Jesus is Alive! (Part 1)
Jesus is alive! What does this have to do with you?
Setting the Stage
Jesus is alive![1] As in, physically, literally, totally, and actually living and breathing right now.[2] His body is functioning.[3] His blood is pumping.[4] His lungs are expanding, inhaling, and exhaling.[5] He sees through His physical eyes.[6] He smells with His physical nose.[7] Every physical function which your body is performing right now as a living, not-dead human being, Jesus' body is performing.[8] Mind you, He is clearly doing so without sin and in a glorified, immortal state, but nonetheless, the point is simply this: Jesus is alive as you are alive, except He is alive to never die again and in a perfect body.[9]
Why do I make this point so pointedly? Why be so direct and hone in so tightly on the physicality of Jesus' being alive right now? Simply put, there are too many people who think Jesus is alive in a purely figurative sense, (i.e., not really alive, but "alive in our hearts"), or He is alive in a purely spiritual sense, (i.e., literally alive, (maybe), but more like a disembodied spirit or spiritual being, but not necessarily physically alive).[10] When people talk about Easter, if they register Easter is about the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead at all, they will still often describe it in vague generalities such as "new beginnings," "new life," "death is not the end," etc. Of course, Easter is about a new beginning, it is about new life, and it does mean death is not the end. However, this is not simply in a feel-good, vague and nebulous figurative language way of speaking. It is literal, it is physical, and it is tangible on every level, material and immaterial.[11]
It is absolutely crucial for anyone who is exposed to Jesus Christ and the claims of the Bible that they understand exactly what is being claimed. People who believe what the Bible says, known as Christians, believe Jesus Christ was a real, literal person who was one-hundred percent God and one-hundred percent human, and He really lived for about thirty-three years, He was really nailed to and died on a wooden cross about two-thousand years ago, and, most importantly, He really did come back to life three days after His bloody, public execution.[12] This is not some mere claim that a nice man was mourned over and remembered by his friends after he was martyred for...what exactly? After all, if Jesus was executed, the least one could do is honestly examine as to the reasons why He was put on trial in the first place, and they certainly were not simply because He was a good man who loved children and healed people![13] This is not some political revolutionary whose movement was carried over by his followers after his attempt to bring a social revolution failed. No, Christians agree what the Bible says is true: a man was executed and rose from the dead three days afterward![14]
"Alright," you may say, "What is the big deal, and why is this so important? If a man could come back from the dead, what does that have anything to do with me?" Fair question, and a good one. If I may, I would like to explore a little bit of an answer to this question and explain as to why Jesus' Resurrection, if true, really does change everything about everything, including each and every facet of your life. Prepare yourself, because it is going to get a little existential!
You Will Go!
There is a phrase you may or may not have heard before, but it is nonetheless true. In Latin, it is "memento mori," in English, it means "Remember you must die."[15] Not exactly the most comforting thing to hear, but, again, it is nonetheless true. At some point, you have to leave this world. At some point, you will cease to be present to those of us still living on this present Earth. As the old, (and amazing), song would say it:
There's a step / That we all take alone / An appointment we have / With the great unknown / Like a vapor this life / Is just waiting to pass / Like the flowers that fade / Like the withering grass[16]
Our main exit from this world, the appointment we have with the great unknown, is known by a simple, five-letter word: death. However, outside of being a universally recognized reality, (namely, that each of us must exit this world at some point), the nature of death, what exactly death is, brings up a great deal of disagreement. Is death the annihilation of the individual, nevermore to be constituted into a conscious, continuing self? Is death the inevitable, cyclical motion of moving from one life-form to another, such as in reincarnation? Does the individual continue on as a disembodied ghost or a shade? Does it roam the Earth, a haunted house, another planet? In short: what happens when we die? This is a question every single one of us asks, yet very few actually have any genuine idea as to what any answer, let alone the answer, would be.
Yet it is a question which must and most certainly will be answered. It is not a question which can be left unanswered for the simple reason every single human being must face death. Every single human being must exit this world in some way, shape, or form. And if you are going to leave one place or state, you are moving from one to another. There is no avoiding the giant, imposing, and impending wall which is immovable, and cannot be dug under, climbed over, dodged around, or pile-driven through. Each of us must face death, and whatever else happens afterwards.
