The Fact of the Resurrection.
The Fact of the Resurrection.
"By God's power God raised the Lord Jesus from death. And God will also raise us from death" (1 Corinthians 6:14).
Upon that great fact hangs the entire salvation plan of God. Without Christ rising from the dead there could be no salvation. Christ predicted many times he would rise from the dead. Once he said, "Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:40). And as he predicted, he rose!
There are certain laws of evidence which hold in proving any historic event. There must be written records of the event made by reliable witnesses. There is more proof that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived or that Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three. It is strange that historians will accept thousands of facts for which they can produce only shreds of proof. But in the face of the overwhelming proof of Jesus Christ rising from the dead, they cast a doubtful eye. The trouble with these people is that they do not want to believe. Their spiritual vision is so blinded and they are so completely one-sided that they cannot accept the fact of Christ rising from the dead on what the Bible says.
Christ rising from the dead meant, first, that he was God. He was what he claimed to be. Christ was God in the flesh.
Second, it meant that God had accepted His work on the cross, which was necessary to our salvation. "Jesus was given to die for our sins. And he was raised from death to make us right with God" (Romans 4:25).
Third, it assures mankind of a fair judgment. "One man (Adam) disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man (Christ) obeyed God and many will be made right" (Romans 5:19).
Fourth, we know our bodies will be raised in end times. "But Christ has truly been raised from death - the first one and proof that those who are asleep in death will also be raised" (1 Corinthians 15:20). Scripture teaches that as Christians, our bodies may go to the grave but they are going to be raised on the great resurrection morning. He says, "I am the One who lives, I was dead, but look: I am alive forever and ever!" (Revelation 1:18). And Christ promises that "Because I live, you will live also."
Billy Graham (1918-2018)
"By God's power God raised the Lord Jesus from death. And God will also raise us from death" (1 Corinthians 6:14).
Upon that great fact hangs the entire salvation plan of God. Without Christ rising from the dead there could be no salvation. Christ predicted many times he would rise from the dead. Once he said, "Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:40). And as he predicted, he rose!
There are certain laws of evidence which hold in proving any historic event. There must be written records of the event made by reliable witnesses. There is more proof that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived or that Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three. It is strange that historians will accept thousands of facts for which they can produce only shreds of proof. But in the face of the overwhelming proof of Jesus Christ rising from the dead, they cast a doubtful eye. The trouble with these people is that they do not want to believe. Their spiritual vision is so blinded and they are so completely one-sided that they cannot accept the fact of Christ rising from the dead on what the Bible says.
Christ rising from the dead meant, first, that he was God. He was what he claimed to be. Christ was God in the flesh.
Second, it meant that God had accepted His work on the cross, which was necessary to our salvation. "Jesus was given to die for our sins. And he was raised from death to make us right with God" (Romans 4:25).
Third, it assures mankind of a fair judgment. "One man (Adam) disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man (Christ) obeyed God and many will be made right" (Romans 5:19).
Fourth, we know our bodies will be raised in end times. "But Christ has truly been raised from death - the first one and proof that those who are asleep in death will also be raised" (1 Corinthians 15:20). Scripture teaches that as Christians, our bodies may go to the grave but they are going to be raised on the great resurrection morning. He says, "I am the One who lives, I was dead, but look: I am alive forever and ever!" (Revelation 1:18). And Christ promises that "Because I live, you will live also."
Billy Graham (1918-2018)