Crux: What is the "Crux" of Christianity?
The crux of a Christianity centers on the resurrection of Jesus. “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain,” writes Paul. Without the resurrection, there would be no Christianity. Although many cults, liberal scholars, and atheist have attempted to disprove the resurrection, there is still good reason to believe it to be true.
We can believe in the resurrection, because the testimonies recorded in Scripture are reliable. The manuscript evidence attests to the reliability of the Bible. There exist more ancient manuscript copies of the Bible dating near to the originals than any other work from antiquity. Josephus, Tacitus, and other first century non-Christian sources corroborate the historical narratives contained in the Bible. Archeological discoveries (e.g. the finds of William Ramsey) also confirm the people, places, and events of Scripture. Moreover, there are predictive prophecies contained in the Bible that came to pass (e.g. the fall of Tyre [Ezek. 26:3]; the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 [Matt. 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6]), which testify to the divine inspiration of the biblical authors. One can also trust that it’s reliable because of the great statistical improbability that even one of the prophecies it mentions could be fulfilled.[1]
The testimonials of Paul and the four Gospel writers provide key evidences that support the resurrection. According to their testimony, Jesus died on the cross. To insure He was truly dead, the Roman solider pieced his heart with a spear. The body was taken down from the cross, placed in the tomb of Joseph Arimathea, a stone was rolled over the entrance, a seal placed on the stone, a guard appointed to watched the tomb, and the disciples fled (Matt. 27:57-66;Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:31-42). While there are many other explanations of what “really” happened, the only plausible one is Jesus rose from the dead. Only the resurrection can explain the empty tomb and the eyewitnesses to the living Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-58; Matt. 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-50; John 20-21). In addition to these things, there are four key features of the early church — the transformation of the disciples, change in key social structures in Judaism, the sacraments (baptism and communion), and the existence of the church itself — all of which testify to the validity of the resurrection event.[2]
The resurrection vindicated Jesus claim to full divinity, particularly in His self-disclosure as “I am” or Yahweh (John 8:58-59). It is this evidence that a person can know with certainty that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, and that His message of being reconciled to God by believing that He paid the price by His own death on the cross to redeem sinners is true. His resurrection coupled with His own fulfilled prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, allows us to be certain that He will return to judge the living and the dead (Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 19-20).
[1] Hank Hanegraaff, "M-A-P-S to Guide You Through Biblical Reliability" (DB011).
[2] J.P. Moreland, Scaling the Secular City (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), 178-181.
We can believe in the resurrection, because the testimonies recorded in Scripture are reliable. The manuscript evidence attests to the reliability of the Bible. There exist more ancient manuscript copies of the Bible dating near to the originals than any other work from antiquity. Josephus, Tacitus, and other first century non-Christian sources corroborate the historical narratives contained in the Bible. Archeological discoveries (e.g. the finds of William Ramsey) also confirm the people, places, and events of Scripture. Moreover, there are predictive prophecies contained in the Bible that came to pass (e.g. the fall of Tyre [Ezek. 26:3]; the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 [Matt. 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6]), which testify to the divine inspiration of the biblical authors. One can also trust that it’s reliable because of the great statistical improbability that even one of the prophecies it mentions could be fulfilled.[1]
The testimonials of Paul and the four Gospel writers provide key evidences that support the resurrection. According to their testimony, Jesus died on the cross. To insure He was truly dead, the Roman solider pieced his heart with a spear. The body was taken down from the cross, placed in the tomb of Joseph Arimathea, a stone was rolled over the entrance, a seal placed on the stone, a guard appointed to watched the tomb, and the disciples fled (Matt. 27:57-66;Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:31-42). While there are many other explanations of what “really” happened, the only plausible one is Jesus rose from the dead. Only the resurrection can explain the empty tomb and the eyewitnesses to the living Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-58; Matt. 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-50; John 20-21). In addition to these things, there are four key features of the early church — the transformation of the disciples, change in key social structures in Judaism, the sacraments (baptism and communion), and the existence of the church itself — all of which testify to the validity of the resurrection event.[2]
The resurrection vindicated Jesus claim to full divinity, particularly in His self-disclosure as “I am” or Yahweh (John 8:58-59). It is this evidence that a person can know with certainty that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, and that His message of being reconciled to God by believing that He paid the price by His own death on the cross to redeem sinners is true. His resurrection coupled with His own fulfilled prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, allows us to be certain that He will return to judge the living and the dead (Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 19-20).
[1] Hank Hanegraaff, "M-A-P-S to Guide You Through Biblical Reliability" (DB011).
[2] J.P. Moreland, Scaling the Secular City (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), 178-181.
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