You are probably thinking to yourself at this point, "Well, this is very depressing! Why am I wasting my time with this?" In response, I want to say this: I promise you, you are not wasting your time. No matter how young or old you are, the simple fact of the matter is you have absolutely no idea when, where, or how you will leave this world. It could literally happen as you are reading this article right now. It could happen tomorrow on the way to school. I've known people of all ages leave this world: car wrecks, cancer, dementia, ALS, Alzheimer's, heart attacks, etc. Parents, grandparents, little kids, everyone. Dismissing the questions we all must answer and will answer about the reality of death will not make them go away, and it is wildly irresponsible, reckless, and foolish to try and ignore them as long as possible, because simply put, you never know when it will be too late.
Que Sera, Sera, Whatever Will Be Will Be
Interestingly enough, our culture uses this exact same logic about everything except death, i.e., when it comes to applying for a job, having sex, etc. Our culture tells us, "Carpe diem! Seize the day! You don't know if you will die tomorrow, so might as well experience everything you can in life now and make it worth it!" James Dean is attributed with saying something along these lines: "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today."[17] Yet how nonsensical is it for us to live our lives this way? We refuse to think about the inevitability of death except in the context of missing out on some new experience, latest high, or career opportunity. "Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be," they say.[18] But when it comes to actually being prepared for what happens after death, very few people want to give it a second thought.
Think of how crazy this is. You may have been asked the age-old question before, "If you were stranded on a desert island, and you could only take one thing with you, what would it be?" We've all probably heard this question as an ice-breaker either in school or at work, maybe when you and your family or friends were hanging out together. Of course, the entire question hinges on one important fact: you are presently aware of the desert island situation. Part of what makes this little question fun is imagining yourself actually being stranded on the desert island. In the back of your mind, you probably start running through a checklist of items you might need, how you would get to them, which one would be the easiest to get to, the cheapest, etc. In short, recognizing an imagined need to survive on a desert island you may never really be stranded on in the middle of the ocean Tom Hanks style, you spend time actually preparing for your destination.[19] Why on Earth do we not spend our time actually preparing for a very real need to be prepared for when death comes knocking at our doors? Instead, our culture tells us to eat, drink, and be merry, use up everything on the boat you can use to feel good, and if you happen to be curious about what happens when we arrive at the island, well just ignore your curiosity and drown it in the latest craze, or high, or pursuit of whatever makes you happy before it drowns you, or rather, before it drowns out the fun for the rest of us.[20]
But, What If...?
What if, however, the boat we are taking right now to an abandoned, deserted island does not necessarily need to arrive at the desert island? What if, instead of only a desert island, your final destination could be affected by your choices? What if you could choose where you ended up at the end of your long journey? What if your actions in this life could affect what happens to you when you die? What if death is not annihilation? What if death is really not an end? What if death is merely the exit from this world into another world? Are there options? Is it just one destination for everyone, or do the choices we make have any affect or bear any weight to where we are going? Are some options for our destination at the end of this life better than others? Is there a "good" place versus a "bad" place? Are people who do good things in this life rewarded in the next, post-death state, and are people who do bad things punished? And if you are even entertaining these questions, why aren't you willing to seek the answers which you know you are looking for? Is it not at least worth making a real, concerted effort to get at an actual, correct answer for these questions? Is it not possible there is a correct answer, not just a host of equally valid answers, and we can know what this answer is? After all, if you set your GPS to take you to Zimbabwe, anywhere other than actually being in Zimbabwe would be incorrect! All destinations are not valid, and neither are all roads. Just as not every road leads to Zimbabwe, it is just as possible that not every road leads to the same destination when we exit this world. And just as a GPS can be set correctly, perhaps it is at least equally possible our lives can be set correctly for arriving at where we want to end up when we exit this world - whenever, wherever, and however it happens.
Now that we've established a few facts and asked several major questions, let's recap to see what we've covered: first, everyone has to leave this world; second, no one knows where, when, or how they will leave this world; third, this exit from the world is simply called death; fourth, it is very unwise to ignore the question of what death is and put it off indefinitely, because eventually everyone must and will answer the question; and fifth, not every answer to the question of what happens after we die is equally valid, and they do not all say the same thing. If you are looking at these five major points, and you are thinking to yourself, "Okay, I see where I'm at right now, and I agree with these points, but now what does this have to do with Jesus?" then you are in the right place to be. What does this have to do with Jesus? What does His potential death and Resurrection have to do with any of this?
