The Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8:
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
In Christianity, the cornerstone of the Christian faith is a living, not a dead Savior. Christianity stands or falls on whether or not Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead is true.[1] Evangelist Larry Moyer emphasizes this point in these statements: “Jesus’ empty tomb is one of the most attested facts of history. If the empty tomb is not true, then nothing Jesus Christ said matters.”[2]
In the first century, both Jesus’ followers, and His enemies, admitted the tomb of Jesus was no longer occupied. His followers proclaimed He rose from the dead. But, according to Matthew 28:11-15, the Jewish religious leaders bribed the Roman soldiers to maintain Jesus’ disciples stole the body while these guards slept. Their story requires more imagination than Jesus’ actual resurrection! If the soldiers were asleep, how did they know who stole the body? Keep in mind, it will be another 1900+ years before the invention of security cameras!
Again, the Christian faith stands or falls on whether or not Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead is true. Credible historical evidence exists for the tomb of Jesus being empty days after His crucifixion because Jesus is a risen, not a dead Savior. No other founder of a world religion rose from the dead to validate their truthfulness, power, and authority.[3]
By returning from the dead in a resurrected body, Jesus Christ endures as an authority on the afterlife. His resurrection verifies His deity and gives credibility to His other statements about life, death, and eternity.[4]
Before His resurrection, Jesus asked an important question to His friend, Martha.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25, 26)
Jesus’ question above is just as important today. In fact, how one responds either by faith in Jesus or personal rejection of Him will determine one’s eternal destiny.
Pastor Cecil Price
April 20, 2025
Scripture taken from The New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. www.lockman.org
[1] Cecil Price, The Unique One: 18 Distinctives of Jesus Christ (Dallas, TX: Bible Message Publications, 2014), 133.
[2] R. Larry Moyer, “How to Respond to the Ten Most Common Questions in Evangelism” (presentation, Evantell Igniter Lunch, Dallas, TX, July 21, 2011).
[3] Tal Davis, “Is Jesus Superior to All Other Religious Leaders?” in Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010), 187.
[4] Price, 133.