Why I Believe in the Resurrection (Part 1/1)

Brandon Walker

Why I Believe • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Resurrection

Biblical Apologetics

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Why the World Reject the Resurrection

Why do people reject the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Secularism/Atheism

Patheos.com [“The Secularist Outpost”]

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/secularoutpost/2018/03/23/why-i-reject-the-resurrection-part-1-list-of-key-points/

Skepticism About the Resurrection

Nobody KNOWS that supernatural beings exists.

Nobody KNOWS that supernatural events occur.

Nobody KNOWS that God exists.

Nobody KNOWS that miracles occur.

Nobody KNOWS that Jesus existed.

Nobody KNOWS that Jesus died on the cross.

Nobody KNOWS that Jesus was alive on Easter morning.

Nobody KNOWS that Jesus rose from the dead.

Nobody KNOWS that God raised Jesus from the dead.

Improbability of the Resurrection

It is IMPROBABLE that any supernatural being exists.

11. It is IMPROBABLE that any supernatural events occur. 12. It is IMPROBABLE that God exists. 13. It is IMPROBABLE that miracles occur. 14. There is a SIGNIFICANT PROBABILITY that Jesus did not exist. 15. IF Jesus did not exist, THEN it is CERTAIN that Jesus did not die on the cross, and did not rise from the dead. 16. IF Jesus existed and Jesus died on the cross, THEN it is IMPROBABLE that Jesus was alive on Easter morning. 17. IF Jesus existed and was alive on Easter morning, THEN it is IMPROBABLE that Jesus died on the cross. 18. IF God does not exist, THEN it is CERTAIN that the claim that “God raised Jesus from the dead” is a FALSE claim. 19. IF God does exist, THEN it is IMPROBABLE that God raised Jesus from the dead. 20. It is IMPROBABLE that God raised Jesus from the dead (based on 12, 18, and 19).

It is IMPROBABLE that any supernatural events occur.

It is IMPROBABLE that God exists.

It is IMPROBABLE that miracles occur.

There is a SIGNIFICANT PROBABILITY that Jesus did not exist.

IF Jesus did not exist, THEN it is CERTAIN that Jesus did not die on the cross, and did not rise from the dead.

IF Jesus existed and Jesus died on the cross, THEN it is IMPROBABLE that Jesus was alive on Easter morning.

IF Jesus existed and was alive on Easter morning, THEN it is IMPROBABLE that Jesus died on the cross.

IF God does not exist, THEN it is CERTAIN that the claim that “God raised Jesus from the dead” is a FALSE claim.

IF God does exist, THEN it is IMPROBABLE that God raised Jesus from the dead.

It is IMPROBABLE that God raised Jesus from the dead (based on 12, 18, and 19).

Medium.com

https://medium.com/@sdneidich/a-response-to-impact-360s-explore-the-resurrection-animation-7dbd5a6fb5ab

The contrast between Vesuvius eruption and Jesus’s supposed existence is stark: there is no archaeological verification of Jesus existence or crucifixion, and it took decades for written accounts of him to be recorded anywhere. There seems to be less evidence for Jesus’s existence than there is for Hercules, Achilles, a number of Persian emperors, or even a few commoners from thousands of years earlier. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence to be universally accepted, and there simply isn’t enough evidence corroborating the literal truth of these five points outside of the Bible.

The earliest historical records we have recovered suggesting Jesus’ existence were recorded at least a generation after his alleged resurrection, and could therefore have been altered through oral tradition before being committed to writing. So while Jesus’ existence, crucifixion and alleged or rumored resurrection appears to be somewhat historical, the remaining three points fail to meet any reasonable burden or historical proof. The best statement we can agree on with any historical certainty is that it seems rumors of Jesus resurrection circulated at the time.

While even the strongest versions of these Apostolic Conspiracy theories may appear unlikely to those convinced of the Resurrection, it is important to note that accepting the Biblical explanation requires assigning greater belief to supernatural events than non-supernatural alternatives. For point of comparison: if I misplace my car keys, I am more likely to believe that they are somewhere in my house, somewhere else I have been recently, were borrowed by my fiance, or any number of other corporeal explanations before I would assume that they had risen themselves from a non-living condition and ascended to heaven.

In my opinion and belief, the most plausible explanation for Jesus’s supposed resurrection is that he simply never existed.

Slightly less probable would be some version of conspiracy theory at the hands of early Christians anytime before the Canonization in 367, followed by some version of the hallucination theory during the time of Christ.

Far less likely than any of those: A time-traveling or technologically advanced extra-terrestrial enacting a resurrection. To most Atheists, this seems more likely than an all-powerful being who cares whether or not I eat meat on a Friday.

📷📷To most Atheists, this seems more likely than an all-powerful being who cares whether or not I eat meat on a Friday.

To most Atheists, this seems more likely than an all-powerful being who cares whether or not I eat meat on a Friday.

Even less likely still would be a quantum-state near-infinitely improbable event where Jesus’ corpse disappeared from the cave by way of quantum tunneling, or some other poorly understood special case of physics.

