I Serve a Risen Savior

The airways and Internet is full of folks who are quite happy to tell you that Jesus never really lived or that He never actually died or that He never really rose again ... well, at least not physically. "Look," they say, "we have his bones." That's a good one. I like it. Try telling a forensics expert that those bones are positively identified as Jesus of Nazareth some 2000 years ago. That will certainly fly.

Beyond the utter illogic of it, why do I care if Jesus rose again? I figured that today, the day we are celebrating the Resurrection, it might be a good time to list out the reasons that I believe in and rejoice over the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The first objection to Christ rising from the dead is a materialist objection. "There is no such thing as miracles." Given that premise, well, it's obvious that Jesus didn't rise from the dead, at least not physically. Well, given the existence of a supernatural God (you know, a God who exceeds nature), the existence of miracles would be a given. So, starting from the premise "In the beginning, God", I'll assume that miracles can occur and someone could, if this supernatural God so decided, rise from the dead physically.

But what do we care if He did? What does it matter? Well, in the case of Jesus, the Christ, there are several things at stake. First there is His reliability. Early in His ministry, He did what He did throughout His ministry -- He upset the religious leaders. So they came to Him and complained:

The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews therefore said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days ?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body (John 2:18-21).

Jesus said that He would be killed and that He would rise again bodily in three days. While most people are willing to admit that Jesus was a nice enough fellow, a good moral teacher, they're not willing to admit that He was what Christians believe Him to be. But this claim (along with many others) would make Him out to be a liar at best and, more likely, a complete loon. This guy made the claim, according to John, that He would rise physically from the dead three days after He was "destroyed". Not only did John record this claim -- so did the rest of the Gospel writers at various points. So, if I am to have a reliable Jesus, the Resurrection isn't trivial; it is fundamental.

In fact, it is not merely Jesus's reliability in question here. It is also God's reliability. Peter made this argument:

"And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. For David says of Him,

'I was always beholding the Lord in my presence;
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;
Moreover my flesh also will abide in hope;
Because Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades,
Nor allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life;
Thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence'" (Acts 2:24-28).

Peter's argument was that God promised not to abandon His Son "to Hades" -- death. If Jesus did not rise again, God lied. Peter argues that God cannot lie -- "it was impossible for Him to be held in [death's] power."

Well, at this point, my third concern seems trivial, but it's not, because it's here and now. If I am to have a reliable source book for Christian living, it has to be that Jesus actually rose from the dead. There is no doubt. It is undeniable. The New Testament portrays Christ as a Risen Savior. They talked with Him, ate with Him, touched Him, held Him. Paul offers more than 500 witnesses to His Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:4-8) and John writes his Gospel and his first epistle based on his eyewitness status (John 1:14; 1 John 1:1-4). (Note that John says, "What we have heard, what we have seen" (1 John 1:1), "These things we write ..." (1 John 1:4), suggesting more than one eyewitness.) There is absolutely no doubt that the New Testament account portrays Jesus as physically resurrected. If we attempt to move that to the area of myth, we move a fundamental proposition of the Bible to the area of myth and eliminate any reliable source book for Christian living.

Of course, the ultimate reason for believing in and celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is its effect. The Crucifixion resulted in the forgiveness of my sins. That's a really good thing ... "good news". But the Resurrection gives us hope. It says that we will have the opportunity to enjoy that forgiveness beyond the grave. It says that death is conquered. It proves the power of God and the fact that we can follow in Christ's footsteps from grave to life. To Paul, it was fundamental to the Gospel. There are a lot of things that can be said about biblical doctrine and a lot of things open to discussion, but the Resurrection was, to Paul, at the core of the Gospel. According to him, "the gospel which I preached to you" (1 Cor. 15:1) had three core components. (His words were "of first importance."):

That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

That is Paul's core "Gospel", that which was "of first importance." He believed that "if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain" (1 Cor. 15:14).

But ... what is the effect if Christ actually was raised from the dead? He became "the first fruits of those who are asleep" (1 Cor. 15:20). Everyone dies, but Christ's Resurrection is the shout of triumph over death ... for us! "As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22). It is Christ's victory over death that gives us the hope of victory over death. "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:54-57). Paul concludes that the Resurrection of Christ, as such, gives us reason to be bold in doing good. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).

There are a host of voices out there, even coming out of things labeled "church" from people calling themselves "Christian", that like to proclaim that Jesus didn't rise from the dead. They think they're offering a better way. They're not. If we serve a Risen Savior, we serve the One who conquered death on our behalf. If we serve a Savior who rose bodily from the grave, we can be confident in our own ultimate victory over sin. If we serve Christ who died and rose for us as the witnesses claim He did, we have a reliable Savior, a reliable God, a reliable source book -- reasons to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. I think that's worth celebrating.