He Is Not Here; He Has Risen: The Resurrection
He Is Not Here; He Has Risen
The Resurrection
7 minute read
The Statement of Faith
We believe that on the third day after His crucifixion, Jesus Christ was bodily raised from the dead. This was not a spiritual metaphor, a vision, or a resuscitation, but a transformation into glorified, immortal life. The resurrection is the vindication of Christ's claims, the guarantee of our salvation, the defeat of death, and the promise of our own future resurrection. Without it, Christianity falls; with it, everything changes.
How Did We Get Here?
Christianity is the only major religion whose founder's tomb is claimed to be empty.
Buddha's remains are venerated. Muhammad's tomb in Medina is a pilgrimage site. But Christians have always claimed that if you went to Joseph of Arimathea's tomb on that first Easter morning, you would have found it empty—because Jesus had risen.
This claim is either history's greatest hoax or history's greatest event. There's no middle ground. If Jesus rose, He's who He claimed to be, death is defeated, and everything changes. If He didn't, Christianity is based on a lie, and we are, as Paul admits, "of all people most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19).
The early Christians staked everything on this claim. They weren't reporting a religious feeling or a spiritual experience. They were making a historical claim: a man who was dead is now alive. And they were willing to die for it.
What the Bible Says
The Resurrection Happened
"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
— Matthew 28:6
The angel's announcement is straightforward: the tomb is empty because Jesus has risen. All four Gospels agree on the central facts: Jesus was crucified, buried, and on the third day the tomb was found empty by His followers.
"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living."
— 1 Corinthians 15:3-6
This passage is crucial. Paul is quoting an early creed that scholars date to within a few years of the crucifixion—far too early for legend to develop. He lists eyewitnesses, including 500 people at once, most of whom were still alive when he wrote. This is an invitation to fact-check.
It Was a Bodily Resurrection
"Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
— Luke 24:39
Jesus goes out of His way to prove He's not a ghost. He has flesh and bones. He can be touched. He eats fish in front of them (Luke 24:42-43). This isn't a spiritual vision; it's a physical body—transformed and glorified, but real.
"Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
— John 20:27
Thomas demanded physical proof, and Jesus provided it. The wounds are still there—tangible, touchable. The resurrection body bears the marks of the crucifixion. This is continuity with transformation.
The Resurrection Changes Everything
"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins."
— 1 Corinthians 15:17
Paul doesn't hedge. If the resurrection didn't happen, Christianity collapses. Our faith is useless. Our sins remain unforgiven. The dead in Christ have perished. We are to be pitied. Everything hangs on this.
"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
— 1 Corinthians 15:20
But Christ has risen—and His resurrection is the "firstfruits," the guarantee of the harvest to come. Because He rose, we will rise. His resurrection is the prototype of ours.
"Who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord."
— Romans 1:4
The resurrection is God's declaration that Jesus is who He claimed to be. It vindicates every word He spoke, every claim He made. The Father has publicly endorsed the Son.
The Historical Evidence
The resurrection isn't just a faith claim; it's a historical claim that can be examined:
The empty tomb. Everyone agreed the tomb was empty—even the enemies of Christianity. The Jewish authorities didn't say, "The body is still there." They said, "The disciples stole it" (Matthew 28:13). That's an admission that the tomb was empty. If the body were there, it would have been produced, and Christianity would have been crushed in its cradle.
The post-resurrection appearances. Jesus appeared to individuals, to small groups, to 500 people at once. These weren't brief glimpses in the dark—He walked with disciples, ate with them, taught them for 40 days. Mass hallucinations don't work that way; hallucinations are individual and don't persist over weeks.
The transformation of the disciples. The men who fled at Jesus' arrest, who denied knowing Him, who hid behind locked doors—within weeks they were boldly proclaiming the resurrection in Jerusalem, willing to be beaten, imprisoned, and killed. What changed them? They saw the risen Christ.
The conversion of skeptics. James, Jesus' brother, was a skeptic during Jesus' ministry (John 7:5). Paul was actively persecuting Christians. Both became leaders in the church and died for their faith. What convinced them? They encountered the risen Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7-8).
The emergence of the church. Christianity exploded in the very city where Jesus was crucified, within weeks of His death. The preaching centered on the resurrection. If it were false, Jerusalem was the worst place to start—eyewitnesses everywhere could have refuted it. Instead, thousands believed.
How It Fits the Full Narrative
The resurrection is the reversal of the fall. Death entered through Adam's sin. Through Christ's resurrection, death begins to be undone. "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). The curse is being reversed.
The resurrection fulfills prophecy. Psalm 16:10: "You will not let your holy one see decay." Hosea 6:2: "After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us." Isaiah 53:10-11: After the suffering servant dies, "he will see his offspring and prolong his days." The Old Testament anticipated resurrection.
The resurrection validates the cross. How do we know God accepted Jesus' sacrifice? The resurrection. "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (Romans 4:25). The empty tomb is the Father's receipt marked "Paid in Full."
The resurrection begins the new creation. Jesus rose on the first day of the week—the start of a new creation week. His glorified body is the first piece of the new heavens and new earth breaking into the present. The future has begun.
The resurrection guarantees our future. "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19). Christ's resurrection isn't just about Him; it's about us. His body is the prototype of ours. "He will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:21).
Why This Matters
It proves Jesus is who He claimed to be. Anyone can claim to be God. Jesus claimed it and then proved it by rising from the dead. The resurrection is the credential that validates everything else.
It guarantees our forgiveness. If Christ is still dead, we're still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). But because He rose, we know the sacrifice was accepted, the debt was paid, and our sins are truly forgiven.
It defeats death. Death is not the end. The grave is not final. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). We can face death—our own and our loved ones'—with grief but not despair.
It empowers present living. The same power that raised Jesus is at work in us (Ephesians 1:19-20). Resurrection power isn't just for the future; it's available now—for transformation, for service, for overcoming.
It secures our hope. We're not hoping for something uncertain. We're hoping for something that has already begun. The resurrection is the first installment, the down payment, the guarantee of everything to come.
How to Communicate This
Present the evidence. The resurrection is a historical claim. Share the evidence: empty tomb, appearances, transformed disciples, converted skeptics, explosive church growth. This isn't blind faith; it's faith based on evidence.
Emphasize the bodily nature. People often assume resurrection means "going to heaven when you die." That's not the biblical hope. The biblical hope is bodily resurrection—transformed, glorified, physical existence forever. Jesus' body shows us our future.
Connect to daily hope. The resurrection isn't just a doctrine to believe; it's a power to live by and a hope to die with. When facing illness, loss, or death, the resurrection gives us something to hold onto.
Address doubt honestly. Thomas doubted, and Jesus didn't rebuke him harshly—He provided evidence. It's okay to have questions. Work through them. But don't let doubt become permanent unbelief; follow the evidence where it leads.
Defending Against Critics
Objection: "The disciples stole the body."
Response: This was the earliest counter-explanation (Matthew 28:13), and it fails. The disciples were terrified, scattered, and hiding. They had no motive—they gained nothing but suffering and death. People don't die for what they know to be a lie. And this theory doesn't explain the post-resurrection appearances or the transformed disciples.
Objection: "The disciples hallucinated."
Response: Hallucinations are individual experiences; they don't happen to groups. Jesus appeared to multiple people at once, up to 500. Hallucinations also don't eat fish, cook breakfast, or invite people to touch them. And hallucinations don't persist over 40 days in varied settings. The appearances don't fit the hallucination hypothesis.
Objection: "Jesus didn't really die—He swooned and later revived."
Response: Roman executioners were professionals; they knew death. Jesus was flogged, crucified, had a spear thrust into His side, and was certified dead by soldiers who would have paid with their own lives for a mistake. Even if He had somehow survived, a half-dead man emerging from a tomb would not have inspired worship as the Lord of life. He would have needed a doctor, not disciples.
Objection: "The resurrection is just a spiritual metaphor for new life."
Response: The early Christians had perfectly good words for spiritual experiences and visions. They chose instead to insist on bodily resurrection—a claim that invited ridicule from Greeks who despised the body. They insisted because that's what happened. Jesus said, "Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones." This is not metaphor; it's physicality.
Objection: "The resurrection accounts contradict each other."
Response: The accounts have variations—as any eyewitness testimony does. Different witnesses notice different details. But the core facts are consistent: Jesus was crucified, buried, the tomb was found empty, and He appeared alive to His followers. The variations actually support authenticity—if the accounts were perfectly harmonized, that would suggest collusion.
Going Deeper
Key passages to study:
- Matthew 28:1-20 – The resurrection account
- Luke 24:1-53 – Resurrection appearances and Emmaus road
- John 20:1-31 – Mary, the disciples, and Thomas
- Acts 2:22-36 – Peter's Pentecost sermon
- Acts 17:30-32 – Paul in Athens
- Romans 1:1-4 – Declared Son of God by resurrection
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 – The resurrection chapter
- Philippians 3:10-11 – The power of His resurrection
Questions for reflection:
- How does the historical evidence for the resurrection affect my confidence in Christ?
- How does the hope of bodily resurrection change how I view death—my own and others'?
- Am I living in the power of the resurrection, or do I treat it as merely a future hope?