What If The Resurrection of Jesus Christ Was Fake News?

The events surrounding Easter challenge our understanding of Jesus.

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ force every individual, (believer or non-believer), to answer;

Who do you think Jesus is? Who do you believe Jesus to be?

At some point in their life every individual will be forced to make some sort of a conclusion regarding Jesus’ identity.

This is not an irrelevant, trivial, or insignificant question.

In fact, without reservation, I will say there is no more important question any person will ever be required to answer.

Because what a person concludes now about Jesus, His identity, His nature, His purpose, His work, determines the destination and quality of their eternal existence; it will determine whether they experience, for all eternity, God’s love and blessings, or God’s righteous wrath and just condemnation.

Remember Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisee Nicodemus?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whosoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:16-18

Our seeking to properly understand Jesus’ identity forces us, especially on this Easter Sunday, to answer the question; what if Jesus is still dead?

What if Jesus’ life ended with his body being placed in a tomb and a huge stone being rolled in front of the entrance of that tomb to ensure his dead body will be preserved?

To ensure his dead body remained there until some future time when the family came to collect the dead, dry, dusty bones to place them in an ossuary.

What if the resurrection of Jesus is fake news? What if it was a lie fabricated by his disciples?

What if all there is to Easter is the Easter bunny and Easter baskets filled with candy and brightly colored Easter Eggs?

What then?

If Jesus Christ is dead, then Christianity crumbles and falls in upon itself.

Specifically, if there is no resurrection of Jesus Christ then there is no possibility of experiencing God’s forgiveness.

Thus no possibility of dwelling in eternal bliss in his kingdom in a perfect relationship of love with God.

All the way through Scripture we are told that death is the just consequence of our sin; (our immoral behavior, our self-centered lifestyle, our lying and deceit, our coveting and envying and resenting what other people have, of our idolatry)

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16–17

For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die. Ezekiel 18:4

For the wages of sin is death; Romans 6:23

Scripture is also emphatic that all have sinned, all have fallen short of the glory of God, every person has fallen short of God’s righteous standard.

We have all, each and everyone of us, sinned outwardly and inwardly.

Thus, none of us ought to be alive this morning.

Every one of us ought to have died with the very first sin we committed.

But we are not dead; because God has graciously stayed our execution.

Which means we are living on borrowed time.

None of us is guaranteed the next breath.

There is no guarantee anyone of us will wake up tomorrow morning.

No one can claim that God is treating them unfairly or unjustly, because they ought to be dead, yet they are not.

You are alive for a reason; to give you ample opportunity to repent of your sin and experience God’s mercy, and forgiveness; which has its limits.

4 do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” Romans 2:4–6

Scripture assures us that Jesus was the atoning sacrifice who died as our substitute so that legally, justly, righteously, we would be able to experience God’s forgiveness and dwell in a perfect relationship with him forever.

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood . . .Rom 3:25

Dear friends this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I John 4:10

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13–15

Jesus propitiated our sins (experienced God’s wrath for us)

Jesus was our expiation (Jesus cleansed us, he purified us he, he washed us)

How do we know Jesus effectively paid the penalty our sins deserved?

The means of our assurance is Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb.

By raising Christ from the dead, God the Father expressed his approval of Christ’s suffering and death for the believer.

By the resurrection God proclaimed Christ’s work was finished and completed, that there was no longer any penalty needing to be paid, for Jesus paid it in full.

By Jesus’ resurrection we are assured there is no longer any fear of experiencing God’s wrath and righteous condemnation for Jesus experienced it fully in place of the believer.

So if there is no resurrection, if Christ’s body is still in some tomb then his death was no more than one of many times in history of unjust suffering.

If Christ is still in the tomb then he was no different than Buddha, or Mohammad, or Ghandi, or Billy Graham; He was no more than a philosopher, or religious leader, or community organizer, or gifted social worker.

If Christ is still in the tomb you and I are still dead in our sins. We have no hope. All we have to look forward to is four score and twenty years of miserable existence in this life.

That is not my conclusion, that is the Apostle Paul’s conclusion;

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 1 Corinthians 15:17–19

Paul goes on to say the only worthwhile purpose in life, if indeed Christ has not been raised, is self-indulgence;

If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” 15:32-33

If Christ is still in a tomb there is no possibility of experiencing God’s forgiveness, no possibility of a blissful existence with God, only the certainty of eternal torment.

But because of who Jesus Christ is, and what he accomplished, we can live now with a confident assurance of a glorious future.

Because we know Jesus Christ was far more than a religious teacher or philosopher, or social worker, but was in fact the fullness of God in the flesh, the image of the invisible God, the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of God’s being, the only begotten Son of God, then we can be assured that when he, as our High Priest, entered the most Holy Place He obtained by his blood, eternal redemption for His people resulting in the cleansing of their consciences from acts that lead to death and when he returns again he will do so bringing salvation to those who are waiting for him. Heb 9

It was for this reason, to assure believers of the precious and certain hope awaiting them as the result of the resurrection of Christ, that Paul wrote the 15th chapter of I Corinthians.

The entire 15th chapter, the longest single chapter in the Pauline letters, is focused on the subject of the physical, bodily resurrection of the believer.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones view of 1 Cor 15; I do not know what you feel, but for myself . . . If that does not warm your heart and make you feel like rising to your feet to praise God and to worship Him, then I confess I do not understand you.[1]

A subject Paul is convinced is of first-importance because it is the guarantee of God’s forgiveness and our eternal inheritance; it is a non-negotiable.

There can be no wavering, no compromise, no difference of interpretations. If you and I are to enjoy fellowship as brothers and sister in Christ, then we both must hold firmly to the truths in this chapter.

This is what Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 15:1-4

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I passed on to you as of first importance (protos; most important, priority): that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised [ἐγείρω egeirō, Per Pass Indc; to make live again] on the third day according to the Scriptures. . . 1 Cor. 15:1-4

Paul regards Christ’s resurrection as being of such importance that he refers to those who witnessed, at various times, the resurrected Christ, in case anyone should doubt its veracity.

5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 1 Corinthians 15:5–8

Having established the veracity of Christ’s resurrection he now addresses its practical benefit in the life of the believer.

Paul states Christ’s resurrection from the grave is the pattern, the model of what will happen to every believer.

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him . . .the last enemy to be destroyed is death 1 Corinthians 15:20–23, 26

Paul then answers the question on every person’s mind; What type of body will we have

35 But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 1 Corinthians 15:35–42

Paul then states why such a change is necessary.

This perishable physical body that grows old and is prone to disease and infection must be changed because it is not fit for eternal life in God’s kingdom.

50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 1 Corinthians 15:50–51

Paul tells us this physical body is not able, it is not equipped, it is not sufficient for eternal life in God’s kingdom. So, if we are to enjoy life in God’s presence, in His perfect kingdom, for all eternity, something has to happen to our physical bodies. They must be changed, they must properly equipped and prepared for such existence. In fact this is exactly what Paul says will happen in 1 Cor. 15:51-52, “We shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

So when and how will this change take place?

52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:52–53

The resurrection enables every believer to live victoriously in the present and face an uncertain future without fear.

When faith is grounded in the promise of the physical resurrection of your body, when you are certain about what happens after die, you are freed to live so God is glorified in and through you. You are freed to serve Him sacrificially through ministry in word and deed to those around you.

You do not have to fear the certainty of death.

Although death is inevitable, the believer anticipates being delivered from its power.[2]

54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:54–55

the resurrection body will be incorruptible. ‘It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.’ When I have received this resurrection body I shall no longer be subject to disease; I shall no longer be subject to age; I shall no longer be subject to death. My body will never decay, it will never change in any way. This body is corruptible; that body will be incorruptible.

A dwarf I knew would weep for joy at the thought of the body God has in store for him on resurrection day, and when I think of other Christians known to me who in one way or another are physical wrecks—deformed, decaying, crippled, hormonally unbalanced, or otherwise handicapped—I can weep too for this particular element of joy that will be theirs—and yours and mine—when that day dawns. Packer, Affirming the Apostle Creed, 140.

The only way Christ’s resurrection does anyone any good is by their personally trusting it, by confessing with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in their heart that God raised from the dead.

[1] Lloyd-Jones, D. M. (1998). The church and the last things (p. 231). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

[2] Erickson, M. J. (2013). Christian Theology (3rd ed., p. 1096). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.