Historical Evidence for the Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead forms the immovable foundation for the Christian faith, as well as the future hope of our own resurrection as believers. The apostle Paul knew how central that event is when he said the following:
...If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead...And if Christ has not been raised...you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ~1 Corinthians 15:14-20
Paul hinges the entire Christian faith on this one central claim - that Jesus was raised from the dead!
In other words, if the resurrection was ever disproven Christianity would absolutely fall apart. Many people have set out to do just that...and became Christians in the attempt. This wasn't because of the lack of evidence against the resurrection, but because of the overwhelming evidence for it!
In this article, Matt Perman does an excellent job of summarizing this incredible evidence. He also explains why alternate explanations of the resurrection simply don't work, with clarity and grace.
I'm so glad that God provided ways for us to know the truth claims in the Bible are real. We don't have to check our brains at the door to believe in Jesus, but instead have a very reasonable faith. 😊
Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. ~Isaiah 1:18
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