The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio, 1601
Text and verse are taken from
Why is the Resurrection So Important,
by Randy Alcorn
of Eternal Perspective Ministries,
at Bible Study Tools
"In the late 1990s, a group of scholars assembled to evaluate whether Jesus actually said the things attributed to him by the Gospel writers. Although they employed remarkably subjective criteria in their evaluation of Scripture, members of the self-appointed “Jesus Seminar” were widely quoted by the media as authorities on the Christian faith.
"Marcus Borg, a Jesus Seminar leader, said this of Christ’s resurrection: “As a child, I took it for granted that Easter meant that Jesus literally rose from the dead. I now see Easter very differently. For me, it is irrelevant whether or not the tomb was empty. Whether Easter involved something remarkable happening to the physical body of Jesus is irrelevant.”1
"As a child, Borg was right. As an adult—though considered a spokesman for Christianity—he couldn’t be more wrong. What Borg calls irrelevant—the physical resurrection of Christ’s body—the apostle Paul considered absolutely essential to the Christian faith. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins... [and] we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Corinthians 15:17, 19).
"The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of redemption—both for mankind and for the earth. Indeed, without Christ’s resurrection and what it means—an eternal future for fully restored human beings dwelling on a fully restored Earth—there is no Christianity."
Resurrection Is Physical
Genesis 2:7
Job 19:26
Genesis 1:31
Continuity Is Critical
1 Corinthians 15:17
Ecclesiastes 3:11
2 Corinthians 5:17
Job 19:26-27
Matthew 19:28
1 Corinthians 15:53
1 Thessalonians 4:17
Matthew 22:32
The Nature of Our New Bodies
Luke 24:39
John 2:19
John 2:21
Christ’s Resurrected Life Is the Model for Ours
Philippians 3:20-21
1 John 3:2, RSV
1 Corinthians 15:49
Hebrews 2:17, NLT
Luke 24:39, NLT
1 Thessalonians 4:14
Revelation 21:1-3
Luke 24:13-35
John 20:15
John 20: 16
John 21:4
John 21:5
John 21:12
John 20:19-23
Acts 1:4-8
John 20:10-18
John 20:24-29
John 21:15-22
The Promise of Imperishable Bodies
1 Corinthians 15:42-44
1 Corinthians 15:49-50
1 Corinthians 15:52-55
Revelation 22:2
"Inside your body, even if it is failing, is the blueprint for your resurrection body. You may not be satisfied with your current body or mind—but you’ll be thrilled with your resurrection upgrades. With them you’ll be better able to serve and glorify God and enjoy an eternity of wonders he has prepared for you."
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