If Jesus Was Not Raised from the Dead

by Terry Wane Benton Text: I Corinthians 15 Paul argues that there are logical consequences that follow if Jesus was not really raised from the dead: We are still in our sins. Animal sacrifices should have continued until we got the One who was coming to take away our sins. We are not dealing with…

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Jesus, the Firstborn from the Dead

by Terry Wane Benton “And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5 NKJV). “Firstborn” is a term that can point to the one that was…

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Saved from the Wrath of God

by Doy Moyer To be saved from the wrath of God is generally equated in Scripture with being saved from judgment. It is set opposite of eternal life. For example, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God…

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Did Jesus take some of the dead with him to heaven?

Question: Good morning, sir, In Ephesians 4:8, “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men,” Do you have a lesson on this? Does it mean that Jesus took some of the dead to heaven with him? Answer: “And you were dead in your trespasses and…

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A Death, a Burial, a Resurrection

by Doy Moyer Josiah was one of the greater kings of Judah who initiated reform and called the people back to God. Sadly, his reforms did not last and the people soon reverted to evil after his death. While Josiah himself would not live to see Judah taken into captivity, his children, who did not…

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Evidence of the Resurrection

by Wayne Wells The Greatest Hoax or the Greatest Event? The resurrection of Jesus was either the greatest hoax of history or the greatest event ever.  How can we, living nearly two thousand years later, ever really know whether such an event took place?  The importance of finding the answer can be found in 1…

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Creation and Resurrection

by Matthew W. Bassford The primary objection to the resurrection accounts of the Bible is philosophical. It is based on the theory of naturalism. This theory holds that all events have causes rooted in the natural laws of the universe. In the universe, dead people don’t naturally come back to life, so Jesus, if dead,…

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Am I really saved if I didn’t understand Jesus’ resurrection?

Question: Lately, I’ve been struggling with wondering how long I’ve been saved. For a while, I think that I might’ve been under the impression that Jesus’ resurrection was just spiritual rather than both physical and spiritual. I don’t really know why I assumed that for a period of time, but I did. I was later…

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Why are the Resurrection Accounts so Different?

by Edwin Crozier If skeptics jump on anything about the gospel records of Jesus Christ, it is the differences between the four authors’ accounts of the resurrection events and appearances. For example, Matthew mentions an angel who met the women at the tomb sitting on the rolled-away stone (Matthew 28:2). Mark mentions the women meeting…

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Why Were the Disciples So Sure?

by Matthew W. Bassford One of the most significant proofs of Jesus’ resurrection is the early disciples’ sincere belief that He had risen. They maintained this belief in the face of great hostility from earthly powers, enduring persecution, prison, and death rather than recanting. Whatever else they were, they were not deceivers. However, we also…

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The Hope of Eternal Life

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-Hope-of-Life-Eternal.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 15:12-19   I.         It is no secret that many ministers in the denominational world lack faith in the Bible.             A.        Methodists: 51%, Episcopalians: 35%, American Baptist: 33%, Presbyterians 30%, American Lutherans: 13% doubt Jesus’ physical resurrection [Jeffrey Hadden, results of a survey of 7,441 Protestant ministers published in PrayerNet…

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Its Own Body

by Terry Wane Benton Some brethren have gotten caught up in the AD 70 doctrine that the resurrection and only judgment happened in AD 70. They argue that the resurrection of “the body” is just a spiritual resurrection of the collective body of Christ (the church). So, they do some tripping around in I Corinthians…

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Claims of Contradictions in the Resurrection Accounts

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Claims-of-Contradictions-in-the-Resurrection-Accounts.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I John 1:1-4   I.         People who don’t want to hear a message will try to find some way to discredit either the messenger or the message             A.        If there is a perceived flaw, then they feel justified in tossing out everything they don’t want to accept             B.        Atheists and Muslims do…

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Evidence of the Divine Authority of the Bible

by Benjamin Franklin The Gospel Preacher, Vol. 1, Sermon 1, 1870 Text: “To whom he showed himself alive, after his sufferings, by many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:4). The Evangelist Luke, author of the book styled Acts of Apostles, made the statement just read, and now selected as a text for a discourse on the Divine…

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If the Dead Are Not Raised

by Matthew W. Bassford Recently, I attended this year’s Truth Lectures, which had as their theme eschatology, the study of the end times. Many of the lectures addressed preterism, the belief that the prophecies of the Bible all already have happened. In particular, preterists claim that the prophecies about the final judgment, the resurrection of…

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God’s Mornin’

 by Whit Sasser Cameron S. Smith tells a wonderful story. It is about the only white person in the state of Georgia buried in a cemetery reserved exclusively for African-Americans. This man had lost his mother when he was just a baby. His father, who never married again, hired a black woman named Mandy to…

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Jesus Predicting His Death

by Matthew W. Bassford Luke 18-19 chronicles the high point of Jesus’ ministry. He is on His way to Jerusalem, surrounded by an exultant crowd. According to Luke 19:11, the throngs believed that “the kingdom of God was going to appear right away.” In other words, they anticipated that when Jesus came to Jerusalem, He…

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The Timeline of the Resurrection

by Matthew W. Bassford Recently, I’ve become aware that there is this thing floating around on the Internet called “The Easter Challenge”. The inventor of this challenge is an atheist. He asserts that the Biblical accounts of the resurrection of Jesus contradict each other so significantly that they are clearly false and so provide no…

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Why did Jesus stay around for forty days after his resurrection?

