The logic of the resurrection
by J John, Christian Today:
I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ for several reasons. I find the accounts of the resurrection in the New Testament compelling, I believe the resurrection is the only satisfactory explanation for the explosive growth of the church and the Holy Spirit convinces me that it is true.
Yet another very strong piece of evidence is simply this: it makes sense. Although the first disciples were clearly not expecting Jesus to rise from the dead, there is in fact a powerful logic to the resurrection.
To those watching at the time, Jesus died on the cross as a guilty criminal, a make-believe Messiah who had proved to be false. The resurrection overturns that judgement; it says that despite superficial appearances this man was, in fact, who he claimed to be – the Son of God and the Saviour of God’s people. God could not let his Son stay dishonoured by the shame of the cross. He had to be raised. There is thus a moral logic to the resurrection.
There is also a legal logicto the resurrection. Death, according to the Bible, is the just penalty for sin. As all human beings sin, we all fall under a sentence of death. As the only sinless person who has ever lived, Jesus could not stay dead, but had to be released from death’s grip. He was, as it were, illegally imprisoned, and so had to be released from death. This is surely behind Peter’s argument in Acts 2:24 when he says of Jesus, ‘But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.’
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