Jesus Christ Is Resurrected

Christ's Resurrection Is Real

The life and death of Jesus of Nazareth is an established fact. The non-Christian historical accounts of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, Maimonides corroborate one another in relating when and how Jesus died. 

The suffering and death of Jesus are critical to the Christian faith because they are the source of the atonement that reconciles us with God. Yet, as important as Christ's death is, it would mean nothing without His resurrection. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, I can trust everything else He promised, including His ability to wash away my sins.

The proof of the Atonement is the Resurrection, and the proof of the Resurrection is witnesses. So, I begin my explanation of why I believe in Christ's resurrection with His witnesses.

1. The eyewitness testimony of Christ's resurrection is credible and sincere. The primary witnesses, the Apostles, suffered prolonged torture and death rather than renounce their testimony. Martyrdom proves sincerity, but it does not prove the facts. Nevertheless, the death of the Apostles is remarkable because they did not claim merely to believe Jesus was resurrected, but that they actually saw Him. Either they did or did not see Him alive and well after His death. The martyrs died not for what they believed, but for what they saw.

2. Saul, a diligent persecutor of the earliest believers in Jesus, had an experience with the resurrected Christ that dramatically changed his life, turning him into a staunch and unwavering defender of Jesus and His resurrection. Saul-turned-Paul testified to his dying day that he saw the resurrected Lord. 

3. The empty tomb could not be denied. The Jewish Sanhedrin claimed that Jesus's disciples stole the body. If that were true, then the Apostles would have known the resurrection was a hoax and would hardly have been willing to die to maintain the lie. Surely someone would have weakened in the face of torture and excruciating death and confessed to the hoax, if not to save himself, then to save his friends and family. It has also been suggested that Jesus faked His death and then escaped the tomb. The possibility that any human could survive being beaten, tortured, lacerated, and stabbed, suffering internal damage, massive blood loss, asphyxiation, and a spear through His side, and then sit quietly in a sealed tomb for more than thirty-six hours without medical attention is absurd.

4. Jesus has been seen in other places besides Jerusalem and at other times besides immediately after His death. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ records the experience of thousands of people in the Western Hemisphere who saw the resurrected, immortal Christ. After He left his disciples in Palestine and ascended to heaven, He descended from heaven in dramatic fashion, appearing before more than 2,500 people on the American Continent. He called twelve Disciples from among the multitude and bestowed priesthood authority on them to proclaim His gospel and baptize. The resurrected Christ showed the people the wounds in His hands, feet, and side as a testimony that He was truly who He said He was. He preached the gospel, healed the sick and afflicted, and blessed the children. His majestic appearance ushered in a two-hundred-year reign of peace and righteousness among the people, which is chronicled in the Book of Mormon.

5. Modern witnesses have also seen the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith, a young farm boy in New York State in 1820, commencing a restoration of ancient Christianity. Joseph Smith saw the resurrected Lord again in 1836, this time accompanied by Oliver Cowdery to stand as a second witness. Like the Apostles of old, Joseph died a martyr's death because he would not deny his testimony of Christ and His resurrection.

A single witness may not be enough to prove the case, but dozens, hundreds, and thousands of witnesses, all experiencing the miracle of the Resurrection at different times, places, and circumstances, make for a strong case. 

Still, if I haven't seen the resurrected Christ with my own eyes, how could I be sure the story is not a total fabrication? Is it possible that so many people have colluded to perpetuate a myth and that so many would die rather than admit the lie? Is it probable? No. But is it possible? Maybe. 

So, to seal the deal, God has promised to anyone willing to admit the possibility that Christ's resurrection is real their own personal witness. He offers to everyone who will ask a testimony provided by the Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead, the Comforter and Testifier. 

The Bible says that "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" (1 Cor. 12:3). The Holy Ghost "shall teach you all things" (John 14:26). I bear my witness that these statements are true. By the witnessing, testifying, and convincing power of the Holy Ghost, I believe that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is real. He appeared to His Apostles and others in Jerusalem, was seen by more than 500 people in Galilee, visited and spoke to St. Paul on the road to Damascus, appeared to and taught thousands on the American Continent, came to Joseph Smith and others in modern times, and lives today as a resurrected and immortal Being. I know by the Holy Ghost that these things are true.