We can be guilty sometimes of viewing faith as something entirely personal, based on feelings, but Christianity is rooted in historical fact and in a historical person. The life and death of Jesus Christ are facts which are central to our faith and Paul made it clear that the resurrection of Christ is central to our beliefs. (1 Cor 15:12-14) If there is no resurrection, then our preaching and faith are both useless.
The early disciples were radically changed by the resurrection of Jesus, but their personal testimony was based on the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. No body was produced to refute the claims of the resurrection, even though the Romans and Jewish leaders would have loved to be able to disprove the testimonies! The disciples – so fearful and anxious before the resurrection – were prepared to lay down their lives afterwards because they trusted that there was a hope beyond the grave; their future was secure because they saw that Christ had conquered death.
Our faith is based on a truth that has transformed lives over the centuries and which continues to transform our own lives. The resurrection is a fact of history that we have a responsibility to make known, a responsibility to share. Will we take this responsibility seriously and live to make Him known?
