So far, my arguments from the origin of the universe, the fine-tuning of the universe, the origin of life and human nature have only really been for a god of the gaps. There are significant gaps that atheism (and naturalism in particular) can’t explain and so while the existence of God can’t be proved, it would certainly explain a lot. However, even if one is persuaded that God exists, how do you know which religion is right? Many faiths claim that their scriptures are true because their scriptures say that their scriptures are true, but this is circular reasoning that leads to conclusions that are incompatible with the conclusions of other faiths that are made on exactly the same basis. Even if we are convinced that God exists, how can we possibly know what God is like? How can we ever know the truth about God?
Jesus was one of many who claimed to speak the truth about God, but why should we believe him rather than any other self proclaimed “prophet of God”? There is only one reason: Jesus’ resurrection. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then he can be dismissed along with everyone else who claimed to be the voice of God. But if he actually rose from the dead, after claiming that that God would raise him from the dead; then you have to listen to what he says about God, including which scriptures God has revealed himself through. Christianity itself teaches that if the resurrection is false then Christianity is a lie (1 Corinthians 15:14-15). The resurrection is the pillar on which Christianity stands or falls, if Jesus rose from the dead then he really is the Lord, if he didn’t then he’s either a liar or a lunatic.
But how do we know if Jesus actually rose from the dead? Surely such an incredible claim has an incredible burden of proof. Even some of those who followed him before his crucifixion didn’t believe that he was raised from the dead on the testimony of others (John 20:24-25). Moreover, if the bible is the only source of evidence that Jesus rose from the dead then we have returned to the circular argument that the bible is true because the bible says that the bible is true. However, Christianity is not just a philosophy grounded in a book, but a movement grounded in history. While it’s difficult to disprove the resurrection in the 21st century, the claim that Jesus rose from the dead was a very falsifiable claim in the 1st century. Early opponents of Christianity fought hard stop the movement from gaining momentum, even to the point of killing its advocates. If they could have pointed to Jesus’ body they would have stopped it dead (literally), but none did.
In the 21st century, the resurrection can’t be proved or easily disproved, but it would certainly explain a lot, so much so, that historians talk about a resurrection shaped hole in 1st century history. If the resurrection is false, how do we explain such a rapid growth of a church that was founded on the historical claim that Jesus rose from the dead, when it could have been so easily falsified, and when it was so unexpected by those who followed Jesus before he died (Matthew 28:17; Mark 16:8; Luke 24:21-23, 40-41; John 20:25). How do we explain the incredible transformation of the apostles who fled before the authorities when Jesus was with them (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:49-50) and then stood up to the authorities shortly afterwards despite the fact that their leader in whom they had placed their hope wasn’t physically present with them (Acts 4:1-13; 5:17-32)?
The apostles were those who claimed to have seen the risen Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:1). These people were in a unique position to know for sure whether or not Jesus actually rose from the dead; if it was a hoax, they were the ones who made it up. And yet there is strong historical evidence both within the bible (Acts 7:54-60; 12:1-2) and outside of the bible (1 Clement 5:2; Shepherd of Hermas 27:2) that the apostles died proclaiming the resurrection. Who dies for something that they know is a lie? If the resurrection is false, then this is very different from martyrs who die for something that they genuinely believe in, not only would they disbelieve it but they would know for a fact that it was false, for they themselves made it up. However, those who were in a unique position to know for sure whether or not Jesus rose from the dead staked their lives on it. These people were certainly less educated than we are today, but they weren’t stupid. They knew that people don’t come back from the dead, they were so convinced of this that they had trouble believing it even when face to face with the resurrected Christ (Luke 24:41).
The other way to deny Jesus’ resurrection is to deny that he died on the cross. However, this is more tortuous to maintain since it requires that Roman soldiers, who were professional killers very familiar with death, failed to kill Jesus, mistaking injuries that only took three days to heal, for death. Despite the fact that the central claim of Christianity is so incredible, there is strong historical evidence for Jesus’ death and his resurrection. And if Jesus rose from the dead, then we have compelling evidence not only that God exists, but that he has revealed himself to us in the Old Testament that Jesus taught (Matthew 5:17-19; Luke 24:25), and the New Testament that Jesus commissioned the apostles to write (John 16:12-15). In the end, this is the sole reason that I’m a Christian; because I’m persuaded by the historical evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.
