By Renata Sedmakova; photo from Shutterstock.com. TURIN, ITALY; Women Visit the Empty Tomb in Church Chiesa di Santo Tommaso by C. Secchi.
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Is Christianity private or public? Does the truth about Christ Jesus, who is the object of my faith, depend on my own private beliefs, or is there something verifiable that can be "fact-checked"? The reason I pose these questions is because we are living in a time when the determination of truth and untruth have turned inward, making one's own personal beliefs the measure of what is true or not.
While examining and verifying evidence and testimony may be found in courts of law, in the press and many political and personal interactions it is common to observe persons passing off as truth what are merely their own feelings, opinions, and beliefs, often without evidence or verifiable testimony.
The resurrection of Jesus was a very public miracle.
Not so with the resurrection of Christ Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus was a very public miracle witnessed by many and supported by evidence at the time it occurred and afterward. The evidence is recorded in Scripture. There are about 5,250 ancient Greek manuscripts of books and parts of the New Testament that record Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. The earliest is dated to about 90 years after his death (Rylands Library Papyrus 52).
The books of the New Testament that we read today were recognized by the ancient church as the authoritative word of God, and they continue to be so even after centuries of critical examination and debate. Notably, the ancient church—its leaders and members—testified to their authenticity in writing and, sadly in many cases, with their lives when they were martyred for witnessing to what they knew was true about our Lord and Savior.
Skeptics of Christianity often challenge the truth about the resurrection, but they do so without evidence.
Many also personally witnessed the resurrection. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, testified that the resurrected Christ Jesus appeared not only to the apostles but also to more than 500 other people (1 Cor. 15:6)! There were quite a few witnesses whom skeptics could examine, but instead of fading away as a conspiracy, the truth of Jesus' resurrection was so strong that the church continued to grow and the gospel of Christ Jesus spread from Jerusalem and the Mediterranean beyond into Europe.
So, what is the point today? Skeptics of Christianity often challenge the truth about the resurrection, but they do so without evidence. They simply can't believe a miracle like that actually occurred, even in the face of significant historical evidence. The resurrection of Christ Jesus was not a fantasy or a vast conspiracy. There were too many witnesses and too much written testimony to easily dismiss it. Today, skeptics should be encouraged to examine the historical evidence and then consider the evidence of Christ's church.
Christ is the resurrection and the life!
Jesus said he would build his church and nothing would prevail against it. Today the church reaches to nearly every part of the earth—our resurrected Lord and Savior continues to build it by the power of his Spirit working through the Word. Christ is the resurrection and the life! Those are historical facts to be recognized.
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Daniel Rowlands is content editor for Beautiful Christian Life.
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Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith by Douglas Groothuis
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