Doubting the Resurrection

A few weeks ago, I received a small book in the mail — it is just over 100 pages — that the publisher was marketing in preparation for Resurrection Sunday. The book, written by two pastors, has an intriguing title: Raised? Finding Jesus By Doubting the Resurrection. The title piques your interest — which I am sure is intentional — because it begs the question, how can you find Jesus by doubting the resurrection?

Chapter 1, “Doubting the Resurrection,” goes immediately to the heart of the matter. They say at the outset that “One out of every five Americans does not believe in a deity. The ‘none’ category in religious polls has doubled over the past ten years, and less than half of the population attends religious services on a regular basis.”

This is not new, however. Matthew 28:17 even says about the disciples of Jesus after the resurrection that “when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.” Indeed why wouldn’t some people doubt him? After all, the Christian faith makes some audacious claims.

As Raised? unfolds, the authors answer the doubters questions as they discuss the evidence for the resurrection and why you should want the resurrection be true. They spend a chapter showing “How the Resurrection Reshapes History.”

In chapter 3, “Stepping into the Resurrection,” the authors of Raised? come to the heart of the matter when discussing the resurrection — as does the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul maintains that the heart of the Gospel — what “I delivered to you as of first importance”— is “that Christ died for our sins…, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day….”

Raised? lifts one verse out of 1 Corinthians 15 to get us to the crux of the matter in regard to the resurrection. Verse 17 says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in sins.” The authors say,

“Here Paul puts it all on the line. If Christ hasn’t been raised, the Christian faith is fiction and we are stranded in the fall of humanity, trapped in our imperfections. In others words, there is no hope, no purpose, no plan for the future. This is all there is. But if the resurrection is true, it means there is hope; there is purpose and a plan for the future.”

Churches will return to the theme of the crucifixion and resurrection with services on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday, and at other times. No matters are more important to our faith, to resolving our doubts, to empowering our walk with Christ. The resurrection is indeed our greatest hope.