RISEN

 

Risen - Fact or Fiction

As I revisited my blog, one particular post stood out above the rest. It carried a quiet weight that drew me back to it, and so I return to it here, seeking to address the subject with greater clarity, for it lies at the very centre of the Christian faith. The topic is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it fact or fiction?

There is a cry from many that Christ’s resurrection is nothing more than a fairy tale, but for the Christian, if the resurrection is not a fact, our faith is futile. Without Christ’s resurrection as a true and historical event, we are no different from any other religious system that soothes the conscience while offering no certainty about what lies beyond this life.

Some believe in reincarnation, yet there is no proof to support such claims. Others worship carved images that neither move nor speak, which is nothing more than superstition personified. So, what of the Christian, and what makes this claim any different?

We are not called to apply faith to a novel idea, but to believe in God in His Word. In His mercy, He has gone to great lengths to show that what we hold to is true. The Scriptures are filled with prophecy, with men foretelling events long before they occurred, and these prophecies are recorded with precision and without error. The world may marvel at vague predictions, yet dismiss the Bible, which stands without fault in its testimony.

The gainsayer is often one who has done little or no study of the Scriptures yet speaks with confidence. It becomes clear that the issue is not a lack of evidence but resistance to truth. Unless such a man recognises his condition and cries out for help, he will remain in darkness.

Yet while there is breath, there remains hope, for God has not left man without a way of escape but calls him even now to turn from his sin and come to Him. The call is not to reform oneself, but to recognise one’s need and seek mercy, for grace is given to such.

And this hope is not uncertain, for, as the Epistle to the Romans makes clear, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, bringing the matter from theory into personal reality.

For those closest to us who reason in this way, we must continue to shine Christ’s light into the darkness, being bold about the truth while mindful of the grace shown to us. But we must never confuse truth with tolerance of error, for compromise is not an attribute of God but a tool of deception.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not open to interpretation, but stands as a historical reality, supported by eyewitness testimony, including more than five hundred who saw Him alive after His burial.

The man Jesus died. He was buried, and a stone was rolled over the tomb, with guards posted to secure it. This alone should attract attention, as one does not guard a grave without cause.

Those who opposed Him remembered His words that He would rise again, and they took every precaution to prevent it.

Yet no human effort can stand against the purposes of God, for what He has determined will come to pass.

On the third day, as foretold, the account is recorded.

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb.

There was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone, and declared that He was not there, for He had risen, just as He had said.

Matthew 28:1 to 6

What had been spoken beforehand was now being witnessed in reality.

Yet the matter does not rest with an empty tomb alone, for the testimony that follows establishes the truth further. Those who came to the tomb did not merely hear that He had risen, but encountered Him, for as Matthew records, Jesus met them, and they took hold of His feet and worshipped Him, making it clear that this was a physical encounter.

When He appeared to His disciples, He addressed their doubts directly, telling them to look at His hands and feet and to touch Him, making it clear that a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as they now saw in Him.

Luke 24:38 to 39

The witness, therefore, rests not on assumption but on direct confirmation.

This testimony does not remain confined to a small group, for the record extends further, declaring that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom were still alive when the record was written.

1 Corinthians 15:6

This presents not only a claim but also an open witness that could be examined.

In addition, it is recorded that He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many proofs over a period of forty days, speaking to them concerning the kingdom of God.

Acts 1:3

Even so, there were those who refused to believe, for when they heard that He was alive and had been seen, they did not accept it.

Mark 16:11

Their unbelief did not alter the reality of what had taken place.

At the same time, efforts were made to distort the truth, as money was given to the soldiers to spread the account that His disciples had stolen His body.

Matthew 28:12 to 13

The resurrection, therefore, stands not only as a historical reality supported by witness and testimony, but also as a truth that presses upon every man the necessity of response, for it is not something that can be observed from a distance without consequence.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

Signing off, or, rather, let me say, singing off

Tyrone