“Thousands and tens of thousands have gone through the evidence which attests the resurrection of Christ, piece by piece, as carefully as ever a judge summed up on the most important case. I have myself done it many times over, not to persuade others, but to satisfy myself. I have been used for many years to study the history of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fitter evidence and every kind.”
– Thomas Arnold (Leaves of Gold, pg. 68)
In the spirit of Easter, allow me to greet you by saying, “He is Risen!” (I heard some of you saying, “He is Risen Indeed!” Good job!) I hope you have enjoyed the Leaves of Gold series of blog posts. The forty entries were completed yesterday, but I thought it appropriate to offer one more entry for Resurrection Day. The forty entries of this series have covered a range of subjects, but if they are to culminate in one that takes prominence over the rest, that must be the resurrection of Jesus.
Easter is THE celebration of the Church. It is the declaration that Jesus was not held in death, but physically raised by the power of God. Further, it is the affirmation of accounts that Jesus revealed himself multiple times to multiple people, some whose testimony has been preserved for us to read. There are many who accept this declaration by faith (informed faith, I might add), and there are many who do not. If you are among those who do not, please know that I pray for you. Perhaps you will come to a point of reconsidering the evidence. If you are among those who do accept the declaration of the resurrection, let me encourage you to reflect on why you do.
Because I have committed to brevity in these posts, it is impossible to even begin a discussion regarding evidence of the resurrection. New Testament scholar Dr. Gary Habermas recently released a scholarly work on evidences of Christ’s resurrection that totals over 1,000 pages—and that is just volume one! If you want those kinds of resources, plenty are available. I am not asking that you go that far (though I don’t discourage it), but simply to consider what it is about the evidence that persuades you. Is it the personal encounters of his apostles on that day? Maybe it is Paul’s conversion that happened some time later, or even that Jesus’ own brother James was converted and became a leader in the Church. Is it the willingness of the apostles to die for what they claimed? What are the pieces of evidence that help you in your faith?
Thankfully Jesus does not leave us without a witness that is personal. A familiar hymn offers these words: “You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart.” Is a personal experience enough to be convincing by itself? Perhaps, depending on the person. The good thing is that personal, subjective experiences are not all God has given us. Today we let the witness of scripture, of church history, and personal experience speak. Christ is alive, to the glory of God!
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 