Our Hope Well Placed in Christ
Hope. It is something all people need-it encourages us, it drives us forward, it lifts our spirits when we are down. What is it that you put your hope in? Paul mentions three virtues in 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NASB): “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Love is the greatest, indeed; however, hope is vitally important, as well. Hope in the cross and the sacrifice Christ made for all is what allows us to live each day with eager anticipation for the future. What is it that anchors our hope? The fact that Christ is risen. There is one thing that can destroy Christianity completely… one thing that can make the Christian faith worthless… that is if the craziest thing that Christians believe to be true is false. If a brutally crucified Jesus did not walk away from His tomb, if He never rose from the dead, then Paul said Christianity is pointless - “we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19).
Do we have good reasons to hope for our future? Do we have good reasons to hope in the midst of difficult times? Do we have good reasons to trust and have hope in the resurrection? After all, hope needs to be built on something. Hoping without a basis in reality is just wishful thinking. Here are three reasons, rooted in history, that validate our hope in Christ, three evidences that affirm the truth claims that Christ rose from the dead.
Gary Habermas, author of the Minimal Facts Argument for the resurrection of Christ, gives the minimal reasons needed to believe Jesus rose from the dead. His argument can be broken down into three essential facts to verify that Christ rose from the dead. After all, we just need to demonstrate that Christ truly was dead at one time and that He was alive again at a later point in time. If that is not a fair way of explaining the resurrection, what is?
Here are the three essential facts needed to make the case: 1) Jesus was dead and buried. 2) The tomb was empty. 3) The disciples lives were transformed.
Notice how each of these facts is grounded in earthly positions; there is nothing supernatural about these three points. We have a corpse, an empty tomb, and personal encounters changing peoples lives in some fashion.
Consider that most New Testament scholars (many of whom are non-believers) do not affirm that Jesus rose from the dead, yet they affirm the three facts just mentioned. The three minimal facts are historically reliable.
Jesus was dead and buried. There is no academic dispute on this point. He was beaten, flogged, hung on the cross and declared dead by well-trained Roman soldiers-including having a spear stuck in his side to ensure He was dead. Then, He was embalmed and sealed in a tomb.
Based on recorded history, is it reasonable to believe Jesus survived this ordeal? If it isn’t, the first question is answered-Jesus was dead.
The tomb was empty Sunday morning. Nearly all scholars accept this claim. This fact was never disputed at the time-even by the Romans and the Jews who had everything to gain by being able to produce Jesus’ body. If Christ’s body was produced there never would have been a controversy.
If the Romans and Jews weren’t able to produce a body-what about the disciples, did they do something with the body? They had nothing to gain by hiding a body-they were beaten, whipped, stoned, and crucified for their belief in Christ. Virtually all scholars today reject the claim of the disciples taking Jesus’ body for these reasons.
The disciples were transformed. Scholars acknowledge the disciples’ lives were transformed after they said they saw the resurrected Jesus. At grave peril to themselves they proclaimed the truth of what they saw to thousands. Even James, Jesus’ brother-a former skeptic, and Paul who persecuted Christians prior to his conversion-risked death preaching the risen Christ instead of retracting what they saw.
What did they all see? Who was it they all ate with, walked with, or saw? It could not have been a hallucination. It is well documented by psychologists that groups of people cannot have the same hallucination one time, let alone multiple times. Hallucinations, like dreams, are private experiences-others cannot join you in one.
What single explanation makes the most sense out of the historical details that a majority of scholars agree on: the death of Jesus, the empty tomb, and the life transformation of the disciples and skeptics alike? The apostle Peter’s answer sums it up “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32).
Those who disagree with this point must come up with a better explanation of the facts.
In the end, the one thing that can destroy Christianity turns out to be the one thing that makes the most sense of everything. Christ is risen.
We have hope in the resurrected Christ! It is plain for all to see-you just need to look. Pray, read the bible, read extra-biblical sources, talk to anyone who can help you solidify your faith if you have questions. No matter what time you live in, no matter what situation you are facing, you should have hope in our risen Savior. Hope in this world and hope in the next. Jesus conquered death and has provided hope for all who freely choose to believe in Him.