Remember, according to the Bible, Jesus is not merely a good teacher or a martyr.[21] Jesus is not merely alive in a figurative sense, nor is He merely alive in a spiritual sense, albeit literally.[22] No, according to the Bible, Jesus Christ rose from the dead physically and totally three days after He was publicly executed on a cross, and is literally living, breathing, walking, talking, etc. just as you and I are, but unlike our current state, Jesus lives and will never die again![23]
Now, let me ask you this one, simple, yet very important question: if you knew you were trying to get to a port city instead of a desert island, as mentioned above in our example earlier, and someone came to you and said, "Hey, I know exactly where you are going, and I have been there and came back here. If you follow me, I can take you to the port city!" what would you do? You might at least consider the offer, even if you asked said person to prove they had been to the port city and back. Does he have a token, a letter, or a seal to verify himself as a visitor, messenger, or authority from the city? Does he possess any characteristics that would identify him as trustworthy? Does he accurately tell you where you came from, and further does he accurately tell you where you are going to end up if you don't change course in the near future? Does he use terminology and make claims only someone who had been to the port city would make, and does it seem to be the case every claim he makes is consistent with every other claim he makes about the port city? In other words, does it seem like he is actually drawing upon a basis of knowledge formed from actually being in and from the port city, or is he simply making it up as he goes?
Each of these questions and more could be asked, and answers could be sought for each of them. However, let us say your eager, volunteering guide really does prove himself to be from the port city, and he proves himself to be trustworthy, and he shows you the way to get to the port city you want to get to. If you really believe he is telling the truth, the only logical course of action is to follow his instructions, because if he is telling the truth, then you will arrive at the port city and make it to your final destination on your boat's journey!
Now let me ask you this: if someone had actually died, thus experiencing and passing through whatever process will happen to us when we die, and this person then returns to us and tells us what happens on the other side of the wall, what would you do, especially if said person demonstrated time and again throughout his entire life he was trustworthy, and time and again provided multiple pieces of evidence to demonstrate he was telling the truth, including predicting and accomplishing, in exact detail, his own death and resurrection? This is exactly why Jesus Christ's Resurrection is so crucially, fundamentally important, because no other individual in all of history has ever predicted and accomplished his own death and return.[24]
Now What? An Invitation
We have found ourselves right where we began. We have found ourselves back at the original claim: Jesus is alive! Now, as we prepare to finish our particular time of discussion together for now, I would like to share with you some "guideposts," so to speak, as to where we will proceed in our discussion if you choose to follow along. If you are genuinely ready to consider the possibility of answering these fundamental, existential questions which we've mentioned above here today, I would like to offer you the chance to join us as we continue this series on Jesus' Resurrection. In our next focus, we will hone-in on the Resurrection account records and see exactly what happened as best as we can to get the story straight. After all, if we are going to evaluate whether something happened, and if the accounts of a particular event are true, we need to understand the full picture of what the accounts are actually claiming!
After we examine the accounts of the Resurrection themselves, we will then turn to examining their reliability, i.e., are they trustworthy? If they are trustworthy, we will then proceed to evaluate whether any alternative explanations of what we read in the Resurrection accounts, besides a literal, physical Resurrection, could fully explain for all of the particular facts which we have before us and thus be equally valid and/or sound. If not, then that would leave the Resurrection as the only legitimate explanation for what happened to Jesus Christ after He died, and if this is true, then it means everything changes: it means Jesus has been through death and back again, and He can show us the way to go, and how to leave this world and get to the next one. Are you ready to "come and see?"[25]
Recommended Resources:
Watch:
drcraigvideos, “Is There Meaning to Life?”, YouTube.com, Reasonable Faith, 16 Feb. 2018, 5:38, https://youtu.be/NKGnXgH_CzE?feature=shared.
drcraigvideos, “Who Did Jesus Think He Was?”, YouTube.com, Reasonable Faith, 17 July 2018, 6:35, https://youtu.be/sSQDov6NNp0?feature=shared.
drcraigvideos, “How Can Jesus Be the Only Way?”, YouTube.com, Reasonable Faith, 19 Nov. 2019, 5:19, https://youtu.be/RRyq6RwzlEM?feature=shared.
Listen:
Koukl, Greg. STR Weekly Podcast. Podcast. https://www.str.org/broadcast
Koukl, Greg and Amy Hall. #STRask. Podcast. https://www.str.org/strask
Petra, "Grave Robber," 1983, track 4 on Not Of This World, Star Song Records, 1983, compact disc. Listen here: UnknownPetraFan, "Petra - Grave Robber", YouTube.com, 19 Feb. 2008, 4:20, https://youtu.be/3pQdCPlxP50?feature=shared.
