The resurrection is the validation

The empty tomb of Jesus is so critical to the doctrine of the Christian faith that without it, there is no reason to trust in or follow Jesus. Everything hangs together or falls apart on the reality and truth of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, never to die again. The resurrection is the validation of the truthfulness of the life and words of Christ. The resurrection is the proof that the shedding of His blood — the means of atonement and forgiveness of our sin – has been accepted by God the Father. The resurrection is the basis of hope that Jesus Christ who has been raised from the dead will once again return for those who believe in Him and raise them to live forever in His presence. Without the resurrection, those who follow Christ should be pitied, according to the Apostle Paul. Without the resurrection, we have bought into the largest hoax in history. But He did rise from the dead, never to die again.

The evidence that the tomb was empty can be seen in the gospel record, in the boldness of the apostles and His disciples, and in the changed lives of those who trust in Christ.  There are many excellent resources to trace the evidence (Josh McDowell’s The Resurrection Factor or Evidence for the Resurrection, Gary Habermas; The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus and J Warner Wallace’s Alive: A Cold-Case Approach to the Resurrection as well as others).  Chuck Colson spoke to why he knew the resurrection was true, “I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me.  How?  Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it.  Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison.  They would not have endured that if it weren’t true.  Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world – and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks.  You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years?  Absolutely impossible.”

The resurrection is how the Bible tells us the answer to the question of what happens when you die.  It is a question, one of those big worldview questions, that people grapple with to help them make sense of their lives.  How do you answer the question of what happens when you die?  How does your answer change the way you live your day-to-day life?  How does your answer give you hope to face injustice, shame, guilt, difficult times, even death itself?  I believe in the resurrection because the proof of Scripture backed up by the things explained in the resources above, and because the reality of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has changed my life.

J. Warner Wallace says that the thing that keeps men from believing in the resurrection is not a lack of evidence (it is there) – watch this link for his answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTOayNDq4VY.

Pressing on…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor