Now someone might ask, "What's so important about Jesus being without sin?" I would certainly agree that these early manuscripts provide us with a fairly good idea of what the original form of the New Testament writings might have looked like. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the undeniable centering point of Christianity, the defining doctrine of our faith, and the most audacious claim in the history of the world: a God-Man, sent. It is unclear why Joseph would not have corrected the error of the disciples by simply showing them where he had moved the body of Jesus. The harvest of humanity for eternal life could begin. In the critical literature, I found over 20 reasons to believe in an empty tomb, over 20. As those who are raised in Christ, we are to live as risen people. 19:2)! Many have died as martyrs defending their causes or their gods. The New Testament is an empty tomb, no tomb. In other words, the sightings of the risen Jesus are not nearly as unique as Strobel would suggest. This hypothesis is not commonly held in modern scholarship for several reasons: The second hypothesis attempting to explain away the resurrection is the apparent death hypothesis. So this morning I won't delve into this familiar material, instead I'd like to pursue the reasons why Jesus had to resurrect. Have you noticed what they do? But no one has managed to come back from the dead (not just an incident where they were clinically dead for a few moments while their hearts stopped). This, in a very brief summary, is the story of Jesus' resurrection as it was recorded by the eyewitnesses and preserved in the New Testament for our instruction and edification. What Is the Thorn in the Flesh Paul References in 2 Corinthians 12:7? How was the tomb again? A third good reason is again, critics look for different sources, different, you know, two heads are better than one. It's empty. Why did Jesus choose Mary Magdalene to be the first preacher of the Gospel, the "good news" of his resurrection? First, Jesus was crucifiednailed to a cross to diebecause. Jesus - resurrection - The nature of God and Jesus in - BBC This view says Jesus was not completely dead when he was removed from the cross. There's not a single man in the original trip to the tomb. Some churches use seven different speakers, and each person covers one saying. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Corinthians 15:20-22 ESV). In the Church of Christ we have no "special" services for religious holidays like Easter but the fact that Easter Sunday is celebrated by many seems to motivate people to make an extra effort to be at church service at this time. The origin of Christianity rests solely on the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Why It Matters That Jesus Really Did Rise From the Dead - The New York Among the fundamental doctrines of the Bible listed in Hebrews 6:1-2 is the "resurrection of the dead." Where do we find the first glimpse into the three-day significance? He appeared to over 500 of His disciples over a period of 40 days and then, as His Apostles watched in wonder, He ascended into heaven promising them that one day He would returns. For example, Bart Ehrman, a prominent New Testament scholar who is outspoken about his agnosticism, states: What is certain is that the earliest followers of Jesus believed that Jesus had come back to life, in the body, and that this was a body that had real bodily characteristics: It could be seen and touched, and it had a voice that could be heard.. Then also those who have fallen asleep [died] in Christ have perished. Jesus and the New Testament authors are drawing from a consistent third-day design pattern found in the Hebrew Scriptures. For centuries, the Christian Church has celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ on a Sundaythree days after remembering his death on Good Friday. BBC - Religions - Christianity: Why did Jesus die? Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Resurrection Chapel mural at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The Case for Christ: A Journalists Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus., a motion picture adaptation of The Case for Christ. Yet the two biblical scholars who feature in the movie, Gary Habermas and William Lane Craig, both teach at institutions (Liberty University and Biola University, respectively) that require their faculty to sign statements affirming that they believe the Bible is inspired by God and is free of any contradictions, historical inaccuracies or moral failings. First, this theory does not explain the post-resurrection appearances, and it is spurious to think that such a simple mistake would have led a first-century Jew to think a resurrection had happened. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! The movie claims that its central focus is on the evidence for the historicity of Jesus resurrection. And in this case, at least the beginning till the disciples go there and who knows who else, that's all we have. At Easter, the Son of God took on the worlds sin and defeated the devil, death, and grave. Many things influence how someone views the evidence including, for instance, whether he or she has an anti-supernatural bias.. Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, that You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, that You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! In the third day events of Genesis 1, there are three important aspects which become a design pattern. PrivacyPolicyTerms ofUse. We rose with Him and that has massive implications. Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 15, reminding us that "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" ( vv. However, just because the tomb of Jesus Christ was empty does not necessarily mean the resurrection happened. Although we can't know what it will be like to be a spirit being, the Scriptures assure us that this is our destiny (1 John 3:2). But critics are convinced, at least if you go by the times they mentioned it most, that the best reason to believe in the empty tomb is because the women are reported as witnesses. The tomb was empty.". The "Seed" of the woman would bruise Satan's head, or permanently put an end to his influence over mankind, and Satan would "bruise His heel": instigate Christ's crucifixion. Before the resurrection of one young girl, He comforted those who were grieving by saying, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping" (Luke 8:52). Some scholars would question how early the empty tomb story is. Now, imagine if they showed this 500lb. Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 15, reminding us that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (vv. Some texts tell us that Jesus predicted he would rise " after three days.". Everything is different because He has done so. Unless there is a resurrection of the dead, there is no such thing as eternal life. Indeed, many New Testament scholars would not dispute that some of Jesus followers believed they had seen him alive only weeks or months after his death. At the crucifixion, Satan must have thought he dealt the final and decisive blow in this age-old war. Therefore, it is possible that a belief in Jesus resurrection emerged first, and that the empty tomb story originated only when early critics of Christianity doubted the veracity of this claim. New books and television media regularly appear questioning the resurrection, re-hashing old theories about what happened to Jesus body. He does this in order to argue that we can be quite sure that the original forms of the New Testament writings have been transmitted accurately. A Summary and Analysis of the Raising of Lazarus What is the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Matthew 28:11 speaks of a myth that was spread among the Jews concerning the body of Christ. In keeping with the pattern, this return to the covenant means a renewing of life, a resurrection as a people into the life of Yahweh, all of which will be brought about on the third day. Many have begun religious movements with millions of followers. More Resurrection. Now if I were to ask, "What proof do you have that He is divine, or that He is the Messiah, the Son of God?," what would your answer be then? Death lost its grip on Jesus! But there's an inverse relation between how important the subject matter was and whether you would use women witnesses. We're to close ourselves now in this risen life that we've been given in Jesus. We are destined to be a part of God's family, to be spirit, as He is spirit. As the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist John Updike once said, Make no mistake: if He rose at allit was as His body;if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the moleculesreknit, the amino acids rekindle,the Church will fall.[4]. (I estimate there are somewhere around 10,000 professional biblical scholars globally.). With biblical understanding, Job's words become clear. The Bible clearly reveals that certain Old Testament personalities knew of this hope. As noted in the minimal facts, James, the brother of Jesus, was changed from a skeptic to a believer because of the . Paramount among these was the historicity of Jesus resurrection, but other claims included the belief in Jesus as the literal Son of God and the accuracy of the New Testament writings. The Jews differed from other people in the ancient world because they believed that there was only one God. God establishes his covenant with the creatures he has newly createdin this case, humans (Gen. 1:28-29). What is left is to decide what each of us will do with the resurrection of Jesus: If that is you, then I encourage you to believe again, be restored to Jesus through prayer and be filled with the hope and joy that comes with the knowledge that no matter what happens in this life, the resurrection is coming. The risen Jesus wasnt a phantom or ghost, but a breakfast-eating, flesh-and-bone, human being (see Luke 24:36-43 andJohn 21:10-14). If Jesus had not been resurrected, we would have no hope of living forever. He could have risen one day, two days, or even four days after his death and the resurrection would still be historically valid according to eyewitnesses. That Jesus was without sin was important because in order to make a sacrifice good enough to remove all of our sins, that sacrifice, that life offered had to be perfect, had to be without a single sin. As we trust in Jesus, we are united to him by faith. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). They live more in this world and forget that death is coming and resurrection will be an important issue. What Is the Meaning and Significance of 'It Is Finished'? Jesus' Words And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man" (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). Jesus' Resurrection means that his sacrificial death on the cross was sufficient, and therefore our sins can be forgiven. There are at least three reasons: The displaced body hypothesis says Joseph of Arimathea placed Jesus body in his own tomb, but later moved it to the criminals graveyard. For centuries, the Christian Church has celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ on a Sundaythree days after remembering his death on Good Friday. These witnesses to the resurrected Jesus include the Apostle Peter, James the brother of Jesus, and, most intriguingly, a group of more than 500 people at the same time. The resurrection of Jesus (Biblical Greek: ) is the Christian belief that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, starting - or restoring - his exalted life as Christ and Lord. All rights reserved. So as to affect us in terms of our holiness, we are to be what we are. In his characterization, secular scholars simply refuse to believe that miracles can happen, and that stance means that they will never accept the historicity of the resurrection, no matter how much evidence is provided.