How can we be sure of the resurrection of Jesus?

by Matt Slick

If you are speaking about proof of the resurrection of Jesus, there isn't any. Proof is for mathematics and logic.  But, there is sufficient historical evidence in the Gospels and epistles found in the New Testament to very reasonably support the resurrection of Jesus.

The New Testament documents were written by eyewitnesses and have been transmitted from the original writings to the copies with extreme accuracy. Therefore, the issue is with the content of the Gospels.

If you believe there is no God, then there cannot be a resurrection. However, if you believe in God and trust what Jesus said, then accepting the resurrection should not be a problem.

Some people think that faith takes over when there is no evidence, but that's not the case. In John 20:28, after Thomas had declared he would not believe Jesus had risen from the dead unless he saw Him and touched Him, Jesus appeared. Jesus told Thomas to touch Him, to put his finger into the holes in His wrists, and his hands into Christ's side. Then Jesus told Thomas to believe. Notice, Jesus told Thomas to believe after seeing the evidence. Likewise, people look at evidence and believe based on the evidence.

So, the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus is found in the eyewitness accounts recorded in the Gospels. The writers were not evil people who wanted to deceive anyone. They claimed to have seen the risen Lord. As a result, their lives were changed because of the resurrection of Jesus, the risen Lord! They risked life and limb for what they saw, not for what someone merely told them.

So, we can be sure of the resurrection when we look at the New Testament documents and what is recorded in them.