“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6 (NKJV)
The fact of the resurrection of Christ is the miracle of Christianity (Myer Pearlman).
The resurrection is the capstone of Jesus’ earthly ministry. For if Christ had not risen, then He was not what He claimed to be; His death was not an atoning death; Christians have been deceived for centuries; preachers have been declaring error; and the faithful have been deceived by a false hope of salvation.
But, thank God we have confidence in the fact that there’s an empty tomb. Not a tomb that was desecrated and a body stolen, as some would want us to believe. The fact of an empty tomb cannot be explained apart from the truth of the resurrection of Jesus.
The fact of the resurrection means:
1. That Jesus is all that He claimed to be (Romans 1:4).
2. That the atoning death of Christ was a reality, and that man may find forgiveness for past sins and so find peace with God (Romans 4:25).
3. That we have a sympathetic High Priest in heaven, who has lived our life, and known our sorrows and infirmities, and who is able to give us power to live the Christ-life day by day. He who died for us now lives for us (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).
4. That we may know that there is a life to come. The resurrection of Christ gives not only proof of the fact of immortality but also the assurance of personal immortality (1 Thessalonians 4:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14; John 14:19).
5. That there is a certainty of future judgement (Acts 17:31).
Let’s rejoice in the fact that because Jesus lives, we shall live also. Amen!
Read: Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 45:10-17; Luke 16:19-31; Luke 17:1-10; Deuteronomy 23; Deuteronomy 24; Deuteronomy 25
