Did Jesus Come Back to Life?: or is that just a Story People told?

Did Jesus Come Back to Life?

Yes, Jesus came back to life. This event is called the Resurrection and it is a core belief of Christianity. Here’s a thorough explanation with history, relevant Bible verses, and important takeaways.

Historical Overview

1. Biblical Accounts:

• Gospels: The story of Jesus coming back to life is mainly found in the New Testament Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
• Witnesses: According to the Bible, over 500 people saw Jesus alive after He had been crucified and buried (1 Corinthians 15:6).
• Early Christians: The early Christians proclaimed this truth even though it meant persecution.

1. Non-Biblical Sources:

• Josephus: A Jewish historian mentions Jesus and His followers claiming He was alive after His crucifixion.
• Tacitus: A Roman historian notes the crucifixion of Jesus and the spread of Christianity after His death.

Key Bible Verses:

• Luke 24:1-6:
  “On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’”
• Matthew 28:5-6:
  “But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.'”
• 1 Corinthians 15:3-4:
  “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

Historical Christian Belief:

• Augustine (354-430 AD): St. Augustine highlighted the importance of the Resurrection for Christian faith in his book Confessions.
• Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 AD): Aquinas defended the Resurrection as a rational and historical event in his Summa Theologica【11†source】.
• Martin Luther (1483-1546 AD): Martin Luther, the leader of the Reformation, emphasized that the Resurrection proves Jesus’s victory over sin and death【10†source】.

Key Takeaways:

1. Central to Christian Faith: The Resurrection is the foundation of Christianity. Without it, there is no Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:14).
2. Victory over Death: Jesus’s Resurrection shows that death is not the end. Christians believe in eternal life because Jesus defeated death (Romans 6:9).
3. Hope and New Life: It offers hope to Christians that they too will have new life through Jesus (Romans 6:4).

In summary, Jesus coming back to life is a historical and theological cornerstone of Christianity, backed by the Bible and historical evidence. “He is not here, for He has risen, as He said.” (Matthew 28:6)