First Baptist Church of Huntersville West Virginia
Defending the Faith - Foundation or Fable: A Living Faith
  • Victory In Jesus
  • The resurrection isn’t a myth—it’s the miracle that anchors our faith and proves Jesus is who He said He is.
    A former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel was an avowed atheist who viewed Christianity as a "fairy tale" or a "fable".
    In the late 1970s, Strobel’s wife, Leslie, became a "born-again" Christian. Fearing he was losing her to a "cult," Strobel decided to use his legal and journalistic training to systematically disprove the resurrection and "rescue" her from her faith.
    For nearly two years, Lee Strobel traveled across the country, cross-examining world-class experts in history, medicine, and archaeology. He focused on three primary areas:
    1. The Medical Evidence: Was Jesus’ death a sham? Experts confirmed the brutality of Roman crucifixion made survival impossible.
    2. The Missing Body: Was the tomb really empty? Even ancient opponents of Jesus conceded the tomb was empty, merely arguing over how it got that way (e.g., the "Theft Theory").
    3. The Appearances: Were the sightings of Jesus just hallucinations? Strobel found that mass group hallucinations of a specific person are not a psychologically documented phenomenon.
    The Verdict: On November 8, 1981, Strobel concluded that the "avalanche of historical data" pointed to the resurrection being a factual reality. He famously described this as a "rush of reason" rather than just an emotional experience, leading him to surrender his life to Christ
    1 Corinthians 15:3–8 CSB
    3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.
    1 Corinthians 15:12–20 CSB
    12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. 20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

    The Claim That Changes Everything

    Christianity stands or falls on one claim: “He is not here; He has risen.”
    If the resurrection didn’t happen, then Jesus was just a teacher with good morals.
    But if it did happen, it changes everything—because no other religion, philosophy, or worldview has a living Savior.
    Paul calls it “of first importance.” This isn’t an optional belief; it’s the core of the gospel.

    Theories for the Resurrection

    1. The Hallucination Theory
    The Claim:
    The disciples were so grief-stricken and desperate to see Jesus that they suffered mass hallucinations.
    The Rebuttal:
    Scientific impossibility: Hallucinations are individual, internal mental events (like a dream); there is no such thing as a "mass hallucination" where 500 people see the exact same thing at the same time.
    The Empty Tomb: If they were just hallucinating, Jesus’ body would still be in the tomb. The authorities could have easily paraded the body through the streets to end the movement.
    2. The Swoon Theory (Apparent Death)
    The Claim:
    Jesus didn't die on the cross; he merely fainted (swooned) from exhaustion and blood loss, revived in the cool of the tomb, and walked out.
    The Rebuttal:
    Medical Reality: Roman executioners were experts in death. The spear thrust into His side confirmed death by bringing out "blood and water".
    Logistics: A brutally tortured, half-dead man would have been unable to roll away a 2-ton stone from the inside, overpower Roman guards, and convince his disciples he was the "Lord of Life".
    3. The Conspiracy Theory (Stolen by Disciples)
    The Claim:
    The disciples stole the body themselves and then lied about the resurrection to keep the movement alive.
    The Rebuttal:
    Motivation: The disciples had nothing to gain and everything to lose (torture, exile, and execution). People may die for a lie they believe is true, but nobody dies for a lie they know they made up.
    The Guard: Eleven terrified, mourning fishermen would not have been able to get past a professional Roman guard unit stationed to protect that specific tomb.
    4. The Displaced Body Theory (Moved by Authorities)
    The Claim:
    Either the Jewish or Roman authorities moved the body to a different location (perhaps to prevent a shrine from forming), and the disciples found it empty by chance.
    The Rebuttal:
    Self-Defeating: If the authorities had the body, they would have produced it the moment the disciples started preaching the resurrection in Jerusalem. By producing the body, they would have instantly crushed Christianity in its infancy.
    5. The Wrong Tomb Theory
    The Claim:
    In their grief and the early morning darkness, the women (and later the disciples) simply went to the wrong tomb, which happened to be empty.
    The Rebuttal:
    Knowledge of Location: The tomb belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, a well-known public figure. Both the disciples and the authorities knew exactly where it was.
    Correction: If the disciples were preaching at the "wrong" empty tomb, the owners of the "right" tomb or the authorities would have quickly pointed them to the correct location where the body still lay.

