I want to take the opportunity before too much time passes since Easter to discuss the Resurrection of Jesus. As I mentioned in my last post it wasn't until my late twenties that I knew that Easter had anything to do with Jesus. For me, Easter was always about egg hunts, the Easter bunny and candy. Easter however is much more than that. It is one of the most important holidays celebrated by Christians. It represents Christ's Resurrection. After being humiliated, tortured and nailed to a cross he died on Good Friday. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, thus proving that he was in deed the son of God. Of course, there are many people out there that do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead. You may be one of those people. If you are, then my hope is that this post will change your mind or at least prompt you to look further into the matter with your own additional research. If you are already a believer than I hope this post will help arm you with information that you can use to share with others or defend your faith.
IS the resurrection of Jesus Christ an historical event that really happened, or is it only a myth, as many atheists and agnostics claim? While no one witnessed the actual resurrection, many people swore they saw the risen Christ after his death, and their lives were never the same.
Archaeological discoveries continue to support the Bible's historical accuracy. We tend to forget that the Gospels and book of Acts are eyewitness accounts of the life and death of Jesus. Further non-biblical evidence for Jesus' existence comes from the writings of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tactus, Lucian of Samosata, and the Jewish Sanhedrin. The following seven proofs of the resurrection show that Christ did, indeed, rise from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #1 The Empty tomb of Jesus
The empty tomb may be the strongest proof Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Two major theories have been advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus' body or the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ's apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards to accomplish such a feat. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid inside, they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories. Jesus' burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #2 The Holy Women Eyewitnesses
The holy women eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ's resurrection. Women were considered second hand citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdeline and other holy women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to His resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this "embarrassing act" of God's favor, because that was how it happened.
The Resurrection Proof #3 Jesus Apostles New-Found Courage
After the crucifixion, Jesus' apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the sea of Galilee, and on the Mount of Olives. After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached about the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin.
The Resurrection Proof #4 Changed Lives of James and Others
Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah. Later James became a courageous leader of the Jerusalem church, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles were effective missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives.
The Resurrection Proof #5 Large Crowds of Eyewitnesses
A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this even in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 AD. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and the Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped.
The Resurrection Proof #6 Conversion of Paul
The conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible. As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity's most determined missionary. He endured five floggings, three beatings, three shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty and years of ridicule. Finally the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus. What could make a person willingly accept-even welcome-such hardships? Christians believe the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead.
The Resurrection Proof #7 They Died for Jesus
Countless people have died for Jesus, absolutely certain that the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact. I am so completely and positively sure that Jesus is the son of God and my savior that I too would rather be killed than deny Him. I know many friends that feel the same. Tradition says ten of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader, but Christian martyrs have died in many lands, for nearly 2,000 years, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life.
What about you? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins so that you could have a relationship with God? Remember from my last post, according to God the punishment for sin is death. God is incapable of being in the presence of sin. Therefore in order to have a relationship with us a sacrifice was necessary. Because God loves us so much and yearns to have a relationship with us, he sent his own Son to die in our place so that we could come to intimately know and have a relationship with our Father in Heaven. Jesus died for the sins of the world so that we could know God and live with Him eternally in Heaven when we die.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you are walking a very slippery slope. If you died today are you certain you would go to heaven? Or, do you believe in an alternative scenario like being reincarnated or that death is the end. The extensive research I have done has proven to me without a doubt that reincarnation is not possible (more on that in an upcoming post on The New Age Movement) and that death is NOT the end for your soul. If you admit that you are a sinner and in need of Savior and ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins, than you will be saved. You will be guaranteed a place in God's Kingdom and upon your death you can joyfully anticipate living eternally in Heaven. According to the Bible which my research proves is the infallible word of God, the only alternative is to be separated from God eternally in a place no one wants to go.....hell. If you have come to the point where you believe that the Bible is the word of God, that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and you want your soul to spend eternity in Heaven than you need to be saved.
Please do not depend on man's word, including mine! Only one word counts: Almighty God's. Trust entirely in what God says in His word. It is a tragic error to rely on religion, what the world may be telling you, your past traditions, doctrine, personal beliefs or even your church. They are utterly worthless to save you. Religions, doctrine, tradition and churches change with the seasons: Whereas God's words is from eternity to eternity, unchanging.
Take this challenge from the Bible:
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
God has promised:
"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-11
These words promise that salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. It is not a complicated process to be saved. If we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved. Be assured, God loves you, and wants to forgive, save and heal you. Cast your burden on Him and embrace Jesus with all your heart. Pray the following prayer and mean it with all your heart and you will be saved, right where you sit.
"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. Please forgive me, and help me to avoid sinning in the future. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen
If you just said this prayer and meant it, then you are born again and saved! The Bible says that the angels in heaven are rejoicing over their new citizen right now! (that's you) I can assure you that you have made a wonderful decision for your life and for your eternal salvation which is now guaranteed to be with the Lord in Heaven. I recommend that you purchase a Bible and find a Bible believing church where you begin to attend and worship God with fellow believers. For me, attending church and Bible studies for the last 11 years has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. God desires us to be in fellowship with other believers and you will receive wonderful teaching from the pastor and other church leaders to help you grow in your walk with God.
If you did not pray the above prayer for whatever reason, than I ask that you continue to read this blog and keep an open mind to what I am sharing. Don't just take my word for matters of spirituality however! Do like I did and do your own research. I highly recommend the book "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel and "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Both these books were instrumental in my research that lead me to the truth in Christ.
In the upcoming weeks I will be finishing my series of posts that prove that the Bible truly is the word of God and will be discussing the life and ministry of Jesus. I will be opening up discussion on "Is Satan real and is Hell a real place" as well as discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life. In addition I will be posting a series on examining other religions including the New Age Movement and Mormonism among others.
Thank you for reading Living a Spirit Filled Life. May God Bless you.
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Information in this post was compiled and summarized from the following sources:
gotguestions.org,xenos.org, faithfacts.org, newadvent.org,tektons.org,biblicalstudeis.info,
garyhabermas.com and ntwrightpage.com
