5 Compelling Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as one of the most pivotal events in human history. For many believers, it serves as the foundation of their faith, while skeptics raise questions about its historicity This post highlights five convincing reasons to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, utilizing historical sources and biblical narratives. Understanding the evidence surrounding Jesus' resurrection can deepen your faith and provide important insights into belief itself. This exploration appeals not only to those with faith but also to anyone seeking to uncover the truth. If you want to go deeper into this subject, check out the online course.

1. Creeds

Skeptics argue that by the time the New Testament was written, the story of Jesus’ life and events surrounding his death were embellished. Like the Telephone Game, the original message gets distorted over time, and by the time you get to the last player, the original message is completely different. This sounds perfectly reasonable, but it isn't based on the historical record.

Before the letters of the New Testament were written, the first Christians were reciting creeds that mentioned the deity, death, and resurrection of Jesus. What are creeds? Creeds are hymns or confessions that Christians recited to remember and reflect on Christian doctrine before Christian doctrine was written down.[1] Much like we teach young students to learn certain subjects to music or poems, creeds were worded in such a way to make them easy to memorize. But what makes the creeds so important for this discussion are how they give us a view into what the early Church believed and taught before they had the letters of the New Testament. Moreover, if we consider that the creeds themselves were built on material that came even earlier, we have strong evidence that the resurrection was the original story right out the gate.

Consider 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 as an example. Scholars believe the Apostle Paul was citing material he received directly from the Apostles. Habermas writes: “Based on the data, the consensus New Testament scholarly view indicates that Paul probably received the early creedal material in 1 Cor 15:3–7 directly from the Jerusalem disciples Peter and James when he visited them (Gal 1:18–20).”[3] Atheist New Testament scholar Bart Erhman agrees and concludes that the creedal traditions Paul received at this meeting were obviously older and “so must date to just a couple of years or so after Jesus’s death.”[4] Some scholars place this to within months of the cross.[5] This is quite significant because the closer we get to the original source of the message, the more likely we are to have the correct message. Just like in our Telephone Game analogy, there is no way the message of the resurrection could have been distorted over time because we know it was the original message. And if it was the original message during the time when eye-witnesses were alive and could fact-check any lies, this is strong evidence for Jesus' resurrection.

2. The Empty Tomb

Most critical scholars agree that Jesus’ tomb was empty days after the burial. Of course, they don’t attribute it to a bodily resurrection, but most agree that the tomb was found empty a short time after Jesus’ dead body was placed in it. Why is this significant? The answer is this: if alternative theories as to why the tomb was found empty fail to explain the known facts, we are left with the resurrection as the most likely explanation.

One explanation is the disciples stole the body. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day started a false narrative that lives on to this day!

Matt 28:12-15 -- When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Observe how the chief priests responded to the news of the empty tomb. Instead of dismissing the disciples' claim and labeling them as delusional, they were compelled to acknowledge the absence of a body by creating a false story to justify it. The situation could have been resolved if the chief priests had simply gone to the tomb, retrieved the body, and paraded Jesus' corpse through Jerusalem for everyone to see. The only reason this didn't occur is that they were unable to produce a body. While we can debate the reasons for their inability to do so (whether the disciples stole the body, aliens took it, or necromancers removed it), the fact that Jesus' adversaries admitted to the empty tomb provides strong historical evidence that something happened to Jesus' body shortly after his death and burial.

But was the tomb empty because the disciples stole the body? Could Roman or Jewish temple guards sleep through a grave robbery, especially when they were protecting someone like Jesus? Let us consider, hypothetically, that the guards did fall asleep while on duty. If this were the case, it is likely they took turns and rotated shifts. If both guards slept at the same time, they would have positioned themselves against the stone in such a manner that any movement would have awakened them.

Are we to believe Jesus’ disciples tiptoed through the garden, rolled the stone away, and ran off with the body, all without waking them? Add to this the fact that the body being robbed was the body of a man who claimed to be a Messiah and King and had predicted His own resurrection. The high level of security and the controversy surrounding Jesus make it unlikely that the disciples or anyone else, for that matter, stole the body.