This special case of physics would be less likely than me winning the Powerball every week if I bought one ticket per week before dying in 40 years. With regards to Christianity, you could consider me a defacto atheist because I estimate the the resurrection of Jesus at the hands of an omnipotent being as described in the Bible, is even less probable than this quantum tunneling scenario. It seems so beyond cosmically unlikely that any minuscule cost associated with such belief would be unthinkably high. It would be impossible for me to accept this proposition as true given these probabilities.

How does the world view faith?“Faith is believing what you know ain’t so.” - Mark TwainFaith is “the license religious people give themselves to keep believing when reasons fail.” - Sam Harris“Faith is the great cop-out, the great excuse to evade the need to think and evaluate evidence. Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.” - Richard DawkinsDo you view your faith as separate from fact and reason?God created us in His image as rational creatures. Our cognitive faculties were distorted by the fall, but they were not destroyed, and even unbelievers can use these faculties to discover truths about earthly things—as opposed to heavenly things, about which they are completely blind. We do not fully comprehend God, but this is because we are finite and God is infinite. Faith and reason, rightly understood, cannot be and are not in any real conflict.

Islam

The Quran

Islam says that Christ never actually died but was assumed into heaven.

The Quranic account of the resurrection of Christ reads, "And for saying, 'We killed (the Messiah) Jesus, son of Mary,' the messenger of GOD. They never killed him, they never crucified him – they were made to think they did. All factions are full of doubt concerning this issue. They possess no knowledge; they only conjecture. For certain, they never killed him. Instead, God raised him to Him; GOD is Almighty, most wise." (Surah 4:157-8)

Al Islam

https://www.alislam.org/articles/how-did-the-belief-in-the-resurrection-originate/

It is the Ahmadiyya view that Jesus did not die on the cross but was saved, a view that can be substantiated by the Gospels themselves. Based on a purely rational basis, if one is presented with a story that someone was nailed on the cross, and days later that same wounded person is sighted with evidence of an empty tomb, the natural conclusion is that person did not die in the first place.

Although Christians claim that the earliest disciples were ready to sacrifice their life for their belief in resurrection, it is difficult to prove absolutely that belief was the cause of martyrdom, since no writings exist from that era. It is quite possible some were martyred on account of their belief that Jesus was still alive, the sign of Jonah, understood properly, giving them strength. However, any further proselytizing would have certainly ended to the Jews, and as the mission of Jesus was only to the House of Israel, the entire mission in Judea would have collapsed.

How then did the belief arise that Jesus actually rose from the dead in the literal sense and became the dominant narrative? Amidst these difficult circumstances given above, Paul emerged as the originator of a new Jesus movement tailored for the Hellenistic world, outside the homelands of Judaism. He took the wonderful story which had the kernel of truth – Jesus was alive – and created another stream of Christianity distinct from the original stream of Christianity being a Jewish sect abiding by the Mosaic Law. What he created was a religion about Jesus in contra-distinction to the original religion of Jesus. He originated a belief system reminiscent of the Greco-Roman understanding of dying and rising gods straight out of Hellenistic pagan heritage, but fused with Judaic and Gnostic elements.

Judaism

Myjewishlearning.com

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-resurrection-of-the-dead/

Did the Jews kill Jesus?

No. Jesus was executed by the Romans. Crucifixion was a Roman form of execution, not a Jewish one.

Why Was Jesus Killed?

More likely is the hypothesis that Romans viewed Jesus as a threat to the peace and killed him because he was gaining adherents who saw him as a messianic figure.

What do Jews Believe About the Resurrection of the Dead?

Resurrection of the dead — t’chiyat hameitim in Hebrew — is a core doctrine of traditional Jewish theology. Traditional Jews believe that during the Messianic Age, the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem, the Jewish people ingathered from the far corners of the earth and the bodies of the dead will be brought back to life and reunited with their souls. It is not entirely clear whether only Jews, or all people, are expected to be resurrected at this time.

Jewsforjudaism.org

https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/resurrection/

Did [Jesus’] Resurrection Actually Occur?

There are a few points though, which these Christians failed to consider. The first and most basic point is the passage in . In that passage God clearly instructs us that even if a miracle is performed which seems to substantiate the claims of a prophet, we are not to take this as a sign that God wants us to worship another god. God is testing us to see if we truly love Him with all our hearts. So, even if Jesus were to resurrect himself in front of our eyes, still this cannot serve as a sign that we are to worship him. Since he is not the one who was revealed to the Jewish people at Sinai, then he is "another god", all his claims to the contrary notwithstanding. So the entire claim of the resurrection, even if it could be backed by solid evidence, does not have the strength to prove the veracity of any brand of trinitarian Christianity.

How Christians are to Respond

How are we as Christians to respond to these claims against the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

With Love

Ecclesiastes 7:9 ESV

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

John 13:34 ESV

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

2 Timothy 2:23–24 ESV

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

:3-24

With Truth

What is Apologetics?

