The Resurrection

Historical Evidence

Intro:

Honor to study the doctrine that our faith hinges on

How is this different from the cross: It is a historical event that if it is true proves our faith to be valid

Mark 15:42–16:8 ESV

42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. 1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

“The resurrection of Christ is therefore emphatically a test question upon which depends the truth or falsehood of the Christian religion. It is either the greatest miracle or the greatest delusion which history records.” - Philip Schaff (HCC, 173)

Fraud Proof Details

Joseph of Arimathea

Women Witnesses

Verifiable Details: (If I were trying to scam you)

Hinges on Public Event

Population in Jerusalem 2 million +

Publically recorded account from non Christian sources

Joseph of Arimathea: Sanhedrin

Detail that would not have been made up because of Christian feelings towards Jewish leaders

Very public character

Site of burial would have been easy to find

Sealed with a Stone

Required several men to move

Roman Guard

Empty Tomb

When therefore the disciples began to preach the resurrection in Jerusalem and people responded, and when religious authorities stood helplessly by, the tomb must have been empty. The simple fact that the Christian fellowship, founded on belief in Jesus’ resurrection, came into existence and flourished in the very city where he was executed and buried is powerful evidence for the historicity of the empty tomb. (Craig, DJRD, as cited in Wilkins, JUF, 151-52)

500 eyewitnesses

1 Corinthians 15:3–7 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Change of the disciples

Awkward Silence of the Jewish Unbelievers

Exposition of 1 Corinthians 15:

Context: Many people in the ancient Greco-Roman world believed that death extinguished life completely or led to a permanent but shadowy and insubstantial existence in the underworld. The concept of a physical, embodied existence after death was known mainly from popular fables and was thought laughable by the educated.

Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2213.

If the dead will not be raised, that Christ was not raised

If Christ is not raised, then our faith is worthless

Christ has been raised

Life is in Christ

Because Christ was raised, He rules

This is why we suffer

Wake Up

Truths from this section

Our only hope is that Jesus rose from the dead

Our eternal life is based on the fact that Jesus rose from the dead

Our reason for righteous and sacrificial living is because Jesus rose from the dead

Our victory in Christ only happens because Jesus rose from the dead

Theology of the Resurrection

Regeneration

1 Peter 1:3 NASB95

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Justification

Romans 4:25 NASB95

25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.