Christians believe we are saved by the resurrected life of our Saviour, Jesus Christ (Rom 5:20), Who is also our interceding High Priest. Yet there is a powerful social humanist movement set to mitigate and destroy our own Christian heritage—especially belief in the Resurrection of Christ, contending Jesus was merely a human teacher, and that He was not resurrected after His crucifixion.
Overlooked is the fact that for centuries Christians have been able to corroborate the resurrection of Jesus from both biblical and non-biblical sources. At least ten non-Christian writers mentioned Jesus within 150 years of His life. There were also many eye-witness testimonies, and the Chief Priests even paid ‘hush money’ to cover up the news of the resurrection.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is foundational to the Christian faith. It was not enough that Jesus died for us. He also had to be raised to life again. As Paul also wrote, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10).
Many eye-witnesses to the resurrection of Christ lived for decades after His crucifixion. The apostle Paul mentions a number of witnesses to Christ’s resurrection in 1Corinthians 15:3-8, including other apostles, himself and “over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep”—that is, died.
Luke records in the book of Acts that there were “Pharisees who believed” and that “a great many of the priests” became part of the early Church (Acts15:5; Acts 6:7). It beggers belief that these educated men would change their belief and risk persecution and possible death if they did not have undeniable proof of Christ rising from the dead.
Matthew relates in chapter 28:11-15 how the chief priests bribed the guards to lie about what they knew to be true and to tell anyone who asked that the body of Jesus had been carried away at night.
Not only does the New Testament contain accurate historical information and geographical markers, it also refers to some famous people, such as Pilate, Caiaphas, Festus, Felix who would have surely protested if they were implicated in events that never occurred.
NT writer and physician Luke recorded the Apostle Peter public address, declaring, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses … Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts2:32; Acts 2:36).
