Know for Certain: Answers for Those Who Doubt (Vol. 2)ናሙና

“Did Jesus come back from the dead?”

When grappling with this question, we can consider the numerous witnesses who saw Jesus after His resurrection. The Bible states that over 500 people saw Jesus alive post-resurrection. Many of these same witnesses were still alive when the biblical authors wrote most of the New Testament gospels and letters. If the authors were lying or exaggerating facts, many people could have refuted their claims.

Writings from that same period in history confirm what these witnesses saw. In the first century, historian Flavius Josephus wrote about the death and resurrection of Jesus as historical fact. These accounts provide important proof, but perhaps there are more important questions to consider. Why is Jesus' resurrection so significant to Christianity? What if it hadn’t happened? Imagine the far-reaching effects:

-The disciples and those martyred for the gospel would have died in vain.

-Jesus would not have conquered death, leaving us with no hope of eternal life with God.

-Jesus would have died only as a martyr, not as a sacrifice for our sins.

- We would have to pay for our own sins.

-The Easter holiday would merely be a memorial observance, rather than a celebration of new life.

- Our faith would be worthless.

Yes, without the power of the resurrection, our faith would be worthless. In his letter to the Christian church in Corinth, the apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of Jesus' resurrection. This resurrection sets Christianity apart from all other world religions. In no other religious tradition does God Himself become like His creation and choose to die in place of humanity to pay the death penalty for sin. By conquering death and coming back to life, Jesus not only paid for sin, He obliterated spiritual death once and for all.

Through this incredible demonstration of love, God allows mankind to accept Jesus’ payment and live eternally with Him in heaven. With grace and mercy, God gives each of us the choice to accept Jesus’ death and resurrection as payment for our sins; because of overwhelming eyewitness and historical accounts, as well as the uniqueness and spiritual implication of Jesus’ resurrection, we can know for certain that Jesus died for each of us on the cross and rose again three days later.