3. The Radical Conversion of the Apostle Paul

This piece of evidence is one of your best. Why? The main reason has to do with the consensus among most critical scholars that Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon are authentic Pauline letters. Other letters are disputed, but in the undisputed letters of Paul, Paul wrote about his experiences and developed some of the most brilliant resurrection/new creation theology. It’s hard to read any of Paul’s letters, especially Romans, and walk away thinking you are reading the words of a madman. If Paul was wrong about his theology and mistaken about his supposed encounter with the risen Jesus, critical scholars believe he was innocent in his “lie.” In other words, they don’t think Paul actually saw Jesus alive, but they believe Paul was sincere in his writings and thought he saw Jesus alive.

Another reason Paul’s testimony is so important has to do with his status as a highly educated Jewish scholar. As stated above, Paul may have been wrong, but his writings are brilliant and have influenced all of Western Civilization. They are not the musings of a lunatic. But before this, he severely persecuted Christians (1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13-14; Phil. 3:4-7). Paul wrote, “I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it” (Gal 1:13). What do you suppose happened to Paul to make him go from “violently persecuting the church” to becoming one of the most influential preachers of the gospel and ultimately dying for the faith? If Paul really believed in his heart that he saw Jesus in His glory, that would explain the sudden transformation and willingness to die for the faith.

Some skeptics argue that Paul might have hallucinated the experience. Unlike the disciples, who could have been grieving and susceptible to visions, Paul was not in a mental state to imagine seeing Jesus. On the road to Damascus, encountering Jesus was the last thing he expected, yet something occurred that prompted him to forsake his esteemed position in Judaism for a life filled with hardship and persecution. He endured five lashings, each consisting of 39 stripes; was beaten with rods three times; stoned once; shipwrecked three times, and faced much more (2 Cor. 11:23-27). What could compel a man to relinquish the status he once held in Judaism to preach a radical message that ultimately led to his death? This is more plausible if Paul truly witnessed Christ alive.

4. Transformation of the Disciples

The dramatic change in the disciples after Jesus' resurrection adds further credibility to the event. Initially characterized by fear and doubt, the disciples transformed into bold leaders who spread Jesus' message despite facing intense danger.

This change can be seen in figures like Peter and John, who went from hiding to speaking publicly about their faith. In a mere 50 days after the resurrection, Peter delivered a powerful sermon that converted about 3,000 people (Acts 2:41).

Such a complete shift suggests a profound event must have transpired, fortifying their faith and commitment. The fact that these once-timid individuals became fearless advocates for the resurrection supports their claims of having genuinely encountered the risen Christ.

5. The Growth of the Early Church

The rapid expansion of early Christianity is a striking reality when discussing evidence for Jesus' resurrection. Within just a few decades following His death, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, attracting diverse followers from various backgrounds.

Statistically, estimates suggest around 1.5 million Christians existed by the end of the first century, despite facing substantial persecution. The belief in the resurrection was not merely an abstract idea; it became a driving force that rallied early Christians together.

This remarkable growth in a hostile environment suggests that the resurrection message resonated with people and significantly transformed their lives. Its undeniable impact on history strengthens the argument for the event’s authenticity.

Final Thoughts

The evidence surrounding Jesus' resurrection includes creeds and the theological material they were built on, the discovery of the empty tomb, the radical change in the Apostle Paul, the transformation of the disciples, and the rapid expansion of the early church. These compelling reasons not only bolster the case for the resurrection as a historical event but also highlight its transformative power in human lives. The significance of this event extends beyond religious doctrine; it continues to offer hope and meaning to millions across generations.

Whether you identify as a skeptic or a believer, examining these reasons allows for a richer understanding of this pivotal moment in history. The evidence calls for thoughtful inquiry and further exploration of its relevance in our lives today. For further study on the historical evidence of the resurrection, enroll in the online apologetics course here.

Sources

[1] Benjamin C.F. Shaw, Trustworthy: Thirteen Arguments for the Reliability of the New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2024), 54.

[2] Gary R. Habermas, On the Resurrection: Evidences (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2024), 445

[3] Ibid., 470.

[4] Bart Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2012), 131, 145, 261.

[5] James D.G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003), 854