Summary:
The resurrection of Jesus is often said to be the make or break for Christianity and the Bible. That is because His death and resurrection are the path to unconditional love of God. Like a loving parent dealing with child going astray, the parent is not asking the child to earn their way into their love. They are asking for the child to trust their love and wisdom. Jesus’ death shows that the problem is serious and not to be brushed off. The resurrection shows the answer is in trusting a parent that has unconditional love for His children. Rewards and consequences happen as they should, but all is in the context of unconditional love.
A little more:
The resurrection is not only an amazing claim, it is packed with implications:
- It would validate that Jesus was God. No other faith system claims their founder to actually be God. Islam claims Mohammad to be a prophet. Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. claim their foundation in the words of messengers (prophets) of God. Jesus claimed to actually be God.
- It would be actual clearly fulfilled prophesy. Many faith systems have vaguely worded prophesies that are not time constrained and so can be easily “interpreted” as fulfilled in events after the fact. Jesus’ resurrection was predicted with a timeline 400 years before it happened. Jesus also told people that He would die and rise again. That has never been done by any other faith system icon.
- It remedies the one question we all need to answer, “Will I go to Heaven?” Anyone who bases their answer on their own efforts is on shaky ground because that would come down to who is measuring how good you are and according what standards. That seems like it might be simple until you recognize the variety of cultural contexts around the world. What is right/wrong in one culture, can be quite different in another culture. Christ’s death clearly and completely resolves the issue.
There are many ways to attempt to avoid/reject the resurrection. Among them:
- Saying that you don’t have the time or energy to worry about such things. There is a God and that the God of the Bible lets you know that you better not take that approach. That would be like saying I don’t have the time or energy to look into this cancer I have been told I have.
- Trying to deny what the Bible says about it. Over the ages, people have tried deny what the Bible says happened. If you have not seen the movie “The Case for Christ” with Lee Strobel, it is based on his actual attempt as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, who was a strong atheist, to disprove the resurrection and the fact finding journey he took. That would be a good tool to clarify that issue. Denying the claims of the Bible about what happened and how just doesn’t work when you look at the facts.
- Claiming that there are many ways to God (many religions) and any of them are fine. Read the FAQ on don’t all religions lead to God? You will see that cannot be true because they actually contradict each other.
Bible references:
- 1 Corinthians 15:5–8: and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
- John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
- Mat 28:5-6: But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
- 1 Corinthians 15:17: And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!