Christ’s Resurrection is one of the most important truths for Christianity!Without him, there is no Christianity, no gospel, no hope of salvation!Is it your victory over death that separates Jesus Christ from?
Only the Lord Jesus shows an empty tomb!
- Over the centuries.
- Christians have been persecuted.
- Imprisoned.
- Tortured and executed for this truth.
- But the church has never renounced this certainty!.
Thus, every year, at Easter, the devil raises a rumor against divinity or resurrection!
-In 1988, director Martin Scorsese premiered the film “The Last Temptation of Christ,” which features an undecided and ill-resolved messiah.
-In 2003, author Dan Brown published “The Da Vinci Code”, a novel that questions the divinity of Christ.
-In 2012, an archaeologist said he found an ossary with the remains of Jesus Christ. After many reports, speculation and damage to the faith of some, the conclusion was declared false!
-On the eve of this Easter 2014, tabloid newspapers reported an ancient papyrus that would reveal that Christ had a wife! I went to a more serious source to look for the issue and discovered that it was another false alarm. See in the Folha de Sao Paulo of 04/11/14 the article “Otra vez”, the wife of Jesús of the journalist Reinaldo José Lopes.
Thank God, Christianity has a solid historical foundation!In I Cor 15:1-11, we have compelling testimonies of Christ’s Resurrection!
If you are falsely accused of a crime, prosecuted and taken to court, expect to have 2 or 3 witnesses in your favor!I mean, if anyone wants to judge “the resurrection,” whether it’s a fact or a fraud, Paul has more than 500 eyewitnesses!Many killed by this testimony!
Before talking about eyewitnesses, Paul explains
1 Brethren, I would like to remind you of the gospel which I have preached to you, which you have received, and in which you stand. 2 Are ye saved by this gospel?
What is the message of the gospel? That Christ died for our sins and was resurrected (verses 3-4) Therefore, in these first two verses (above), Paul says: The brethren of the Church of Corinth, who lived in the time of Christ, had no doubt. about his divinity, his death by power, and his resurrection, they stood firm!Because they had been transformed by the Risen Christ, they had been freed from idolatry, adultery, greed, faults, alcoholism, and homosexual practices (I Cor 6:9-10).
3 For what I have transmitted to you for the first time is what I received: that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, 4 was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures,
In addition to the living testimony of the Church, Paul mentions the testimony of the scriptures!Declare that everything that happened to Jesus Christ happened according to the scriptures!The Old Testament prophesied of his incarnation, his death by power, and his resurrection. For example, read the text of Isaiah 53.
5 And he appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at once, most of whom are still alive, though some have already fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; 8 After that, it also seemed to me, as to someone who was born out of time.
The first eyewitness mentioned is Peter, Peter is a great witness, because at first he did not believe in the resurrection, so much so that he repudiated Christ three times and returned to his old profession, the second witness is the twelve!Acts 1:3 says: “After their suffering, Jesus presented Himself to them and gave them many irrefutable evidence that he was alive. It appeared to them for forty days, telling them about the Kingdom of God.
The third witness is the group of 500 brothers!Most of which were still alive. Remember that Paul wrote this defense twenty-five years after the resurrection.
The fourth witness is Tiago, probably not the Apostle James, but one of Christ’s brethren, because here Paul distinguishes him from the twelve; It is also a relevant testimony, for in John 7:5 it says that Jesus’ brethren do not believe in his divinity, but after the resurrection, we know that this James became one of the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem.
The fifth witness is Paul himself! For various reasons, Paul is an excellent witness to the resurrection. Roman citizen, committed Jew, intelligent and well prepared academically; Famous and fierce enemy of the Lord! He does not believe in Jesus, nor in his divinity, much less in his resurrection, he persecuted and imprisoned Christians! However, after a supernatural encounter with the risen Christ, he became a worshiper! Eyewitness! Eager to live and die for Jesus!
Conclusion: The Christian faith has a solid historical foundation! Jesus Christ is risen with power and great glory! The prophecies have been fulfilled! Death has been earned! And your divinity and power have been historically authenticated! That is why the apostles have lost their fear and cowardice! That is why your church has spread all over the world! And if you still live in slavery to sin, far from the grace of God. Is God’s own love a challenge for your life ?:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!?
-It doesn’t matter your past!
– It doesn’t matter what you did or what you came out with!
Just believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!
Only he has the authority and the right to say:
? I am the resurrection and the life!
Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live
And who lives and believes in me won’t die forever?