    The Resurrection Was Prophesied and Promised

    The resurrection wasn’t an afterthought—it was “according to the Scriptures.”
    Prophecies in the Old Testament
    Centuries before the event, the Hebrew Scriptures established a pattern of the Messiah overcoming death.
    Psalm 16:10: This is the most cited prophecy in the New Testament (by both Peter and Paul). It promises that God will not let His "Holy One see corruption" or be abandoned to the grave.
    Isaiah 53:10-12: Known as the "Suffering Servant" passage, it predicts the Messiah will be "cut off from the land of the living" but will afterward "prolong his days" and "see the light of life".
    Psalm 22: While describing the agony of crucifixion in detail, it ends with a victory song (verses 22-31) that implies the speaker has been delivered from death to tell the story to future generations.
    The Sign of Jonah: In Jonah 1:17, the prophet’s three days in the fish served as a "typological" prophecy, which Jesus explicitly applied to His own three days in the earth (Matthew 12:40).
    Promises Made by Jesus
    Jesus was not a "victim of circumstances"; He repeatedly told His followers exactly what was going to happen.
    Explicit Predictions: On at least three major occasions, Jesus took the disciples aside and stated plainly that He would be killed and raised on the third day (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34).
    The Temple Illustration: Early in His ministry, He challenged the religious leaders: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). John notes that after the resurrection, the disciples remembered this and believed.
    Authority Over Life: In John 10:17-18, Jesus claimed unique divine authority, stating, "I lay down my life that I may take it up again... I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again".
    Post-Resurrection Reunion: On the night of His betrayal, He even gave them a "next steps" promise: "After I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee" (Matthew 26:32).
    When Peter preached at Pentecost (Acts 2), he didn't just share a feeling; he quoted these exact Old Testament Foundations to prove that the resurrection was the fulfillment of God’s ancient Promise.

    The Resurrection Was Verified by Eyewitnesses

    There is a "cloud of witnesses" that occurred across different times, locations, and emotional states.
    1. Mary Magdalene (The First Witness)
    The Scene: At the tomb, early Sunday morning.
    Significance: As mentioned before, the "Criterion of Embarrassment" applies here. If this were a fable, you wouldn't start with a woman (whose testimony wasn't legally valid at the time).
    Ref: John 20:11–18
    2. The Other Women
    The Scene: Leaving the tomb to tell the disciples.
    Significance: Jesus met them on the road. They "clasped his feet and worshiped him," proving He had a physical, touchable body, not just a ghostly "vision."
    Ref: Matthew 28:8–10
    3. Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus
    The Scene: A seven-mile walk from Jerusalem.
    Significance: These weren't "The Twelve," but regular followers. Jesus walked with them, ate with them, and explained the scriptures. This shows the resurrection wasn't a "secret" event for only the inner circle.
    Ref: Luke 24:13–35
    4. Peter (Cephas)
    The Scene: Private appearance in Jerusalem.
    Significance: This was a moment of personal restoration. Peter had denied Jesus three times; this appearance provided the "Foundation" for Peter’s future leadership.
    Ref: Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5
    5. The Ten Disciples (Thomas Absent)
    The Scene: A locked room in Jerusalem.
    Significance: Jesus appeared despite the locked doors and ate a piece of broiled fish to prove He wasn't a spirit or a hallucination.
    Ref: Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–23
    6. The Eleven Disciples (Thomas Present)
    The Scene: One week later in the same room.
    Significance: This is the ultimate "apologetic" moment. Jesus invited "Doubting Thomas" to touch the scars in His hands and side. It addresses the skeptic directly.
    Ref: John 20:24–29
    7. Seven Disciples Fishing
    - The Scene: Sea of Galilee (Tiberias).
    - Significance: Jesus performed a miracle (the catch of fish) and cooked breakfast for them. It shows Jesus returning to the disciples' everyday context.
    - Ref: John 21:1–14
    8. The 500+ Witnesses
    The Scene: A mountain in Galilee.
    Significance: As Paul noted, the fact that so many people see the same thing at once destroys the "individual hallucination" theory.
    Ref: Matthew 28:16–20; 1 Corinthians 15:6
    9. James (The Skeptic Brother)
    The Scene: Specifics unknown but cited by Paul.
    Significance: James was a "non-believer" before the crucifixion. After this meeting, he became the leader of the Jerusalem church and a martyr.
    Ref: 1 Corinthians 15:7
    10. Paul (The Enemy)
    The Scene: The Road to Damascus.
    Significance: Paul wasn't looking for Jesus; he was looking for Christians to arrest. This is the "external" proof—when an enemy is converted by a direct encounter.
    Ref: Acts 9:1–9; 1 Corinthians 15:8
    If you put these witnesses in a court of law today and gave them each only 15 minutes to testify, the trial would last for over 125 hours. That is a massive foundation for a 'living faith.

