Facing the Facts! Rejoicing in the Truth! (church bulletin cover)

A rock moved away. An empty tomb. These are historical events that are as central to our faith in Christ as the cross on which He died. For as Paul said, “if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-17). And in a society largely convinced that truth is simply whatever you personally believe to be true, the resurrection of Jesus is an historical fact (that is, a truth) that people need to grapple with. We have a vast mass of literature claiming that Jesus was confirmed by Roman authorities to be dead, the tomb in which He was laid was covered by a stone of great weight, guarded by disciplined Roman soldiers, and sealed according to Roman authority to warn away any who desired to tamper with this tomb. Yet on that wonderful Sunday, the tomb was empty. Christ’s enemies could not deny it was empty because they could not produce the body. They blamed the disciples. But how and why would 11 frightened and disillusioned disciples defy a Roman seal, get past a Roman guard and move the stone? And how would such a scam result in their transformed lives which they were later willing to lay on the line for their conviction that Jesus was alive? The literature of the day, the many witnesses, the transformed lives — it is all credible historic evidence that cries out for a verdict. Jesus’ tomb is empty and He offers the same resurrection life to all who call out to Him. What is your response?

© 2008 by Ken Peters