The Monumental Significance of Jesus' Resurrection - Validating Christianity
Presented through 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, the monumental significance of Jesus' resurrection is emphasized as the chief evidence to validate His teachings and Christianity as a whole. The evidence provided challenges skeptics, demonstrating the historical credibility and the lack of plausible opposing theories, making Jesus' resurrection the only plausible explanation. By following historical criteria and the Minimal Facts Approach, it is evident that Jesus rose from the dead, impacting faith, preaching, and the very foundation of Christianity itself.
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The Monumental Significance of Jesus Resurrection THE evidence provided to validate His teachings No sign will be given except Matt. 12:38-40; 16:1-4 No room for ambiguity either rise or be found a fraud THE chief evidence provided to validate Christianity If Christ is not risen, then (1 Cor. 15:13-19): our preaching is empty your faith is also empty we are found false witnesses of God your faith is futile you are still in your sins! those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished we are of all men the most pitiable Christianity stands or falls on this event in history!
Putting the Historical Truth to the Test Follow the historical criteria used to assess credibility Extensive independent sources support historical claims Enemy attestation supports historical claims Embarrassing admissions support historical claims Eyewitness testimony supports historical claims Early testimony supports historical claims Use the Minimal Facts Approach To be fair, to be certain, to be honest, to be clear Consider only those facts that are both: Strongly supported by evidence, and Conceded by almost every scholar, even skeptical ones
Putting the Historical Truth to the Test When we: Follow the historical criteria used to assess credibility Use the Minimal Facts Approach We can easily conclude: There is enough REAL evidence to conclude that Jesus rose! The evidence for Jesus resurrection is extremely compelling! No plausible opposing theories exist that account for the facts! Jesus resurrection is the only plausible explanation! We must only accept the interpretation which explains ALL the facts without denying or distorting any of them!
Fact 1: Jesus Died By Crucifixion & Was Buried Reported in all four Gospel accounts Reported by a number of non-Christian sources Josephus, Jewish historian (~93 A.D.) When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified. Lucian of Samosata, the Greek satirist The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day the distinguished personage who was crucified on that account Jewish Talmud On the eve of the Passover Yeshua was hanged since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover (Sanhedrin 43a).
Fact 1: Jesus Died By Crucifixion & Was Buried Reported in all four Gospel accounts Reported by a number of non-Christian sources Conceded by vast majority of scholars One of the most certain facts of history is that Jesus was crucified on orders of the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate (Agnostic skeptic Bart Ehrman). That he [Jesus] was crucified is as sure as anything historical ever can be (John Dominic Crossan, Liberal Theologian, Leader of Jesus Seminar).
Fact 1: Jesus Died By Crucifixion & Was Buried Criterion supported: Extensive independent sources Enemy attestation (even skeptics concede) Embarrassing admissions (great Lord & Savior crucified?) Eyewitness testimony Early testimony Conclusions & Implications: Jesus was put to death and was taken from the cross dead. Fallacious theories easily dismissed (ex: Swoon Theory ) The Jews never denied that Jesus was dead and buried.
Fact 2: Disciples Believed Jesus Rose from the Dead They claimed it. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 (very early proclamation, cf. v. 11) Early eyewitnesses claimed they saw Him (1 Cor. 15:5-8) All four gospels (written within 70 years of the event) Apostolic Fathers, church leaders following the apostles: Clement of Rome (A.D. 95) Therefore, having received orders and complete certainty caused by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and believing in the Word of God, they went with the Holy Spirit s certainty, preaching the good news. Polycarp (A.D. 110) For they did not love the present age, but him who died for our benefit and for our sake was raised by God.
Fact 2: Disciples Believed Jesus Rose from the Dead They believed it. Their transformation is strongly documented from fearful, cowering men who abandoned and denied Jesus to men who boldly and publicly proclaimed Him risen from the dead, to their own harm, persecution & martyrdom. Almost unanimous consensus among scholars to this belief Luke Acts 4 Peter and John arrested and imprisoned Acts 5 the apostles arrested and imprisoned and beaten Acts 7 Stephen, the first Christian martyr Acts 12 James, the brother of John is martyred & Peter is imprisoned The resurrection was their central message (Acts 4:2, 33).
Fact 2: Disciples Believed Jesus Rose from the Dead They believed it. Almost unanimous consensus among scholars to this belief Ignatius (A.D. 110) And when [Jesus] came to those with Peter, he said to them, Take, handle me and see that I am not a bodiless demon . And immediately they handled him and believed, having known his flesh and blood. Because of this they also despised death; but beyond death they were found. Tertullian (prior to 200) That Paul is beheaded has been written in their own blood. And if a heretic wishes his confidence to rest upon a public record, the archives of the empire will speak, as would the stones of Jerusalem Then is Peter girt by another, when he is made fast to the cross.
Fact 2: Disciples Believed Jesus Rose from the Dead They believed it. Almost unanimous consensus among scholars to this belief Origen (185-254) The disciples devotion to the teachings of Jesus was attended with danger to human life [and that they] themselves were the first to manifest their disregard for its [i.e., death s] terrors. Jesus, who has both once risen Himself, and led His disciples to believe in His resurrection, and so thoroughly persuaded them of its truth, that they show to all men by their sufferings how they are able to laugh at all the troubles of life, beholding the life eternal and the resurrection clearly demonstrated to them both in word and deed.