Turek, Frank. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist. Podcast. https://crossexamined.org/podcasts/
Wallace, J. Warner. Cold-Case Christianity. Podcast. https://coldcasechristianity.com/category/podcasts/
Read:
Geisler, Norman L. In Defense of the Resurrection. [1993]. 3rd ed. Matthews, North Carolina: Bastion Books, 2015.
Geisler, Norman L. and Frank Turek. I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be An Atheist. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2004.
Habermas, Gary. Evidence for the Historical Jesus: Is the Jesus of History the Christ of Faith. Cambridge, Ohio: Christian Publishing House, 2020.
Habermas, Gary. Risen Indeed: A Historical Investigation into the Resurrection of Jesus. [1976]. Bellingham, Virginia: Lexham Academic, 2021.
Habermas, Gary. On the Resurrection. Vol. 1, Evidences. Brentwood, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2024.
Habermas, Gary. On the Resurrection. Vol. 2, Refutations. Brentwood, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2024.
Lewis, C. S. "Mere Christianity." In The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics. 1st ed. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002.
Powell, Doug. Resurrection iWitness. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group, 2012.
Strobel, Lee. The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection. [1998]. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2003.
Wallace, J. Warner. Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. [2013]. 2nd ed. Colorado Springs, Colorado: David C Cook, 2023.
Wallace, J. Warner. Person of Interest. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2021.
Download:
Stand to Reason App (Also Provides Link to Stand to Reason Quick-Reference App)
Stand to Reason Quick-Reference App (Direct Link to Stand to Reason Quick-Reference App)
Endnotes:
[1] Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, 3:1-4:37, 5:27-42, 7:1-8:1, 9:1-30, 13:13-52, 17:1-34, 21:17-23:11, 24:1-27, 25:13-26:32; Romans 1:1-17, 4:13-25, 6:1-23, 8:9-39, 10:1-13, 14:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Galatians 1:11-2:10; Philippians 3:7-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2:8-13; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 3:3-22; Revelation 1:4-20.
[2] Ibid.; Norman L. Geisler, “What Saith the Scriptures?” in In Defense of the Resurrection, [1993], 3rd ed. (Matthews, North Carolina: Bastion Books, 2015), 121-135.
[3] Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25; and Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, see especially those verses emphasizing Jesus speaking, (and being audibly heard), eating, and walking, His interactions with physical objects like food, His flesh and bones being touched, and His fulfillment of the Scripture that “He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay.” After all, in order to talk, one must be breathing, his blood must be pumping to move oxygen through his body to his lungs and vocal cords, etc., and in order to walk, touch objects, eat, etc., one must be physically alive and his body must be physically functioning!; Geisler, “What Saith the Scriptures?”, 122-126, 133-134.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42; Geisler, “What Saith the Scriptures?”, 121-135.
[9] Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, 3:1-4:37, 5:27-42, 7:1-8:1, 9:1-30, 13:13-52, 17:1-34, 21:17-23:11, 24:1-27, 25:13-26:32; Romans 1:1-17, 4:13-25, especially 6:1-23, 8:9-39, 10:1-13, 14:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Galatians 1:11-2:10; Philippians 3:7-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2:8-13; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 3:3-22; Revelation 1:4-20; Geisler, “What Saith the Scriptures?”, 121-135.
[10] For a full discussion of such issues, see Norman L. Geisler, In Defense of the Resurrection, [1993], 3rd ed. (Matthews, North Carolina: Bastion Books, 2015).; See also Ligonier Ministries’ The State of Theology survey, which found in 2022 that approximately 23% of all U.S. adults at minimum disagree with the statement that “Biblical accounts of the physical (bodily) resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate. This event actually occurred.” The State of Theology (US 2022), Ligonier Ministries, 2022, accessed August 18, 2024, https://thestateoftheology.com/data-explorer/2022/5?AGE=30&MF=14®ION=30&DENSITY=62&EDUCATION=62&INCOME=254&MARITAL=126ÐNICITY=62&RELTRAD=62&EVB=6&ATTENDANCE=254. Also compare The State of Theology’s survey results from eight years ago in 2014 when approximately 17% of all U.S. adults at minimum disagreed with the same statement, an increase of 6% over four years. The State of Theology (US 2014), Ligonier Ministries, 2014, accessed August 18, 2024, https://thestateoftheology.com/data-explorer/2014/20?AGE=30&MF=14®ION=30&DENSITY=62&EDUCATION=62&INCOME=254&MARITAL=126ÐNICITY=62&RELTRAD=62&EVB=6&ATTENDANCE=254.