Ephesians 4:25 ESV

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

John 17:17 ESV

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

What is apologetics?In modern English the words apology and apologize indicate regret because some statement or action was offensive and wrong. This is not the case for “apologetics” in theology, for that discipline is intended to manifest “a point of view is right.” It is intended for those who differ in order to win them over, or for those who agree in order to confirm them in the truth for which the apologist testifies.Apologetics: the rational defense of Christian faith. Includes answering objections, demonstrating the rational coherence of Christian theology, providing evidence for the faith, addressing doubts and concerns, and exploring presuppositions.Types of Questions Addressed in Christian ApologeticsDoes God exist? How can an all-powerful, good God allow such suffering and evil in the world?Did Jesus really perform miracles, including being raised from the dead?

John 8:31–32 ESV

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Types of Apologetics

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:

What are the different types of apologetics?

Ephesians 4:25 ESV

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

1. Classical Apologetics

Begins by employing natural theology to establish theism as the correct worldview. After God’s existence has thus been shown, the classical method moves to a presentation of the historical evidences for the deity of Christ, the trustworthiness of the Scripture, et cetera, to show that Christianity is the best version of theism.

2. Evidential Apologetics

Uses both historical and philosophical arguments but focuses primarily on historical and other evidence for the truth of Christianity. Will argue at the same time both for theism in general and Christianity in particular.

3. Cumulative Case Apologetics

Rather than approaching the task as a formal logical argument, sees the case for Christianity as more like the brief a lawyer makes in a law court – an informal argument drawing together evidence that together makes a compelling case with which no other hypothesis can compete.

4. Presuppositional Apologetics

Emphasizes the intellectual effects of sin to the degree that believers and unbelievers will not share enough common ground for the preceding three methods to accomplish their goal. The apologist must presuppose the truth of Christianity as the proper starting point for apologetics. All experience is interpreted and all truth known through the Christian revelation in the Scriptures.

5. Reformed Epistemology Method

Argues that people believe many things without evidence and that this is perfectly reasonable. Although positive arguments in defence of Christianity are not necessarily wrong, belief in God does not need the support of evidence or argument to be rational. The focus, therefore, tends to be more on negative apologetics, defending against challenges to theistic belief.

Apologetics Yesterday vs. Apologetics Today

How does Christian apologetics look today compared to 10 years ago? 100? 1,000?

Apologetics in the New Testament

The New Testament writers anticipate and answer objections and seek to demonstrate the credibility of the claims and credentials of Christ, focusing especially on the resurrection of Jesus as the historical foundation upon which Christianity is built. Many New Testament writings are occupied with fighting against false teachings, in which the apologetic concern is to defend the gospel against perversion from within the church.

Apologetics in the Early Church

In the postapostolic era, the new challenges that confronted the burgeoning church as it spread throughout the Roman Empire required a new apologetic. The religious apologists defended Christianity against these attacks and sought to gain converts to the faith by arguing for the superiority of the Christian position. There were also political apologists who argued that the church should be tolerated by the state.

Apologetics Through the Reformation

The primary concern of the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century was the doctrine of salvation.Until the post-Reformation period most Europeans took Christianity for granted, and the major religious debates were primarily intra-Christian disputes about the meaning of certain key doctrines of the faith.

Apologetics Today

The rise of humanism, moral relativism, scientism, etc. has led to a requirement for a new, systematic apologetic to defend the Christian faith. In addition to having rational responses to the criticisms of the Christian faith, we must also live in such a way that our thoughts, words, and actions are a living apologetic of our faith.

Purpose of Apologetics

Who or what might you be called to defend your faith against?Other Religions “All religions really believe in the same God. What makes you think you have the ‘only way’ to God?”“Science”Evolution vs. CreationDenial of miracles, resurrectionThe World“Your views are narrow-minded and bigoted.”“The Bible is just a book written by men.”“Christians have caused wars, slavery, and death throughout history.”What is the purpose of apologetics?To provide an answer to the critics of the Christian faith, to those who seek to undermine the rational basis for Christianity or who critique it from the standpoint of another philosophy or religion.To tear down the intellectual idols of our culture. To encourage the saints, to strengthen the faith of the church.

Apologetics and Action

What do you think the relationship is between how you defend the Christian faith and how you live out the Christian life?

Evangelism vs. Apologetics

Evangelism is telling others the gospel. Apologetics is defending the truth of the Christian faith.Apologetics addresses everything from the existence of God to the reliability of the Old and New Testaments. In contrast, evangelism is telling one specific message: the good news about what Jesus Christ has done in order to save sinners.The two can be closely linked. Apologetic conversations can lead to good opportunities to share the gospel. And evangelistic conversations will often lead to apologetics when non-Christians respond with questions or criticisms that require a reasoned response.So, while Christians shouldn’t let apologetics distract us from sharing the gospel, we should also work to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us about the hope that is in us (1 Pet. 3:15).

Words vs. Actions

“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care” - Theodore Roosevelt Apologetics involves a rational, intellectual argument for the foundations of the Christian faith. However, apart from the love, mercy, and grace that flow from the Christian life, these truths will be cold and meaningless. We are not called to merely win arguments, we are called to win souls. We must be able to defend the word of God through our words even as we live out the commands of God through our actions.