the third day

The Third Day An Examination of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Third Day The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection

The German chancellor, Konrad Adeneur, once asked Billy Graham this question: “Mr.Graham, do you really believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead?” Billy Graham somewhat taken aback by the

question said, “Sir, if I did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I would have no gospel left to preach.” Graham said Conrad Adeneur paused, walked over to the end of the room, looked out of the window, at the

post-war ruins and said, “Mr. Graham, outside of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I

know of no other hope for mankind.”

The Fact of the Resurrection

" Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received,

in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He

was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then

to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely

born, He appeared to me also."(1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also

you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain."

(1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

Paul is about to describe the Gospel, or “good

news”, which includes the resurrection. This Gospel:

1. Was preached2. Was received3. Makes believers stand4. Saves believers

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was

buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”

(1 Corinthians 15: 3-4)

Theologians agree that vs. 3-5 are one of the earliest Christian creeds, which Paul quotes. Some believe that

Paul received it directly from Peter and James while visiting them in Jerusalem – some five years after Jesus’

crucifixion.



(1 Corinthians 15: 3-4)

Paul says these points – Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection are of “first importance” - prōtois - which

signifies a prominence; “most important”. Without these three facts, Christianity falls and is worthless. Paul also

puts the integrity of Bible on the line and says these things were prophesied in the Scriptures.

"And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these

things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with

all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all

the Scriptures."(Luke 24:25-27)

What if no Resurrection?

"Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that

there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our

preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been

raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we

have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied."


“But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain,

your faith also is vain. ”(1 Corinthians 15: 13-14)

Paul says his preaching and our faith are “kenon”, which means ‘empty’ and ‘devoid of value’. This is an important

point to understand: without the resurrection of Jesus, Paul says the Christian faith has no value whatsoever.

“[This is] not simply as having some mixture of falsehood, but as being altogether an empty fallacy. For what remains if Christ has been swallowed up by death — if he has become extinct — if he has been

overwhelmed by the curse of sin — if, in fine, he has been overcome

by Satan? In short, if that fundamental article is subverted,

all that remains will be of no moment. For the same reason he adds, that their faith will be vain, for what solidity of faith will there be, where no hope of life is to be seen? But in the death of Christ, considered in itself, there is seen nothing but ground of despair, for

he cannot be the author of salvation to others, who has been altogether vanquished by death.”

- John Calvin

“Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise,

if in fact the dead are not raised. ”(1 Corinthians 15: 15)

If Jesus was not resurrected, then Paul says he and the other apostles and fellow workers have been spreading a false religion. But in addition, Jesus is found to be a

liar or wrong as well as the Scripture.

Paul Would be a Liar or Wrong

"“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all

men by raising Him from the dead.”"(Acts 17:30-31)

"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to

your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.“(Romans 8:11)

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the

Scriptures,"(1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

" But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep."(1 Corinthians 15:20)

The Apostles Would be Liars or Wrong

"this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held

in its power."(Acts 2:23-24)

"And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them

all."(Acts 4:33)

"let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom

God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health."

(Acts 4:10)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a

living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"(1 Peter 1:3)

Jesus Would be a Liar or Wrong"From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He

must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up

on the third day."(Matthew 16:21)

"As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the

Son of Man has risen from the dead.”"(Matthew 17:9)

"Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written

through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. “For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day

He will rise again.”"(Luke 18:31-33)

Jesus Would be a Liar or Wrong

"Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He

was speaking of the temple of His body."

(John 2:19-21)

“Our Saviour’s resurrection is truly of great importance in Christianity, so great that His

being or not being the Messiah

stands or falls with it.”

- John Locke

Jesus Would be a Liar or Wrong

" Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah

the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so

will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

(Matthew 12:38-40)

Jesus did not say He would give them no sign. Jesus said THE sign, THE proof that would show Him to be truthful and the Messiah was

His resurrection from the grave.

"“So, having obtained help from God, I [Paul] stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was

going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light

both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”"

(Acts 26:22-23)

The Bible Would be Wrong

The Bible Would be Wrong

"I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I

will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. For

You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy

One to undergo decay."(Psalm 16:8-10)

God the Father Would be a Liar

In the original Greek, the construction of verse 15 seems to indicate Paul saying that God was lying and by God’s

false testimony, he and the other apostles were spreading falsehoods.

“Now, therefore, he teaches that, if the resurrection of Christ is denied, God is made guilty of falsehood in the witnesses that have been brought forward and hired by

him.” - John Calvin

The Uniqueness of Christianity Vanishes

All Dead and

Buried

Buddha

Muhammad

Confucius

VS.

Alive Forever?

“Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise,

if in fact the dead are not raised. ”(1 Corinthians 15: 15)

If Jesus was not resurrected, then Paul and the apostles word could not be trusted, Jesus could

not be trusted, and the Bible could not be trusted. What source of truth is left…?

