The Apostles Creed #6

A Defense of the Resurrection

Prophetic Statements

1 Corinthians 15:4 NKJV

4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

Paul here says, “According to the Scriptures...” The thing is, there isn’t one specific verse that says that. Instead, Paul is arguing that the thrust of the Old Testament speaks of a resurrection of three days. Let me give you some examples from a work by Mitch Chase

In Genesis 22, Abraham and Isaac traveled to a mountain where Abraham was to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. But on “the third day,” when they arrived at the mountain, Isaac was delivered from death (Gen. 22:9, 12).

In Genesis 42, Joseph’s brothers had gone to see him in Egypt (to get food) without realizing he was their brother. At one point Joseph put his brothers in custody for three days and on the third day released them (Gen. 42:17-18)

In Exodus 19, the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai, and God met Moses on the third day (Exod. 19:11). The danger of the Lord’s presence and the threat of death were clear: “Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death” (Exod. 19:12). On the “third day” the Lord descended upon Sinai in glory and power, and the people did not perish.

Getting ready for the conquest, Joshua told the officers, “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess’” (Josh. 1:11). And after “three days” the officers went through the camp to rally the people (Josh. 3:2).

In the book of Hosea, the prophet reported the words of the people who spoke of what God would do: “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up” (Hos. 6:2).

In the book of Jonah, the prophet was in the belly of the great fish for three days and nights before being delivered (Jonah 1:17; 2:10).

When King Hezekiah was sick, he asked the Lord to be spared from death. The word of the Lord came to him: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD” (2 Kgs. 20:5).

Not only is this a theme of the Old Testament, but Jesus Himself prophesies His death and resurrection multiple times. Matthew 16:21

Matthew 16:21 NKJV

21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.

Early Accounts of the Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:3-7 is an early account of the resurrection. According to scholar James Dunn, we can be entirely confident that it was recorded months after the resurrection of Christ.

Not only this, but the gospels, according to Lee Strobel, contain accounts all within a generation of the death of Christ.

Eyewitness Accounts of the Resurrected Christ

In 1 Corinthians 15:6, Paul says,

1 Corinthians 15:5–8 NKJV

5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

So, Paul says that Peter, or Cephas, saw Jesus. The other twelve saw Jesus, among the twelve is Thomas who seriously doubted and said that he wouldn’t believe unless he saw Jesus for Himself and ended up seeing Christ and proclaiming, “My Lord and My God.”

Then, Paul says that Jesus appeared before 500 people and says that most of them were still alive if the readers of the letter wanted to go ask them! Now, nonbelievers often state that this can be chocked up to some hallucination due to insanity, or heart break but one psychologist, according to Strobel, stated that mass delirium of that amount would be a bigger miracle than them all seeing Jesus Himself. Or, to put it plainly, that would not happen. You could not convince that many people to fabricate such an event given that they had nothing to gain from lying.

Next Paul says that James, the half-brother of Jesus saw Him. Interestingly enough, James did not believe on the Lord while Jesus was on the Earth, but when Christ resurrection, He appeared to James and James believed.

Lastly, Paul says that he saw Jesus for himself. Paul certainly had nothing to gain by lying and converting to a false religion if this wasn’t real. Paul was well known, successful, and a zealous persecutor of Christians.

Extra Biblical Accounts

Not only are there biblical accounts, but we have sources outside of the Bible, like:

Tacitus who reporting on Emperor Nero's decision to blame the Christians for the fire that had destroyed Rome in A.D. 64, wrote:

Nero fastened the guilt ... on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of ... Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome.... (Tacitus, Annals 15.44, cited in Strobel, The Case for Christ, 82.)

Notice that statement, “Mischievous superstition…” That would be in reference to the early Church.

Another would be Pliny the Younger. Pliny the Younger was a governor and we find him mentioning Christ and early church in a letter to Emperor Trajan as he is asking for wisdom on how to deal with the Christians. He wrote,

They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food – but food of an ordinary and innocent kind. (Pliny, Letters, transl. by William Melmoth, rev. by W.M.L. Hutchinson (Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1935), vol. II, X:96, cited in Habermas, The Historical Jesus, 199.)

Notice, Pliny is writing as though these Christians are reverencing a historic man named Jesus to actually be God.

Another, perhaps the most significant, is Josephus. A Jewish Historian who lived in the first century. He wrote,

About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he ... wrought surprising feats.... He was the Christ. When Pilate ...condemned him to be crucified, those who had . . . come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared ... restored to life.... And the tribe of Christians ... has ... not disappeared. (Josephus, Antiquities 18.63-64)

And there are others like Lucian and even the Babylonian Talmud.

What Accounts for the Early Churches Birth and the Changed Lives of the Apostles?

The Delightful Doctrine of the Resurrection

So, now that we know what the resurrection is and have looked at a few arguments as to why it is true. We need to ask ourselves why it is so important to us who believe in Christ and what it means for us who believe.

It Means We Are No Longer In Our Sins

1 Corinthians 15:17 NKJV

17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

The Heidelberg Catechism says, “First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, so that He might make us share in the righteousness He won for us by His death.” This is also seen in Romans 4:25 which says,

Romans 4:25 NKJV

25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

Cornelius P. Venema says, “By His crucifixion, death, and burial, Christ paid the wages of sin for us. By His resurrection, the sufficiency of this payment is declared.”

Because Jesus is alive, we know that God’s wrath has been satisfied, death and sin have been conquered, and we are made right with God. Romans 8:31-34

Romans 8:31–34 NKJV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

What Paul is arguing here is that we stand now as a blameless people solely because of God’s gracious work on our behalf. We are free, free from condemnation and separation and not only that, we have a relationship with God because Jesus stands at the right hand of God and pleads for us. But this isn’t all, in Romans 6, we will find our next point which is:

It Means We Can Walk In Newness of Life

Romans 6:1–14 NKJV

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

What we are being told here is that all of us who have been united with Christ by believing on Him, are now equipped to share in His victory over sin and death (Venema, 77). Because Christ died for you and you are hidden in Christ, it is as though you have died to sin. And since Christ has risen from the dead, and since you are hidden in Christ, it is as though you have risen to new life. And because He has done this we don’t have to be conquered in our sin, we don’t have to roll over and get beat up. We don’t have to obey all of those temptations that we have. Why? Because we are in Christ, and we won for us. So live in that birthright that He won for you and declare war on your sin. Yes, you will fail, but His grace is sufficient even in your weakness.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

It Means I Have Hope In The Face of Death

1 Corinthians 15:20–23 NKJV

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

Because Jesus has risen from the dead, I can attend funerals with hope knowing that those cold, still bodies will one day be renewed. I can live with hope knowing that as I age and my body reminds me that it’s not going to live forever, that though it may die, one day it will raise to die no more.

It Means Christ Is True In Everything He Said

All throughout the Gospel’s Christ eludes to Himself as the Son of Man from Daniel 7 that will rise to reign at the right hand of the Father. He also states that He will be the temple torn down yet will rise again in 3 days. Well, Romans 1:3-4 seems to indicate that the resurrection is a vindicating work that declares to the world, “Jesus is right and true in everything He said.”

Romans 1:3–4 NKJV

3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Whenever my faith gets weak, and I falter, I just recall the victory that Christ has. Yes, I fail, but He doesn’t. Yes, my grip of Him slips, but He’s got a tight grip on me. For me, whenever I grow weak, I remember the resurrection. It is in that, that my faith is strengthened to walk on. Why? Because since that event really happened, I am a child of the victorious, loving, strong and true King of Kings and Lord of Lords.