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Evidence for the Resurrection: Part 1 of 3
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“If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain…If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.”1 Corinthians 15:14, 19-20
The miracle of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead is the central historical claim at the heart of Christianity. Some people have claimed that there is no good evidence that Jesus rose from the dead; but in fact, the Resurrection explains the evidence we have better than any other hypothesis.
The central facts of the case are that Jesus 1) died, 2) rose from the dead, and 3) ascended into heaven. This week, we’re taking a look at the evidence for Jesus’ death. Some people claim that Jesus didn’t die on the cross, but merely passed out or fainted. It seems nearly impossible for Jesus to have survived being beaten, scourged, crowned with thorns, asphyxiated and exsanguinated on the cross, and then pierced through the heart with a spear. But even if he did survive all of that, this hypothesis doesn’t explain how he would have been able to roll away the stone and escape the tomb, let alone ascend into heaven in the sight of the apostles.
Next week, we’ll explore the arguments for and against his Resurrection and the subsequent appearances he made to the apostles.
