The Evidence for Christ's Resurrection
It's often said that the validity of Christianity
rests upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But how do we know Jesus
rose from the dead?
As Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 15:14, if Christ did not rise from the
dead then our preaching and our faith are useless. We must therefore
be prepared to demonstrate that Christ’s resurrection was an event
that occurred in space and time — that it was in fact historical,
and not mythological (cf. 2 Pet. 1:16). The importance of this event
cannot be minimized as Jesus Himself proclaimed that His resurrection
would prove His power over death, and thus His deity (John 2:18-22).
Of the variety of evidence we have available, none is more compelling
than the fact that over five hundred individuals saw Jesus (1 Cor. 15:6)
during a 40-day period following His death and burial (Acts 1:3). In
fact, the Apostles appealed to Christ’s resurrection as proof
for the truth of the gospel (Acts 17:18, 31). The historical evidence
for the resurrection is so compelling that the famed Harvard law professor,
Simon Greenleaf, concluded that any cross-examination of the eyewitness
testimonies recorded in Scripture will result in “an undoubting
conviction of their integrity, ability, and truth.”
And even as we consider alternative explanations, reason drives us back
to the conclusion that Christ rose from the dead. We know that the Romans
had no intentions of stealing Christ’s body because the last thing
they wanted was any turmoil that was sure to follow such an event. The
Jewish religious leaders would also have no motive in stealing the body
since that would only stir up the very movement they tried to crush.
And certainly, the disciples could not have stolen the body; after all,
would anyone really suffer and die for a cause that they knew to be
a lie? It is conceivable that someone may die for the truth, but inconceivable
that hundred’s of his follower’s would, in fact, be willing
to die for what they knew to be a lie.
All this leads us to only one possibility that Jesus indeed rose from
the dead, and lives to be our Lord and our Savior (cf. Rev. 1:18)!
