NASA had spent years and a fortune sending a spacecraft to Mars in hope of finding signs of life. After successfully landing the Pathfinder, they were unable to confirm any signs. Some people might be disappointed. Some might doubt the evidence or still have hope. However, one thing that we can be sure of is that Jesus was resurrected. We don’t have to doubt the evidence or hope for it’s true. It is most certainly true that Jesus was resurrected bodily and historically. Thankfully so because without Jesus’ resurrection, our situation would be worse than any natural disaster the human race has seen.
Background
In John 20:19 the disciples were hiding from the Roman soldiers in fear when suddenly Jesus appeared before the disciples. John 21:13 shows that His appearance wasn’t as a ghost or spirit but physical. He ate bread and fish. Jesus has a glorified body, which is also a preview of what sort of resurrection we will have. Jesus’ resurrection is our living hope.
Within 20 years later, some people in the church, like the Corinthians, started to doubt the resurrection. We must realize that without the resurrection everything in the Christian faith collapses. It is dangerous teaching and Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 to clarify and explain why the resurrection is true and must be trusted.
False claims against Christ
Denying the resurrection is not new. From the beginning, those who hate Christ have tried to spread false rumors denying the resurrection. Some people deny that He actually died but they are wrong because He was speared on the cross and then he was sealed in a tomb without food, water, or air. How could he have possibly survived, opened the tomb, and fought off 50 to 60 Roman guards?
Still, others say there are discrepancies in the four gospel accounts so they cannot be trusted. Each gospel does have a different author with a different perspective and purpose but their Jesus is the same Jesus and the differences are not factual but personal.
People also claim that the story of Jesus is similar to other religions and Christians made it all up and copied them. However, there is no true parallel between Jesus’ resurrection and other prior religions. None of the other religions have a god who died as a man and was bodily resurrected. More so, other similar stories all originate after Jesus, which means they most likely copied the Bible rather than the other way around.
How do we know Jesus was resurrected?
His tomb is empty. Everyone else’s grave still has their bodies. Only Jesus has an empty tomb.
His disciples all died like Him. Out of the many disciples surely one of them would have caved to the torture and suffering. One of them would have either changed the message or denied it. Chuck Colson was part of the Watergate scandal where twelve of the world’s most powerful men could not keep a lie for 3 weeks. He realized the resurrection was true because the disciples were faithful to the gospel for over 40 years under the most difficult persecution.
There were eyewitness accounts. Actually, there were hundreds of people that saw the resurrected Jesus who were still alive at the time of Paul’s writing (1 Corinthians 15:4-6). One of those was Paul who initially hated Jesus but now professed Jesus to be alive. Why would someone who wanted to kill all Christians all of the sudden write to share that he saw Jesus and explain that Jesus is alive? In Acts 1:3, Jesus stayed with his disciples, continuing His ministry, setting a righteous and loving pattern for His disciples. They are the ones who testify to Jesus’ resurrection.
Other considerations that support the historical resurrection.
1. Women are the first witnesses. In ancient times when women were second-class citizens, this would be a terrible way to convince people and build credibility if you made up a story.
2. Many people had experiences with the resurrected Christ
3. The disciples believed despite the resurrection being contradictory to their traditions and expectations
Ultimately, Jesus showed He overcame sin and death. Sin is almost almighty causing every loss, every tragedy, every hurt, every wrong. Death listens to no man. A man’s death cannot be delayed forever no matter how hard he may try. Once you are dead, there is no coming back. Yet Jesus conquered both sin and death.
‘If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain.’
We know Christianity is true because it has the true message that truly saves. The God you believe is based on the message you heard. The God of the Bible proved through Elijah that He is the one true God and that the idols were false. There was no response from the idols to the false prophets but Jehovah heard Elijah’s prayer and sent fire down from heaven (1 Kings 18:37-38). Through Elijah God showed He is true. The message God wants to convey through Jesus is that He can raise the dead to life. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 is the Gospel of Jesus that we believe. We believe in Jesus who died and rose again. God is good and His gospel is good. Through Jesus and the resurrection, a sinner can know how powerful and good God is.
If Jesus did not resurrect, not just the gospel, but the whole Bible would not be true. For example, we know what happened to Jonah is true because it also happened to Jesus (Matthew 12:40). The Bible affirms Jesus and Jesus’ resurrection affirms the Bible. Since the Bible says all are sinners in need of a savior. If the Bible is not true, then we wouldn’t need a savior. But we know we are sinners and therefore can conclude that the Bible is true and our Savior is true also. So we can be free from the despair and darkness of our sin and the world because the Bible is true and Jesus saves.
If you do not believe Jesus has risen, then your faith is not saving faith. You live without Jesus. How can you walk with Him if He has not risen from the dead? Why would you experience a transformed life if He was not alive today? If Jesus is not raised to life, not only our faith but the entire church is also false. The church is an assembly of true believers who have the life of Christ. If Jesus is not alive then what the church confesses is false and we have no reason to gather and worship.
Thankfully, there is overwhelming evidence and reasons for Jesus’ resurrection. This is the truth and it is the good news of God. We believe and proclaim Christ is risen.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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