The resurrection of Jesus is the non-negotiable issue upon which the truth of Christianity stands or falls. Paul makes a very persuasive argument about the importance of the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. "If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins," he says. "In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!"

Either it happened or it didn’t. If it didn’t...if all of this really didn’t happen...then what we have left is an empty shell of a religion, and in the end, we are just playing church. We are sad, empty people if there is no risen Christ.

But if it did...think about the implications! Why do Christians believe in the Resurrection? Not because they want to believe it, not because tradition says so, but because they know it to be a fact of history. Over the past several centuries, the discoveries of archeology, ancient secular history, and modern science have brought confirmation to the details of the New Testament accounts. If the Bible is historically accurate about natural details, then why not about supernatural ones?

• The Resurrection of Jesus gives meaning and power to the Gospel. (Rom.4:24-25, 10:9)
• It empowers us to live the Christian life. (Rom. 6:4-14, 8:9-11; Phil. 3:10)
• It takes away the fear of death. (John 11:25; 1 Cor. 15:54-58)

If you understand and embrace the Gospel, it will change your life. You are more wicked than you ever dared believe, yet you are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than you ever dared hope!

-BJS-