The main tenet of Christianity is that Jesus rose from the grave. Christianity has no value if the resurrection does not occur. “Our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain if Christ has not been raised,” stated Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14. One of the tenets of Christianity is the resurrection of Christ. Its truth can only be persuaded by God. However, all other explanations for the resurrection story fall short, and there is a wealth of evidence for the resurrection, so that faith is firmly grounded in reason.
Alternative explanations fail
There is ample proof that Jesus rose from the dead. Many, however, contest it. They have provided a number of different justifications. All of these, though, are extremely unlikely.
Theory 1: Jesus did not die, He only swooned.
Roman troops were proficient in taking human lives. Just to be sure, they stabbed Jesus with a lance after He had been crucified (John 19:33–35). Could the same individual show up two days later in such magnificent condition that His followers took Him to be the Son of God?
Theory 2: The disciples made up the story.
It is quite implausible, however, that a group of unassuming fishermen would come up with a tale that altered the course of history, even though they would all be ready to testify to it for decades and even risk their lives for it. Furthermore, the Jewish leaders would have revealed the deceit.
Theory 3: The disciples had hallucinations.
One person experiences hallucinations in a brief amount of time; over five hundred people experience them over the course of forty days. Furthermore, unlike what Jesus did in front of His followers, hallucinations do not consume fish (see Luke 24:42-43). Furthermore, the assertion of hallucinations does not address the issue of where the body was located.
Theory 4: The resurrection is a myth that developed over time.
Instead than reading as myth, the gospels read as firsthand reports. The materials used in the gospel of Mark are from the seven years following the resurrection, which is far too little time for myth to form. A witness named Peter claims that the gospel account is not a “cleverly devised myth” (2 Peter 1:16). The case is closed when an eyewitness states, “This is not a myth.” The myth assertion is obviously untrue, yet Peter might still be lying (see theory 2).
Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. It demonstrates that He is the Son of God, as He claimed to be. We have more than enough reason to follow and trust in Jesus because of His resurrection. We can accept Jesus’ promise that everyone who believes in him would [be granted eternal life] and be raised from the dead on the last day because of His resurrection.
