaries were and still are the ones who take languages that are only spoken and turn them into written languages. They do this to share the Bible and the message of Christ. Take away Jesus and you have a world with far less knowledge and education.

Human Life is Valued

Jesus taught that children should be welcomed and blessed (Matthew 19:13-15). In ancient Rome, children were the property of their fathers and they could: sell them, divorce them, or abandon them to die. Many Christians found these abandoned babies and raised them. Christian orphanages were founded to care for children. In a similar way, other “worthless” lives have been valued because of Christ: slaves (abolitionist movements were typically led by Christians), the elderly (who were often abandoned), gladiators (who were killed for sport), women (who were treated like simply a possession). Without Jesus, there is a good chance that you and I would have been: abandoned at birth, a slave, living in desperate poverty & hunger, or killed for sport or pleasure.

Prosperity Has Flourished

Most third world countries have belief systems rooted in superstition and false religions that devalue initiative and have led to impoverished conditions. Christianity teaches that “if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10b). John Chamberlain wrote in The Roots of Capitalism, “Christianity tends to create a capitalistic mode of life whenever siege conditions do not prevail.” Take away Jesus and you take away the prosperity that so much of the world enjoys.

Lives are Dramatically Changed

Click HERE to read more stories of lives changed by Jesus. Am I suggesting that Christians are always perfect followers of Christ? Heavens no. Jesus doesn’t make our behavior perfect, but He does make it a lot better than it would be without Him in our lives: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Furthermore, if you belong to Christ, you have an incredible eternal inheritance that you would not have if He had not been born. For example: There would be no forgiveness from our sin (Isaiah 53). We would not have eternal life (John 3:16). If you are not sure you have forgiveness from your sins and eternal life, please let me show you how to HERE. I have only touched briefly on the incredible impact of Christ. For over 200 pages of information and documentation, see the wonderful book What if Jesus Had Never Been Born. It also covers the impact of Jesus on civil liberties, science, the family, morality, arts, music, health, and medicine.

Christ has astoundingly impacted our world! Thank God Jesus was born.

For more resources to help you grow in your walk with Christ, visit my blog: markalanwilliams.net