[11] Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, 3:1-4:37, 5:27-42, 7:1-8:1, 9:1-30, 13:13-52, 17:1-34, 21:17-23:11, 24:1-27, 25:13-26:32; Romans 1:1-17, 4:13-25, 6:1-23, 8:9-39, 10:1-13, 14:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Galatians 1:11-2:10; Philippians 3:7-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2:8-13; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 2:21-25, 3:3-22; Revelation 1:4-20; Geisler, “What Saith the Scriptures?”, 121-135.
[12] Matthew 26:57-28:20; Mark 2:1-12, 14:53-16:20; Luke 1:26-38, 22:54-24:53; John 1:1-5, 9-18, 29-51, 8:1-59, especially verses 12-59 which culminate in Jesus’ declaration that “”Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am[,]”” referencing God’s title in Exodus 3:14, when God said to Moses “”I AM WHO I AM””, 18:12-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, 3:1-4:37, 5:27-42, 7:1-8:1, 9:1-30, 13:13-52, 17:1-34, 21:17-23:11, 24:1-27, 25:13-26:32; Romans 1:1-17, 4:13-25, 6:1-23, 8:9-39, 10:1-13, 14:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Galatians 1:11-2:10, 15-21; Philippians 2:1-11, 3:7-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2:8-13; Hebrews 1:1-4; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 2:21-25, 3:3-22; Revelation 1:4-20.; C. S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity,” in The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics, 1st ed. (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002), 35-36.; “How old was Jesus when he died?”, GotQuestions.org, Got Questions Ministries, accessed August 20, 2024, https://www.gotquestions.org/how-old-was-Jesus-when-He-died.html.
[13] Matthew 4:23-25, 8:1-17, 28-34, 9:1-8, 18-33, 35-38, 12:14-16, 14:13-14, 18:1-7, 19:13-15, 21:13-15, 26:57-27:37; Mark 10:13-16, 46-52, 14:53-15:26; Luke 18:15-17, 35-43, 22:66-23:38; John 9:1-41, 18:12-19:22; Acts 2:14-42; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. There are many, many more instances of Jesus healing people throughout the Gospels and the power of God working in and through His Apostles and the Believers in the First Church in the Book of Acts, all praying to God in Jesus’ Name, and miraculous healings, exorcisms, and miracles being performed as a result, including people coming back from the dead as a result of God’s power acting in particular situations, (such as lame men walking who had been lame since birth or at least for several years, or women being raised to life, such as Peter’s mother-in-law and a woman named Dorcas, (Matthew 8:14-17, 9:1-8, John 5:1-47, Acts 3:1-26, 4:12-16, 9:32-42)). However, as the Apostle John wrote in John 21:25, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”
[14] Matthew 26:57-28:20; Mark 14:53-16:20; Luke 22:54-24:53; John 18:12-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, 3:1-4:37, 5:27-42, 7:1-8:1, 9:1-30, 13:13-52, 17:1-34, 21:17-23:11, 24:1-27, 25:13-26:32; Romans 1:1-17, 4:13-25, 6:1-23, 8:9-39, 10:1-13, 14:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Galatians 1:11-2:10, 15-21; Philippians 2:1-11, 3:7-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2:8-13; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 2:21-25, 3:3-22; Revelation 1:4-20.
[15] “memento mori,” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v., accessed August 16, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memento%20mori.
[16] Petra, “Grave Robber,” 1983, track 4 on Not Of This World, Star Song Records, 1983, compact disc. Give it a listen here: https://youtu.be/3pQdCPlxP50?feature=shared.
[17] Legacy Neurosurgery, “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today. -James Dean,” Legacy Spine & Neurological Specialists (blog), LegacyNeuro.com, accessed August 18, 2024, https://legacyneuro.com/jamesdean/.
[18] Doris Day, “Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera),” 1975, track 10 on disc 1 of Pop Music: The Golden Era 1951-1975, [Wixen Music Publishing], compact disc. Information retrieved from Billianne, Doris Day, Ray Evans, Elijah Hill, and Jay Livingston, “Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera),” LyricFind, accessed August 20, 2024, https://lyrics.lyricfind.com/lyrics/doris-day-whatever-will-be-will-be-que-sera-sera. Give it a listen here: https://youtu.be/BDq8Q0-_-gU?feature=shared.
[19] If you do not understand this reference, please watch Cast Away, the amazing 2000 film starring Tom Hanks, directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by William Broyles, Jr. Cast Away, directed by Robert Zemeckis (2000; United States: Twentieth Century Fox, 2000).
[20] