An Examination of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection

The Fact of the Resurrection

" Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also." (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

Paul is about to describe the Gospel, or “good news”, which includes the resurrection. This Gospel: 1.Was preached 2.Was received 3.Makes believers stand 4.Saves believers

Theologians agree that vs. 3-5 are one of the earliest Christian creeds, which Paul quotes. Some believe that Paul received it directly from Peter and James while visiting them in Jerusalem – some five years after Jesus’ crucifixion.

Paul says these points – Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection are of “first importance” - pr ō tois - which signifies a prominence; “most important”. Without these three facts, Christianity falls and is worthless. Paul also puts the integrity of Bible on the line and says these things were prophesied in the Scriptures.

What if no Resurrection?

"Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

Paul says his preaching and our faith are “kenon”, which means ‘empty’ and ‘devoid of value’. This is an important point to understand: without the resurrection of Jesus, Paul says the Christian faith has no value whatsoever.

“[This is] not simply as having some mixture of falsehood, but as being altogether an empty fallacy. For what remains if Christ has been swallowed up by death — if he has become extinct — if he has been overwhelmed by the curse of sin — if, in fine, he has been overcome by Satan? In short, if that fundamental article is subverted, all that remains will be of no moment. For the same reason he adds, that their faith will be vain, for what solidity of faith will there be, where no hope of life is to be seen? But in the death of Christ, considered in itself, there is seen nothing but ground of despair, for he cannot be the author of salvation to others, who has been altogether vanquished by death.” - John Calvin

If Jesus was not resurrected, then Paul says he and the other apostles and fellow workers have been spreading a false religion. But in addition, Jesus is found to be a liar or wrong as well as the Scripture.

Paul Would be a Liar or Wrong

The Apostles Would be Liars or Wrong

Jesus Would be a Liar or Wrong

“Our Saviour’s resurrection is truly of great importance in Christianity, so great that His being or not being the Messiah stands or falls with it.” - John Locke

Jesus Would be a Liar or Wrong

The Bible Would be Wrong

God the Father Would be a Liar In the original Greek, the construction of verse 15 seems to indicate Paul saying that God was lying and by God’s false testimony, he and the other apostles were spreading falsehoods. “Now, therefore, he teaches that, if the resurrection of Christ is denied, God is made guilty of falsehood in the witnesses that have been brought forward and hired by him.” - John Calvin

The Uniqueness of Christianity Vanishes All Dead and Buried Buddha Muhammad Confucius VS. Alive Forever?

If Jesus was not resurrected, then Paul and the apostles word could not be trusted, Jesus could not be trusted, and the Bible could not be trusted. What source of truth is left…?

Without the resurrection, Jesus could not have done three things: 1.Conquer Sin 2.Conquer Death 3.Conquer Hell

Why is this the case? Why couldn’t Jesus die on the cross for our sins and His spirit then depart and be with God? Why did He have to be resurrected to defeat sin, death, and Hell?

“This firstborn from the dead was raised from the grave, not a human creature, but a spirit” Jehovah’s Witnesses Let God Be True, pg. 276.

The Anthropology of Man What is the nature of human beings? Some theories: Materialism – humans have a material body but nothing else. All is just a manifestation of matter. Idealism – the reverse of materialism – humans only have an immaterial dimension, and the body is nothing more than a mirage to the non-material mind. Monism – just as one side of a coin is the same substance as the other side of the same coin, so humans are made up of a body and soul that are the same substance – really just the same thing. Dualism – the body and soul are separate components that run in parallel to each other, but never really interact. Trichotomy – a person has a separate body, soul, and spirit. With the body, a person is world-conscious; with the soul, they are self- conscious; and with the spirit, they are God-conscious.

The Anthropology of Man

The Fall of Man “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.’” (Genesis 2:15-16) The Hebrew word for “die” in verse 16 is muwth, which can mean to die prematurely from neglect of wise or moral conduct.

The Fall of Man

The Redemption of Man "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—"(Romans 5:12) Just as through one man sin entered into the world and spread death and separation from God to all mankind, through another man, freedom from sin, physical death, and separation from God (Hell) entered into the world. Jesus had to be raised bodily to fully save mankind and demonstrate victory over sin and death. If He wasn’t raised bodily, then sin and Satan won in the garden. What the first Adam lost, the last Adam (Christ) retrieved.

The Redemption of Man

No Resurrection: Sin Wins

No Resurrection: Death Wins

No Resurrection: Hell Wins

"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19) No Resurrection?

“If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." (1 Corinthians 15:32) No Resurrection?

1.The authority of truth is eliminated 2.The life-giving power of the Gospel is eliminated 3.The divinity of Jesus is eliminated 4.Salvation from sin is eliminated 5.Eternal life is eliminated

But…

"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20)

“no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:38-40) "who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,"(Romans 1:4) The Proof of Christ’s Word

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” Christ’s resurrection is of ‘first importance’ – without it, Christianity collapses.

The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection