Again and again my mind goes back to the solid claim that Jesus rose from the dead. It's the basis of our faith. Here's why we believe it!
The Resurrection of Jesus--Truth or Tale?
Military history uses the fact of eye witnesses and good documentation of an event to establish the reliability of an act. I WANT TO SAY THAT THE SAME IS TRUE OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS! Setwyn, historian at Oxford stated that the claim of Jesus Resurrection is as valid as ancient history can make it. Kenneth Scott Lattourette of Yale, a twentieth century scholar, believed in the physical resurrection of Jesus.
RUM GOOD!
When C.S. Lewis was an agnostic, professor at Cambridge, he was entertaining a famous atheist in his apartment. The atheist was looking into the fireplace and exclaimed, "The Christian claim that Jesus rose from the dead is rum good." Shocked, Lewis reasoned that if a man who devoted himself to atheism could only say that the claim of the resurrection is good, there must be something to Christianity! As Lewis investigated the claims, he found the "hound of heaven was pursuing him." Not only was his intellectual curiosity satisfied, but he became a follower and open disciple of the Risen Jesus Christ!
SIR WILLIAM RAMSEY, FORMER AGNOSTIC WHO BECAME A CHRISTIAN AFTER RESEARCHING THE EVIDENCE.
ALSO BECAME THE "FATHER OF NEW TESTAMENT ARCHEOLOGY" IN THE 20TH CENTURY
Others have pursued the truth of Jesus resurrection and found Him by faith. These include historians, attorneys, scientists from the best backgrounds and schools. WARNING! IF YOU PURSUE THE TRUTH OF JESUS' RESURRECTION, IT MAY CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
THE LETTER!
I won't beat around the bush! There is a letter in your Bible, that is backed by 5,000 Greek copies and 5,000 early translations, by the Apostle Paul. No scholar doubts that Paul is the author of this writing. Don't be prejudiced! Just because it's found in the Bible, it is backed by more proof than any ancient document to be a letter from the Apostle Paul!
THE STARTING POINT
No matter what you hold, you base it on something! (As the great Christian thinker, Van Til pointed out.) You presuppose that logic is correct. You presuppose that what you learned is correct. That your engine in your car operates by a four-stroke cylinder compression--even if you don't have any idea what it is. You start with the belief that what the mechanics tell you, that there's an internal combustion engine in your car somehow works when you put the key in the ignition and turn it!
So Paul starts by saying we believe that Jesus rose according to the Scriptures, I Corinthians 15:4. The Bible always matches reality. It is the starting point revealing God, creation, the laws of logic etc. This miracle of a book states that Jesus rose.
THE EYEWITNESS CONFIRMATION
Paul then lists individuals who saw Jesus risen, including "five hundred brothers at one time, most of them who are still alive" v. 6. These were people Paul could produce! Not the looney kinds that "saw Elvis." People of high integrity, who were willing to die because they saw Jesus. They saw him not in a dream or hallucination, but with 499 other people. So Paul lists individuals, and this crowd, vv. 4-8. All of the Apostles who saw Jesus faced death. In fact they were all killed but John, and he was thrown into a prison camp for 18 months as an old man. As one lawyer put it, If you had 500 witnesses to a crime, who were known for their integrity, and were willing to die for what they testified, what do you think the verdict of any rational court would bring?!
That's what Chuck Colson found out. If everybody lied that Nixon knew about Watergate break in before it happened, all would be well. However, the loyalists cracked and told all. Colson went to prison! If all of those 500 + knew Jesus was really dead, they would have cracked! Not face torture, crucifixion, or being torn apart by beasts in the arena.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS?
The late James Kennedy was pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, (My mother's favorite preacher, except for me.) Kennedy declared that some believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus like they do that George Washington was the first president the United States. That's not real faith, only mental assent. You need to surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior, because he died for sinners and rose again. This is your and my pathway, Jesus is all He claimed and He must have my trust and claim on my life!
IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT JESUS IS LORD, AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR WITH THE HEART ONE BELIEVES AND IS JUSTIFIED, AND WITH THE MOUTH ONE CONFESSES AND IS SAVED,
Romans 10:9,10.
Have a wonderful "Resurrection Day"!
ROSS
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