Some Preliminaries

by Greg Win

Introduction:

Why do you believe in God, the Bible or Jesus Christ? There are obviously lots of people who do not believe in these things. In the face of such skepticism, you need to know not only what you believe, but why you believe it. Peter wrote, "… be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." (I Peter 3:15) We hope to engage in a study which will help us to achieve the kind of "intelligent faith" that Peter mentioned.

You may be surprised to learn that our study is going to center around a single event which is recorded in the Bible – the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If the resurrection never occurred, then your Bible, your God, your faith is useless! But prove it, and then you have proved that God is the only true and living God, and Jesus is "both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).

  1. THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS WERE PREDICTED.
    1. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the result of his failure, but rather a part of God’s plan.
    2. The Old Testament prophets had foretold the events hundreds of years before.
      1. Christ would be sold for 30 pieces of silver.
        (Zech. 11:12 - fulfilled, Matt 26:14,15)
      2. The money would be cast to the potter.
        (Zech. 11:13 – fulfilled, Matt 27:3-10)
      3. He would be crucified with thieves.
        (Isa. 53:12 – fulfilled, Mark 15:27)
      4. His bones would not be broken.
        (Psalms 34:20 – fulfilled, John 19:33,36)
      5. He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb.
        (Isa. 53:9 – fulfilled, Matt 27:57-60)
      6. He would be resurrected.
        (Psalms 16:10 – fulfilled, Luke 24:1-9)
    3. Jesus prophesied of these things himself.
      (Matt 16:21; Luke 9:22; John 2:19-21)
  1. HOW CAN WE PROVE THE RESURRECTION?
    1. Not by science.
      1. Scientific proof is based upon showing that something is a fact by repeating the event in the presence of a person that questions the fact.
      2. Since the resurrection cannot be repeated, science is ineffective in regard to proving or disproving it.
    2. The resurrection is a historical fact, if a fact at all.
    3. There is abundant historical evidence. Consider these quotes from experts:
      1. "I have been used from many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."
        – Thomas Arnold, chairman of history, Oxford University
        Sermons on the Christian Life – Its Hopes, Its Fears, and Its Close, p. 324
      2. "Taking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ. Nothing but the antecedent assumption that it must be false could have suggested the idea of deficiency in the proof of it."
        - B. F. Westcott, English Scholar
        The Gospel of the Resurrection, 4th ed., London, n.p., 1879 pp. 4-6
      3. "I know pretty well what evidence is; and I tell you, such evidence as that for the resurrection has never broken down yet."
        – J. S. Copley, Attorney General of Great Britain
        Therefore Stand Wilbur Smith, Grand Rapids, Mich., Baker Book House, 1965, pp. 425, 584
      4. "No intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true."
        - Lord Darling, Chief Justice of England
        Verdict of the Empty Tomb, Val Grieve, London, Church Pastoral Aid Society, 1976, p.26
    4. It is this historical evidence which we hope to examine in our study.
  2. OUR TASK DEFINED: To test the historical reality of the resurrection.
    1. We must see if the purported facts are supported by the evidence.
    2. This is the method we will use:
      1. Examine the reliability of the historical documents.
      2. Check out the eye-witnesses.
      3. Confirm the death by crucifixion.
      4. Study the burial procedures.
      5. Discuss security precautions.
      6. Consider the reports that Jesus was alive on the third day, and that the tomb was empty.
      7. Weigh the other possible explanations.

       

  1. THE BIBLE IS A RELIABLE HISTORICAL DOCUMENT.
    1. We have a magnitude of manuscripts of the New Testament.
      1. This confirms the reliable transmission of the message.
      2. It proves that these accounts are not merely myths or legends conceived over a long period of time.
    2. The Bible is confirmed by archaeology and secular writings.
      1. "The Bible is often surprisingly accurate in historical particulars, more so than earlier generations of scholars ever suspected."
        Time Magazine, Dec 30, 1974, pp.34-41
      2. "A wave of archaeological discoveries is altering old ideas about the roots of Christianity and Judaism-and affirming that the Bible is more historically accurate than many scholars thought."
        U.S. News and World Report, Aug. 24, 1981, pp.38-40

       

  2. THE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY IS SIGNIFICANT
    1. Consider the statements of these eyewitnesses:
      1. 2 Peter 1:16
      2. 1 John 1:1-3
      3. Luke 1:1-3
      4. Acts 1:1-3
      5. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
    2. While not scientifically advanced in their thinking, these men knew that:
      1. Blind men usually stay blind (John 9:32)
      2. And dead men tend to stay dead! (John 20:25-28)
    3. This event changed their lives (Mark 14:50; 16:20)

     

  3. Their reports were circulated in the presence of knowledgeable and hostile witnesses. (Acts 2:22)

CONCLUSION:
So we have stated our study. We have both stated the task before us, and the methods we intend to use. Our goal is to establish in each of us a stronger faith in Jesus as our resurrected Savior.

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