At a debate one of my colleagues attended on the existence of God, there was a rather vociferous atheist who sported an unforgettable jacket. Monogrammed on the back of the jacket were the words of a familiar verse, yet with a surprise ending. It read, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever...dead.”

The resurrection of Jesus has been called the linchpin of Christianity. Indeed, even the apostle Paul wrote that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, there was no faith to be had. What incredible words! Some who wrongly dichotomize “faith” and “facts” might expect the apostle to say, “Well, if we find out that Jesus really did not rise, we’ll keep believing it because it brings comfort and besides, what would it do to Christianity?” Yet Paul says, in effect, if Christ is still dead, if he is still in the grave, let’s hang up the whole thing. Eat, drink, and be merry!

No historical event has been so subjected to scrutiny as Jesus’ claim to have risen from the dead. This alone is an indicator of the event’s importance. So many ingenious ways have been concocted to falsify it—from the swoon theory to the disciples’ self-delusion—that it’s almost humorous. I am amazed at the lengths to which some scholars have been willing to go in an attempt to debunk the resurrection, while scores of other religious figures (such as Krishna, Buddha, or Mohammed) have been left totally unstudied. Interestingly enough, an average student in India, for example, does not even know when Krishna was born or if indeed he ever was. At the same time, he or she has theorized about Jesus quite a bit. This is an ironic phenomenon.

Of all His claims, His promise of His resurrection was understandably the most controversial. Yet, to be certain, it was the ultimate justification of His message.

More people in the world bow their knee to Jesus than to any other religious leader. Are they justified in doing so, or is Jesus still in the grave like all of the others that have come and gone? I would like to comment on this issue, and eventually offer six reflections that will point us to the truth of the resurrection. Please join me, dear friend as we consider this all important truth. For in this we are agreed: If the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true, life itself must be defined by that truth.