Christianity is based on the event of Jesus’ resurrection. Without Jesus’ resurrection, there is no Christianity. The apostle Paul told the followers of Jesus in the city of Corinth that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, their faith was in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Paul proclaimed the object of their Christian faith was a person – Jesus.
Paul also declared the truth of Christianity was found in an event – Jesus’ resurrection.
Paul taught them that the truth was inseparable from their faith. Either Jesus was the person He claimed to be (God, the Son) and Jesus resurrected from the dead, or Jesus was not God and never resurrected. Paul invited the people of Corinth to evaluate if Christianity was true by examining the person, Jesus, and the event, His resurrection.
I’d like you to join me on a journey to evaluate Christianity’s truthfulness by examining the person, Jesus, and the event, His resurrection.
Together, we will discover that:
- Jesus predicted His death and resurrection before it happened.
- Jesus died, and soldiers confirmed His death and gave His body to Joseph Arimathea.
- Jesus was buried in a tomb at a known location, and multiple people were present for His burial.
- Jesus rose from the dead. His tomb was empty.
- The resurrected Jesus appeared to many people.
- Jesus’ followers established and circulated information about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection within a year or two of the events.
- Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus was his introduction to the resurrected Jesus.
- Paul verified the trustworthiness of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection from Christians in Damascus (within two years of the events), and traveled to Jerusalem to question Peter, Jesus’ disciple, and James, Jesus’ half-brother, three years later.
- Paul traveled and proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection within five years of the event. Paul taught early Christians through his preaching and his letters that Jesus is God and Jesus did resurrect from the dead.
Jesus’ resurrection is important to Christianity because Jesus’ resurrection is the foundation of Christian belief.
The object of your Christian faith is a person – Jesus.
The truth of Christianity is found in an event – Jesus’ resurrection.
Jesus’ resurrection represents historical evidence that confirms Jesus’ identity (Jesus is God) and fulfills Jesus’ trustworthiness and power (Jesus completes what He says He will do). Jesus overcame death and is alive to give life to those who believe in Him.
The bottom line: Jesus’ resurrection is either true, or it is not. If Jesus is not alive, then He never resurrected from the dead, and you have no forgiveness of sin, you have no offer of eternal life, and you have no truth to share.
However, based on the evidence that I plan to share with you in this blog series, I fully believe that Jesus’ resurrection is true. I want to share why Jesus’ resurrection is the foundational event establishing Christianity. I want to help you answer the question,
“How can I be certain that a relationship with God is possible – that Christianity is true?”
The simple answer? Because you have a person (Jesus), who has been raised from the dead by God. This historical event (Jesus’ resurrection) is the basis for your belief that God exists and has made a way for you to be in a relationship with Him. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, you can know God and live with Him forever.
“For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son [Jesus] and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40
God promises all who believe in Jesus that they will have eternal life with Him. He will resurrect them to be with Him forever because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Since Christianity is based on the historical event of Jesus’ resurrection, you have reasons to believe Christianity is true. But did anyone know about Jesus’ resurrection BEFORE it happened?
Click below to continue exploring answers in our series about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
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