Introduction: I came across an article on BBC news written on April 9,2017 that stated, A quarter of people who describe themselves as Christians in Great Britain do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus. To take the resurrection out of Christianity is like taking the heat out of fire, the darkness out of the night, all the blood out of a man. Simply put, you cannot separate the resurrection from Christianity. The resurrection of Christ is the hinge on which Christianity hangs. It is the foundation of our faith. Yet there are many who try to refute this momentous history of the church. Josh McDowell said, “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted on the minds of human …show more content…
He was seen by the Apostles, and by over five hundred people at one time. It was inconceivable to deny bodily resurrection if Christ was raised from the dead. Let’s look at his argument.
V:12, Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? Paul presents a dilemma to the believers at Corinth. On one hand, Paul preached to the Corinthians that Christ has been raised from the dead and the they believed it. Let’s look back at what Paul says at the beginning of chapter 15:1-3,11. “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, according to the Scriptures, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… look at what he says in verse 11, whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. Now they were buying into the lie that there is no resurrection of the dead. They were inconsistent and illogical in their beliefs.
In verse 13 Paul’s makes a simple point, if you deny the resurrection of the dead, then you denied the resurrection of Jesus. Listen to what he says, “But
The Christian faith believes Jesus died and rose from the grave. In
4. The original disciples believe that Jesus was risen from the dead despite their having every predisposition to the contrary.
A vast portion of the Jews – especially mainstream Jews – never would have accepted the idea of a resurrection or an afterlife. Some Pharisees held a belief in resurrection but nothing on a par with what Paul preached. However, to call a man a god was entirely alien to any kind of Jewish belief. It would have been an utter blasphemy. It is no wonder that Paul was harmed physically and run out of numerous cities as was recounted in Acts, or in Paul’s own
He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God”(The Holy Bible). The history and the facts of Christ are very important to the Christian faith. If Christ had never been resurrected from the dead, then the whole Christian religion would be false (“History of Christianity”). 1 Corinthians 15:14 explains, “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain”(The Holy Bible). The resurrection of Christ is extremely important to Christians, because the resurrection proves what they believe, giving purpose to their lives. “About 32 percent of people in the world, or 2.1 billion individuals, describe themselves as Christians. Some Christians believe that only those who are 'born again ' can claim to be Christians, which is why the number tends to fluctuate”(King).
R. Gundry's compelling work on NT human sciences has a part dedicated to the vitally essential subject of Paul's concurrence with the gospel creators on Jesus' resurrection body. N. Geisler's treatise on contemporary basic difficulties to the confidence in supernatural occurrences serves as a phenomenal synopsis of at times known, however persuasive, protests to these events.50 Numerous other evangelicals have additionally distributed safeguards of the substantial bodily ressurection of
There are seven ancient sources that testify that the disciples were willing to be persecuted and even die because of their belief. Paul was so suddenly changed from a non-believer to a believer. He used to persecute Christians. Paul’s conversion was a personal appearance which made it a primary source. Habermas and Licona said, “For most, belief is based on secondary sources” (65).
5:8) one should not use this statement as the end of all ends and thereby eliminating the reality of a physical resurrection. On the contrary, this statement made by Paul is inserted among verses that contrast the disembodied theology favored by his opponents. 2 Corinthians 5:1-3 speaks explicitly of the “dissolving of the earthly temple” and “having a building of God, a house not made with hands.” Moreover, he uses terminology such as “clothed” and “we shall not be found naked.” These terms solidify Paul’s position as one fully persuaded of the unification of body and soul through resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15, the res-urrection of Christ becomes the central focus due to the infiltration of those who were persuad-ing others against it. Paul’s ultimate agenda in presenting the case for Christ’s bodily resurrection was to incorporate the reality of the future resurrection promised to believers.
St. Paul claims Jesus appeared to him last of the apostles to strengthen his faith after persecuting the church of God.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ separates Christianity from all other religions. Christianity without the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is merely one religion among many. "And if Christ is not risen," said the Apostle Paul, "then our preaching is empty and your faith is in vain”. (1 Corinthians 15:14) Furthermore, "You are still in your sins!” Paul could not have chosen stronger language. (Mohler)
Christians also claim that Jesus must be the son of God because he died for our sins and was resurrected by God. The resurrection of Christ should not be mistaken for resuscitation, since Jesus died on the cross, was placed in a tomb, and was brought back by God to a worshiped state of being. A task that could only be accomplished by the hand of God. The Christians claim that God resurrected Jesus after Jesus claimed to be the son of God proves either one of two things. The first is that Jesus is the son of God, liked he claimed. The second is that God resurrected a blasphemer, which is something God would never do (Ford CH. 8).
Paul spoke about the crucifixion as a scandal to his generation (1 Cor. 1:23). To the generations of the early twenty-first century, the resurrection has become a scandal. There are two main reasons why this is, and both are closely related. First is the emphasis the early church put on the resurrection. The apostle Paul says it clearly, "[Christ was] designated Son of God in power. . . by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:4), and Paul again says that God's great power is revealed in "what he accomplished in Christ when He raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:20). The early church believed that the reality of Christ's messiahship and lordship was seen, and proven,
Beginning as a direct rebuttal of Corinth beliefs regarding resurrection and eventually evolving into a explicit and according to Paul irritable account of the events that lead to resurrection of the dead. The passage showcases Paul’s authority on followers of Christ and just how seriously his understanding and beliefs regarding Christ were taken. Again as 1 Corinthians is in part a direct address to his intentions in helping the church and part response to Corinth inquiries.The Resurrection of the Dead passage Paul structures his response in a way that makes no room for his commentary to be misinterpreted or ignored. Verses 12-19 are a clear formulation of taking Corinthian rebuttals to resurrection and using their own phrasing to admonish their disbelief.These verses are structured as a continuous unfolding of Paul's response. It begins in verse 12 with an acknowledgement that some in Corinth do not believe in resurrection of the dead and then continues on verse after verse appealing to that disbelief. The structure is a very much a “this, then this, then this argument, mounting the consequences of not believing in resurrection of the dead on top of one another until he reaches a conclusion that should cause all disbelief to vanish; if Corinthians do not believe in resurrection then they cannot believe that Christ was resurrected and if they do not believe that then their faith must be in vain.
As stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day,” Through the resurrection of Jesus, early Christians believed in the act of resurrection. They believed that when Jesus returned to earth once again, he would physically raise everybody who had died. For Christians, the belief of resurrection was an important one. As the apostle Paul said, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.” Through this, Christians believed that if they followed Jesus’ teachings, they would be resurrected, this meaning that Jesus made “life after death” possible for those of the Christian
In 8:11 Paul refers to the "Spirit" as God. He is saying that if we believe that it was God who raised Jesus from the dead, then we will be given an everlasting life within us. This passage in 8:11 is one of Paul 's main points he tries to make throughout all his letters. His central focus on the resurrection of Jesus is what Paul wants us to identify with. Jesus ' resurrection marked a change from an era under the wrath of God to an era of grace. In Paul 's point of view, this reality changed everything. In I Corinthians 15:21-22 Paul draws our attention to the second Adam in Christ which everybody was made alive through. This is the "good news" and the cornerstone of Christianity that God raised Jesus from the dead and started a new era.
it being that after Jesus died he rose from the dead, proving that the soul is not destroyed after death. ?this proof of immortality has been accepted by millions of Christians and has been regarded as one of the most precious assurances brought to mankind by Jesus? (Ducasse 18). All of the Christian teachings