Why The Resurrection Matters

The physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is not simply a doctrine or tenet of the Christian Faith. It IS the Christian Faith.

The Primary Thread

The entirety of the Christian Worldview hinges solely on the fact of the resurrection. In his first letter to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul tells us that, "if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." And also, "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied."

Continuing to the Corinthians, he reinforces the foundation truth of the Gospel, saying, "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power."

The entirety of Christianity is affirmed or invalidated upon this single event. If it did not happen, then all Christians are hopeless. As Paul stated, "we are of all people most to be pitied." But, if the resurrection is true, then everything Jesus claimed about Himself is true.

For over 2000 years, skeptics have sought to sever the vital and foundational thread of the Faith, the resurrection. And for all of that time, they have been unable to adequately and decisively disprove the resurrection event by which all of Christianity rests. Why is this so? To squash Christianity, detractors need simply to disprove this single outlandish, miraculous, scandalous event to which people are already predisposed to doubt - after all, who has ever seen someone come back from the dead? Easy to disprove, right? Turns out, not so much.

Despite two millennia of skeptics' efforts, Christianity has grown from a small 1st-century scorned Jewish sect to become the world's largest worldview, claiming 2.38 billion followers. How do we explain this growth if the primary component of the Faith can easily be proven false? Because the truth is that the claim of the resurrection rests on compelling evidence. Let's explore the minimal facts.

Minimal Facts Of The Resurrection

Fact #1 - Jesus died by crucifixion

Jesus' execution by crucifixion is corroborated by the unanimous distinct accounts within the Gospel narratives and validated by the attestations of several independent, early, and even adversarial sources. These sources include the works of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, the Roman historian Tacitus, and the Greek satirist Lucian of Samosata. Josephus, for instance, recounts that Pilate, upon recommendation from notable Jewish figures, sentenced Jesus to die on the cross.

Fact #2 - Jesus' tomb was found empty

Both the Romans and the Jewish leaders had a vested interest in immediately squashing claims of Jesus' resurrection. Despite this, the authorities failed to produce Jesus' body, leaving their only counterclaim to be that the disciples stole it, which ironically affirms that the tomb was, in fact, empty.

Moreover, the gospels' unanimous mention of Joseph of Arimathea's role in Jesus' burial and identifying women as the first witnesses to the empty tomb add layers of authenticity. In that cultural setting, if you want to fabricate a story to convince contemporary skeptics - you would not use women as primary witnesses.

Fact #3 - The post-resurrection appearances

The followers of Jesus changed profoundly after His resurrection. During and after His execution, we see the disciples fearstruck, hiding from the authorities. Then they claim to see a bodily resurrected Jesus, and they suddenly become brave, bold, and willing to die for this belief.

This belief is supported by eleven early sources detailing the apostles' sacrifices, including the stoning of Jesus' brother James and the beheading of Paul under Nero. People might die for beliefs they think are true, but they don't willingly die for what they know is false, highlighting the sincerity of the apostles.

Fact #4 - The origin and rapid growth of the Christian Faith

The rapid expansion of Christianity from first-century Israel across Europe, Africa, and Asia within just a generation after Christ's death demands an explanation. Because of the resurrection, the Apostles were endowed with power, performing miracles as proof of Jesus' resurrection and a redemptive plan for humanity.

If one rejects the resurrection, alternative explanations fall short. Christianity couldn't have stemmed from Christian sources, as it was not yet founded. Equally implausible is the notion that Jewish or pagan beliefs inspired the disciples' faith in the resurrection. The Jewish expectation of a resurrection was a collective, end-of-world event, not the resurrection of an individual within history.