He is Risen!
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 24 Apr 2011 in From Steve's Study ::
There’s been a lot of talk recently about the existence, or otherwise of God. It seems that there are a number of people who are keen to state their arguments against his existence. In response, Christians stand up to give their counter-arguments. The problem is that you can never “prove” or “disprove” the existence of God by philosphical argument – each group just becomes more and more entrenched in their own position.
However, the Apostle Paul has shown us the way to dismiss Christianity altogether. In 1 Corinthians 15:17 he says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile”. And later (1 Cor 15:19), that if this is the case then Christians “are to be pitied more than all men”. In other words, if you want to dismiss Christianity, all you need to do is disprove the resurrection.
And over the years, people have sought to do just that. Many other explanations have been posited about what happened to Jesus’ body: the disciples stole the body, they went to the wrong tomb, the Jewish leaders or Romans stole the body, Jesus didn’t really die, Jesus only rose ‘spiritually’ in the imaginations of his followers, Jesus never really existed, the story is just an ‘evolution’ of other Ancient Near-East religions, and more.
However, none of these have been able to explain the incredible change in the disciples (from cowards to men ready to die for Jesus), or the fact that many people saw Jesus alive, or that no one ever produced the body to put an end to the rumours of his resurrection, or the fact that the story of Jesus resurrection is attested to in Jewish & Roman writings (as well as Christians), or the fact that millions of people around the world still bear witness to the work of Jesus in their lives today.
The resurrection has always been the bedrock on which the Christian life is built, giving comfort and assurance that Jesus will always be with us & that we too will one day rise to be with him forever.
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