Fact 2: Disciples Believed Jesus Rose from the Dead They believed it. Almost unanimous consensus among scholars to this belief Rudolf Bultmann, a highly critical NT scholar, agreed that historical criticism establishes the fact that the first disciples came to believe in the resurrection (that they had seen the risen Jesus). Gerd Ludemann, atheistic NT scholar, concluded: It may be taken as historically certain that Peter and the disciples had experiences after Jesus death in which Jesus appeared to them as the risen Christ. Paula Fredriksen, of Boston University, commented: I know in their own terms what they saw was the raised Jesus. That s what they say and then all the historic evidence we have afterwards attest to their conviction that that s what they saw I do know that as a historian that they must have seen something.
Fact 2: Disciples Believed Jesus Rose from the Dead Criterion supported: Extensive independent sources Enemy attestation (even skeptics concede) Embarrassing admissions Eyewitness testimony Early testimony Conclusions & Implications: Their willingness to suffer and die for their testimony is: Evidence of their sincerity, that they truly believed their message Evidence they were not deliberately lying (liars make poor martyrs) Evidence that not enough time passed for this to be legend or myth
Fact 3: The Church Persecutor Saul Was Converted From worst persecutor to most influential promoter Paul s conversion is attested to in abundance His own testimony (1 Cor. 15:9-10; Gal. 1:13-16; Phil. 3:6-7) Luke recorded in Acts (9; 22; 26) Early oral tradition circulating in Judea (Gal. 1:22-23) What caused this change? Why did he willingly go from persecutor to persecuted? He firmly believed that he had experienced an encounter with the risen Lord (Acts 9, 22, 26; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:8). At the time that Paul claimed he had seen the risen Jesus, he was an enemy of Christ and His church.
Fact 3: The Church Persecutor Saul Was Converted His belief that he had seen the risen Christ was so strong he was willing to suffer continuously for the sake of the gospel, even to the point of martyrdom. This point is well documented by: Paul himself (2 Cor. 11:23-28; Phil. 1:21-23) Luke (Ac 14:19; 16:19-24; 17:5; 18:12-13; 21:27-36; 23:12-35) Clement of Rome (1 Clem 5:2-7) Polycarp (Pol. Phil 9:2) Tertullian (Scorpiace 15; also cited by Eusebius in EH 2:25:8) Dionysius of Corinth (cited by Eusebius in EH 2:25:8) Origen (Commentary on Genesis cited by Eusebius in EH 3:1)
Fact 3: The Church Persecutor Saul Was Converted Criterion supported: Extensive independent sources Enemy attestation Embarrassing admissions Eyewitness testimony Early testimony Conclusions & Implications: Paul s conversion was based on what he perceived to be a personal appearance of the risen Jesus directly to him. He did not merely believe based on the testimony of someone else.
Fact 4: The Skeptic James Was Converted The Gospels report that Jesus brothers (including James) were unbelievers during His ministry and prior to Resurrection (Mark 3:21, 31; 6:3-4; John 7:5) After the resurrection, Paul and Luke identify James as a leader in the church (Gal. 1:19; Acts 15:12-21). Hegesippus (quoted at length by Eusebius in EH 2:23) James, the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the Church in conjunction with the apostles. He has been called the Just by all from the time of our Saviour to the present day
Fact 4: The Skeptic James Was Converted Not only did James convert to Christianity, his faith was so strong he died as a martyr because of them. James martyrdom is attested by both Christian and non-Christian sources (Josephus, Hegesippus and Clement of Alexandria). Josephus: [Ananus] assembled the Sanhedrin of the judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned.
Fact 4: The Skeptic James Was Converted What caused this change? Why did he willingly go from skeptic to church leader? There were early reports of Jesus post-death appearance to His brother, James (1 Cor. 15:7). James, no doubt, firmly believed that he had experienced an encounter with the risen Lord and it changed his life.
Fact 4: The Skeptic James Was Converted Criterion supported: Extensive independent sources Enemy attestation Embarrassing admissions Eyewitness testimony Early testimony Conclusions & Implications: Another case of a skeptic converting to Christianity based on what he perceived was a personal appearance by the risen Jesus. Fallacious theories easily dismissed (ex: Twin Brother )
Undisputed Facts Jesus was murdered by crucifixion. Jesus was buried. Three days later, Jesus body went missing. There were appearances of Jesus to hundreds of people. Christ s appearance transformed His followers His appearance transformed some previous enemies & skeptics. The resurrection became the focus of His disciples teachings. His followers were so devoted they were persecuted & killed. Scholars whether atheist, agnostic or Christian who have thoroughly studied the case of the resurrection all agree to these facts. The question then is: What best explains these facts? No event of ancient history is better supported by historical evidence than the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Putting the Historical Truth to the Test When we: Follow the historical criteria used to assess credibility Use the Minimal Facts Approach We will easily conclude: There is enough REAL evidence to conclude that Jesus rose! The evidence for Jesus resurrection is extremely compelling! No plausible opposing theories exist that account for the facts! Jesus resurrection is the only plausible explanation! We must only accept the interpretation which explains ALL the facts without denying or distorting any of them!
What Does This Have to Do With Me? His resurrection was THE SIGN that Jesus promised: As THE evidence to validate His teachings As THE chief evidence of the validity of Christianity Christianity stands or falls on this one event in history! His resurrection proves Jesus & His words to be true! His resurrection declares Jesus to be: LORD Acts 2:36; Romans 1:4 JUDGE Acts 17:31 SAVIOR 1 Peter 3:21
Ensure Your Own Resurrection Unto Life Believe Jesus is God s Son Acts 16:31 Repent of your sins Acts 2:38 Confess your faith in Jesus Acts 8:36-38 Be immersed into Christ & raised with Him Rom. 6:3-4 God will wash away your sins Acts 22:16 God will add you to His church Acts 2:47 God will enroll you in Heaven Hebrews 12:23 Live faithfully until death to be raised unto life Rev. 2:10