    Outside Evidence for the Resurrection

    There are "hostile" or neutral witnesses who had no religious motive to promote the resurrection, which makes their corroboration of the basic facts even more powerful.
    Here are the most significant extra-biblical testimonies:
    1. Flavius Josephus (Jewish Historian, c. AD 93)
    Josephus is the most important non-biblical source. In his work Antiquities of the Jews, he mentions Jesus twice.
    The "Testimonium Flavianum": This famous passage describes Jesus as a "wise man" and a "doer of startling deeds". It records that He was condemned to the cross by Pilate but that His followers "did not cease to love him".
    The Resurrection Reference: While some parts of this passage were likely touched up by later scribes, most scholars agree it contains an "authentic nucleus". It notes that His followers reported He appeared to them alive again on the third day.
    The Brother of Jesus: Josephus also mentions the execution of James, identifying him as the "brother of Jesus, who was called Christ".
    2. Cornelius Tacitus (Roman Historian, c. AD 116)
    Tacitus is considered one of Rome's greatest historians and had a deep disdain for Christians, calling their faith a "mischievous superstition".
    The Execution: He explicitly confirms that "Christus" suffered the "extreme penalty" (execution) under the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.
    The Spread: He notes that although the movement was "checked for the moment" by Jesus' death, it "again broke out" not just in Judea, but as far as Rome.
    The Application: From an apologetic standpoint, why would a movement based on a dead leader "break out" again unless his followers were convinced He was back?
    3. Pliny the Younger (Roman Governor, c. AD 112)
    Pliny wrote letters to Emperor Trajan asking for advice on how to handle the "stubbornness" of Christians.
    Worship as to a God: He discovered that Christians met on a fixed day before dawn to sing a hymn to "Christ as to a god".
    The Resurrection Link: Scholars note that meeting "before daybreak" was likely a direct commemoration of the early morning resurrection.
    Willingness to Die: He confirmed that "genuine Christians" could not be forced to curse Christ, even under threat of death.
    4. Thallus (Samaritan Historian, c. AD 52)
    Though his original works are lost, he is quoted by later historians like Julius Africanus.
    The Darkness: Thallus reportedly tried to explain away the darkness that occurred during the crucifixion as a natural solar eclipse.
    The Point: Even an ancient skeptic had to acknowledge that the strange events surrounding Jesus' death (like the darkness) actually happened; they just tried to give them a natural explanation.
    If the resurrection were a 'fable' invented by the church, we wouldn't find its traces in the official records of the Roman Empire and Jewish historians. These outside voices confirm that Jesus lived, Jesus died, and His followers were so convinced He was alive that they changed the course of history."