"For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished."


Without the resurrection, Jesus could not have done three things:

1. Conquer Sin2. Conquer Death3. Conquer Hell

Why is this the case? Why couldn’t

Jesus die on the cross for our sins

and His spirit then depart and be with God? Why did He

have to be resurrected to

defeat sin, death, and Hell?

“This firstborn from the dead

was raised from the grave, not a human creature,

but a spirit”Jehovah’s WitnessesLet God Be True, pg. 276.

The Anthropology of Man

What is the nature of human beings? Some theories:

• Materialism – humans have a material body but nothing else. All is just a manifestation of matter. • Idealism – the reverse of materialism – humans only

have an immaterial dimension, and the body is nothing more than a mirage to the non-material mind. • Monism – just as one side of a coin is the same

substance as the other side of the same coin, so humans are made up of a body and soul that are the same substance – really just the same thing. • Dualism – the body and soul are separate components

that run in parallel to each other, but never really interact. • Trichotomy – a person has a separate body, soul, and

spirit. With the body, a person is world-conscious; with the soul, they are self-conscious; and with the spirit, they are God-conscious.

The Anthropology of Man

What is the nature of human beings?

A person has a material and immaterial component, but they are unified in one person, with the word for this

unity being hylomorphism.

When God breathed life into man in Genesis 2:7, there was a unity of dust (body) and God’s breath giving life to

the unified person. Paul touches on this cohesive concept in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 when he says,

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be

preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In the same way God is not three gods but one God in three persons, our immaterial and material sides are

one.

The Fall of Man

“The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.’”

(Genesis 2:15-16)

The Hebrew word for “die” in verse 16 is muwth, which

can mean to die prematurely from neglect of

wise or moral conduct.

The Fall of Man

“For the wages of sin is death”-Romans 6:23

The concept is simple – you sin, you die. A person experiences separation from God

(spiritual death) and your body ages and dies in a physical manner. Both were consequences of the fall and both have to be undone because, as

we’ve already seen, man’s nature involves an inseparable unity between the material and the

immaterial.

We cannot just be partly saved – it’s all or nothing.

The Redemption of Man"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered

into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned

—"(Romans 5:12) Just as through one man sin entered into

the world and spread death and separation from God to all mankind,

through another man, freedom from sin, physical death, and separation from God

(Hell) entered into the world.

Jesus had to be raised bodily to fully save mankind and demonstrate victory over

sin and death. If He wasn’t raised bodily, then sin and Satan won in the garden. What the first Adam lost, the last Adam

(Christ) retrieved.

The Redemption of Man

The key difference to remember between Greek/Platonic thought, Gnostic philosophy and

Christianity is this: In the former, salvation is defined as deliverance FROM the body, whereas in Christianity, salvation is deliverance OF the

body.

"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;"

(1 Corinthians 15:56)

Without a bodily resurrection of Jesus, sin wins and eternal death is the ultimate outcome for every human being. But because of the sacrifice and victory over sin accomplished by Christ, we are saved from the sting of sin: "I am writing to you, little children, because your

sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.“(1 John 2:12)

No Resurrection: Sin Wins

"“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."

(Matthew 16:18)

Contrary to many interpretations, “the gates of Hades” does not refer to Satan’s kingdom. Instead it is a Jewish expression for death. Jesus was saying that death would not defeat Him, would not defeat His plan for building His Church, and would not defeat those who would be part of His body. But without the resurrection? As Paul says, “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ

have perished."

No Resurrection: Death Wins

"But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will

have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your

sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-56)

Notice it is only after our resurrection that death will be finally overcome. And if Christ was not

raised, as Paul has said, neither will we be.

No Resurrection: Death Wins

"Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these

the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and

will reign with Him for a thousand years."(Revelation 20:6)

Without Christ’s bodily resurrection, Hell wins. Christ’s resurrection was the proof (or demonstration and

vindication) of God’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice. Because He lives, God can credit His provided

righteousness to the account of every person who responds by faith to that offer: "He who was delivered

over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification."(Romans 4:25)

No Resurrection: Hell Wins

"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied."


No Resurrection?

“If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."


No Resurrection?

No Resurrection?

1.The authority of truth is eliminated2.The life-giving power of the Gospel is eliminated3.The divinity of Jesus is eliminated4.Salvation from sin is eliminated5.Eternal life is eliminated

But…

"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who

are asleep."(1 Corinthians 15:20)

“no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;

for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of

the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three

nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:38-40)

"who was declared the Son of God with power by the

resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our

Lord,"(Romans 1:4)

The Proof of Christ’s Word



Christ’s resurrection is of ‘first importance’ – without it, Christianity collapses.

The Third Day The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection

the third day

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