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Resurrection of Christ.
The apostle Paul makes it clear in his first letter to the Corinthians: 'But if there is no resurrection of the dead,
then not even Christ is not risen; And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty;
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are all me the most pitiable'. (1 Cor. 15:13-14, 19). (NKJV)
In fact, the New Testament insists that belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ is a necessary condition of the Christian
faith. No one can be saved apart from it. This insistence is found in Romans 10:9-10: 'that if you confess with your mouth
the Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved for with the heart one believes
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation'. (NKJV)
The truth of the matter.
Did Christ actually die on the Cross?
The nature of the whipping Jesus received before being nailed to the cross would have been enough by itself to send him
into deep shock. The whip - braided leather thongs was interwoven with metal balls and laced with sharp pieces of bone, wielded
by the Roman soldiers would have broken and cut the skin to pieces, penetrating to the bone. Jesus was in such a critical
condition, that he collapsed while carrying his crossbar to Calvary, forcing the governor's soldiers to recruit Simon to carry
it for him (Mat. 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). Given the brutality of the beating stated above, he would have needed months,
to recover. Surely a man in this state would not stir the disciples, frightened and scattered after Jesus' capture, to preach
his resurrection with a boldness and courage that often endangered their own lives! TRUTH! It did inspire them!
Was Christ's tomb really empty?
One of the undisputed details of the resurrection is that the tomb was indeed empty. TRUTH! Paul also banks on the empty
tomb in 1 Corinthians 15:6, when he mentions Jesus' appearance to the 500, "..greater part remain to the present".
Since the eyewitnesses were still alive, it would have been foolish for him to make such a bold statement without confidence
in its accuracy.
Did Christ appear after his death?
Biblical testimony of Christ's independent appearances to over 500 different individuals after his resurrection is recorded
in the last part of the Gospels in Acts 1:1-9. The resurrection accounts as many as 12 different appearances of Christ ending
with the apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-6). These appearances were physical and tangible in nature, as shown by Christ's actions.
THE TRUTH!
1. Jesus ate with the disciples and suggested they touch
his side and his hands (John 20:24-31)
2. Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts
9:1-6)
3. Jesus appears to Mary and the Disciples (John 20) These
are only a few appearances that have come to my mind.
So where do we go from here?
Jesus said, 'I am the ressurection and the life he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever
lives and believes in me shall never die'.
On a personal Note:
I have encountered the physical appearance of Christ twice in my life. Once when I was 4 years old and then only 15 years
ago. However, I know that He lives and lives in me and I am proud of it. He has set me free from my past, worldly bondages,
and sin no longer controls me. It is hard to explain how you feel you just know that it is all so real. Try it for yourself.
Get a Life! Why not give Jesus a go!
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