    Just the Facts

    The Minimal Facts argument developed by scholars Gary Habermas and Michael Licona is a powerful approach because it uses only facts that are virtually undeniable and accepted by the vast majority of scholars, including skeptics, agnostics, and atheists.
    The 5 Core Minimal Facts
    1. Jesus died by Roman crucifixion: This is one of the best-attested facts of the ancient world, confirmed by Christian and non-Christian sources like Tacitus and Josephus.
    2. The disciples sincerely believed they saw the risen Jesus: Scholars agree that shortly after His death, the disciples had experiences they interpreted as appearances of the resurrected Christ.
    3. The disciples were radically transformed: They went from being terrified and scattered to becoming bold proclaimers who were willing to suffer and die for their testimony.
    4. The conversion of the skeptic James: Jesus’ own brother, who did not believe during Jesus' ministry, became a leader in the early church after an experience he believed was an encounter with the risen Jesus.
    5. The conversion of the enemy Paul: Saul of Tarsus, a violent persecutor of the church, was suddenly transformed into its greatest advocate after a life-altering experience on the road to Damascus.
    Many scholars also include the Empty Tomb as a highly probable fact (accepted by roughly 75% of specialists), though it is sometimes excluded from the "strictest" list because a small minority still contests it.

    The Resurrection Changed Everything

    The resurrection isn't just a historical footnote; it is the hinge of human history. Without it, Christianity is merely a moral philosophy; with it, it is a cosmic reality that reshapes everything from our personal identity to the future of the universe.
    Here is how the resurrection "changes everything" across three major dimensions:
    1. The Verdict on the Past (Vindication)
    Validated Jesus' Identity: Jesus made "outlandish" claims to be God—saying things like, "I and the Father are one". The resurrection was the "receipt" for those claims, proving He wasn't a deluded martyr but exactly who He said He was.
    Confirmed the Sacrifice: It proved that God accepted Jesus' death as a full payment for sin. If Jesus had stayed dead, we would have no way of knowing if His sacrifice "worked".
    Fulfilled Ancient Promises: It demonstrated God's absolute faithfulness to His Word, fulfilling prophecies from the Old Testament that spanned thousands of years.
    2. The Power for the Present (Transformation)
    Defeated Fear: Because the "last enemy," death, has been conquered, believers are freed from the lifelong slavery of fearing the grave.
    Inaugurated a "New Creation": The resurrection wasn't just a return to life; it was the launch of a new era where God's restorative kingdom broke into this fallen world.
    Supplies "Resurrection Power": It offers a present spiritual reality where the same power that raised Jesus lives in the believer, providing the strength to overcome sin, endure suffering, and live with radical joy.
    3. The Hope for the Future (Eternal Security)
    Guarantees Our Own Resurrection: Jesus is described as the "firstfruits"—the first ripe ear of grain that guarantees a full harvest of believers will follow in His footsteps with new, glorified bodies.
    Promises Cosmic Renewal: It ensures that God will one day transform the entire universe, removing every tear, sorrow, and stain of the curse.
    Establishes Absolute Justice: It serves as proof that God has appointed a Day of Judgment where all wrongs will be made right by the one who conquered death.
    In short: The resurrection changed the cross from a tragedy into a triumph. It gives our daily labor eternal significance because we know that, in the end, death does not have the final word.
    A fable can inspire you, but only a Foundation can support you.
    Paul told the Corinthians that if Christ is not raised, our faith is futile and we are to be pitied more than anyone. But if the Foundation is real—if the stone was rolled away and the Grave-Robber is alive—then everything has changed. Your past is forgiven, your present has a purpose, and your future is secure. We aren’t here to celebrate a beautiful myth; we are here to encounter a Living Faith. The resurrection isn't just a fact to be believed; it is a King to be followed.

      • 1 Corinthians 15:3–8CSB

      • 1 Corinthians 15:15–20CSB

First Baptist Church of Huntersville West Virginia
fbchuntersvillewv@gmail.com
304-799-4099
https://fbcohwv.faithlifesites.com
7 members • 14 followers