Question: Good day, Brother Jeffrey, I am asking for your help regarding this question: Why did Jesus stay around for 40 days, after He came back from the grave, instead of going immediately into Heaven? I know you are busy answering hundreds of emails every day so I am sorry for adding another burden on…

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He Showed Himself Alive by Many Proofs

I.         The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of Christianity             A.        If it is not true, then our religion is a hoax             B.        I Cor. 15:12-19             C.        Our faith stands or falls on whether not the resurrection actually occurred. II.        Objections to a resurrection             A.        “It’s unscientific”                         1.         The Soviet Encyclopedia The concept of a resurrection “is found to be the…

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Foundations of Apologetics

by Doy Moyer I have tried, for better or worse, to dedicate myself over the years to the foundations of what it means to defend the reason for our hope (I Peter 3:15). While the study of apologetics (the defense of the faith) has many layers and even more topics, here is, in my experience,…

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Verdict on the Resurrection

by Ray Madrigal via Guardian of Truth – April 4, 1991 Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict? In these closing statements, I will briefly summarize the evidence that you are asked to weigh. Since this case is one of history, I shall appeal t Verdict on the Resurrection o the…

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Till My Change Comes

by Terry W. Benton Job had quite impressive faith. He believed in life after this body is put down in death. He said, “If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes” (Job 14:14). It is evident that Job believed in a…

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The Resurrection of Christ and the Inspiration of the Scriptures

by Robert H. Farish via Gospel Guardian, April 14, 1960 The evidence by which the resurrection of Christ is proved is the testimony of the apostles. This testimony was originally given orally and later put into writing by the apostles. This testimony asserts not only the miracle of the resurrection (I Corinthians 15:20) but also…

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Why did Paul say Jesus appeared to the twelve when Judas was dead?

Question: Good morning Jeffrey, I have a question on what Paul meant in I Corinthians 15:5 when he said Christ appeared to Peter and the 12. If Judas had died by that time, there were only 11. Can you please explain this to me? It has been bugging me for a while now. Answer: “For…

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Why Should You Think It Incredible?

by Hugh DeLong The death of Jesus was a stumbling block. The resurrection of Jesus also causes many to stumble. In preaching to the Athenian philosophers, Paul testified that God had raised Jesus from the dead. “Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked” (Acts 17:34). When Paul stood before King…

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The Natural Comes Before the Spiritual

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/NaturalComesBeforeTheSpiritual.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 15:35-49   I.         It’s spring and gardener’s are out putting seeds into the ground, looking forward to crops of fruits, vegetables and flowers.             A.        Yet, no gardener puts in a seed expecting the seed to get bigger. The seeds stop being seeds, they “die” if you will, and become…

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Foundations

Foundations – Part 1Foundations – Part 2Foundations – Part 3Foundations – Part 4 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 61   I.         When we are teaching others, it is important not to just address the issues raised, but to think about why a person has come to the wrong conclusions.             A.        When a person claims to be…

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How can God die?

Question: What if a Muslim asks you, can God die? Jesus died and was resurrected, just like the myths of the Greeks, India, Roman, and the dark ages. What will you say? Answer: The ancient myths took their inspiration from the seasons. They saw the cycles of winter and spring and created myths to explain…

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Is Christ no longer of flesh now that he is in heaven?

Question: If the Word was God and became flesh when he came to the earth, did the reverse happen on his return? Answer: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown…

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The Resurrection of Jesus

The Resurrection of JesusThe Resurrection of Jesus – Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 13:16-41   I.         Central to every Christian’s belief in his salvation is the resurrection of Jesus – I Corinthians 15:12-19             A.        If Jesus was not raised, . . .                         1.         Then every preacher has been teaching falsehoods                         2.         Our faith in the Bible…

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Did Jesus physically arise?

Question: When Jesus rose from the dead, what form (human, spiritual, or something else) was he in when he appeared to the women and the apostles? Upon death, He gave up his spirit (Matthew 27:50) or his soul (Isaiah 53:12) but yet he did not want Mary to “cling to me”. Some apostles saw Him…

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What is meant by “so the last error shall be worse than the first”?

Question: In Matthew 27:64, what does “so the last error shall be worse than the first” mean? Answer: “Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception…

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Life Beyond the Grave

by Clem Thurman in via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 23, June 5, 2009. The salient doctrine of Christianity is the teaching of Jesus Christ about life after death. Most religions have some kind of “hope” about life after death, but only Christianity offers real evidence of that hope and also carefully defines it. Christ…

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