The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: An Introduction

I excitedly look forward to Easter every year because I often get the opportunity to speak on the most exciting topic – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I also love singing classic hymns about the crucifixion and resurrection. Of course, I enjoy writing and speaking about creation, evolution, Genesis, the age of the earth, the authority of the Bible, and the Biblical worldview. Yet, no subject thrills me more than to think of that glorious Sunday morning when an angel rolled away the stone and the death-conquering Savior walked out for a while from the tomb in which His body lay – for this miracle had secured the hope of our salvation.

I try to imagine what it must have been like to be in the disciples’ sandals when they saw the risen Savior for the first time. Imagine all your hopes and dreams shattered to pieces, the person you believed in being brutally beaten and then cruelly crucified. It is almost impossible to understand the pain and despair felt by the disciples during that time. They had given up everything for Jesus, and now he was gone, leaving the disciples to wallow in their sorrow, confusion, and shame for following a false Messiah who was now seen as a man cursed by God (Isaiah 53:4; Galatians 3:13).

Picture yourself in Peter’s position. The stubborn and outspoken disciple who said he would die for Jesus suffered from the depths of despair, and many times he cowardly rejected Jesus. Suddenly, Mary Magdalene appears and says that Jesus’ body is missing and that none of the women who visited the tomb that morning know where it is (John 20:2). Did a ray of hope burst into Peter’s mind at that moment? Did the thought of God’s body being treated with disrespect make him feel even more embarrassed, did anger well up within him? What did he think when he entered the tomb and saw linen clothes lying where the Lord’s body had recently lay? Was he plunged into even greater sorrow on his way home that morning (John 20:10)?

Peter’s complete despair finally broke later that day when Jesus appeared to him alive and well (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). But this was no temporary presence – it was no vision or hallucination. Jesus had already appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18), and later that day to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:15), and then for the entire group of disciples minus Thomas (Luke 24:36). Over the next several weeks, Jesus showed himself to be alive through “”.many infallible proofs“To the disciples (Acts 1:3), and on one occasion he appeared before more than 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6).

After a while, the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of the risen Savior, moved forward with full confidence that their message was true and turned the world upside down with the gospel, steadfastly facing persecution and death along the way.

At the center of his message was resurrection. Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost focused on the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:24-36). Paul also focused on the resurrection. Some philosophers in Athens thought he was strange because he preached about Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 17:18). When given the opportunity to speak at the Areopagus, Paul delivered his message and then said that God has given “assured everyone by raising (Jesus) from the dead“(Acts 17:31). In fact, Acts 12 contains major addresses as the gospel message spread from Jerusalem to the rest of the Roman Empire, and according to Merrill C. Tenney, “the place of the resurrection is constant at each stage of the presentation; it is never rejected or ignored but occupies a prominent place.”1

Sadly, it seems that this event no longer holds a prominent place for many Christians, often being reduced to merely the subject of a sermon on Easter Sunday. And I’ve been to churches where it doesn’t even get that much attention. Some people focus so much on the crucifixion and what Jesus accomplished there that the resurrection is treated as an afterthought.2 Please do not misunderstand me. The Crucifixion is absolutely essential, and we should never shy away from discussing the Cross, but the Resurrection is the other side of that coin. Without the resurrection, Christ’s death would be the end of our hopes, and certainly, without the crucifixion, Jesus could not have risen from the dead. Both are necessary for the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 15:17).3 In fact, Paul told the Corinthians that the gospel he preached was “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.,” and it was seen by many people (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

Over the years as I have read the New Testament, I have paid special attention to the resurrection and am amazed at how often the authors mention this topic. Paul devoted an entire chapter to this topic and discussed its importance for Christianity.

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found to be false witnesses of God, because we have testified about God, that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise, if indeed the dead are not raised. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain; You are still in your sins! Then those who fell asleep in Christ also perished. If we have hope in Christ only in this life, we are the most miserable of all men. (1 Corinthians 15:14-19)

If Jesus Without the resurrection from the dead, Christianity would be a false religion, we would have no hope, our loved ones would be gone forever, and we would still remain in our sins. I appreciate Philip Schaff’s summary of the importance of the resurrection based on Paul’s words.

The Christian Church rests on the resurrection of its founder. Without this fact the Church could never have arisen, or if it had arisen, it would soon have died a natural death. The miracle of the Resurrection and the existence of Christianity are so closely linked that they must stand or fall together. If Christ rose from the dead, all his other miracles are certain, and our faith unassailable; If He is not raised, He died in vain and our faith is in vain. It was only His resurrection that made His death available for our atonement, justification, and salvation; Without the resurrection, His death would be the tomb of our hopes; We must not yet be delivered and come under the power of our sins. The gospel of a dead Savior would be a paradox and a dystopian illusion. This is the argument of St. Paul, and its force is irresistible.
The resurrection of Christ is therefore emphatically the test question on which the truth or falsity of Christianity depends. This is either the greatest miracle or the greatest illusion that history records.4

Now consider the options. If Jesus did indeed rise from the dead, an amazing miracle was performed and through this act God placed His seal of approval on the life and work of Jesus for all to see.5 In other words, the resurrection shows us that God has confirmed the truth of Christ’s teachings, meaning that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be – the eternal Son of God in human flesh and the Savior of the world. He is the only one who can save us from sin, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). All those who reject Him are doomed to suffer eternally for disregarding the God of life and His offer of forgiveness.

Everything depends on the resurrection. If Jesus Rose, he is the son of God and Christianity is true. As a result, critics and skeptics have desperately tried to develop alternative theories to explain the revival. In their vain search for a legitimate alternative, they have demonstrated that they understand the centrality of the resurrection better than some Christians, or at least they are more concerned about it. The irony is that, as future articles in this series will demonstrate, critical and skeptical arguments have actually strengthened our faith in the truth of the resurrection.

In the coming weeks, we will begin to study the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The next article will describe what the Bible says “infallible proof“Essentially surveying the post-resurrection appearance. The upcoming installment will address the many evidences reported in or derived from the Biblical accounts. After that, we will spend several weeks examining the many alternative ideas proposed by skeptics and critics over the centuries. By the time we complete our study, you will see that in nearly 2,000 years, no alternative theory can stand up to scrutiny or come close to accounting for the facts.

the apostles knew this Jesus He died on the cross, and just a few days later, they saw him alive again. They were so convinced of this fact that they were willing to face persecution, exile and death. Imagine believing in the resurrection like the apostles. what will this do to you Christian If you are fully assured of this incident then should you go? Will you be more inspired than ever to study His Word, spend time in prayer, fellowship with His people, and share gospel With others?

The crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Christ are the only means by which people can be forgiven of their sins and our only hope for eternal life.