The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: Fact or Fiction?
Easter is celebrated by Christians around the world as they remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Is this a mere fairy tale or is it true? Is the resurrection a hoax? Do you believe that Jesus Christ came into this world to die for your sins, that He was crucified, and that He rose from the dead, His resurrection being proof that His death was accepted as the full payment for the sins of those that believe in Him? This question is the most important question that both the Christian and non-Christian can consider. Both need to ensure that their beliefs stand on solid ground. The agnostic, atheist or person who believes in another religion owes it to himself to examine the evidence that believers offer up for the resurrection. The Christian needs to examine what he believes, why he believes and how he is living in the light of that belief.
If you say “fiction” and you do not believe that the New Testament accounts are true, if you are wrong you will spend most of eternity regretting it. Do not dismiss this lightly; you owe it to yourself to spend some time examining the arguments.
If you say “fact”, you ought to know that your faith is based on evidence and on reason. If these events did not occur then Christianity is foolishness…the Bible is foolishness. This is laid on the line in 1 Corinthians 15:
If Christ is NOT risen
• our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty(v14)
• Your faith is futile (v17)
• You are still dead in your sins (v17)
• Those who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished (v18)
• We are of all men the most pitiable (v19)
If the resurrection did not occur then Easter is merely about egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, family gatherings for Easter dinner, and, for the Jamaicans among us, Easter buns and kite flying. Nothing more. ..
May I recommend the book “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel for a thorough review of the evidence of the resurrection and the rebuttals of atheists and skeptics. These include
• An examination of non-biblical sources to determine whether these confirm or undermine the information on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection in the Bible. Included in this review are writings from secular Jewish and Roman historians that confirm Jesus’ death under Pontius Pilate, that refer to the earthquake and darkness at the time of His crucifixion and speak of Christians worshipping Jesus and their firm stand for Jesus despite being tortured.
• A look at the empty tomb and the explanations tendered by opponents of the Christian faith. The counterclaims by the Jews indicate that the body was in fact missing.
• A look at the arguments that this was a conspiracy and that the disciples stole the body. This theory falls flat as he points out that the disciples would not have died for what they KNEW was a lie.
Spend some time to look at the arguments and follow the evidence where it leads. If the resurrection is true, Jesus Christ stripped Himself of His deity, came to earth as a man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose again on the third day, and paid the penalty for our sins. If you believe this, you need to live in the light of this by turning away from your sins and self-directed life, and putting your trust in Christ and allowing Him to lead your life. If you do not believe this, please reconsider as if you reject this, you are judging yourself unworthy of eternal life (Acts 9:46).
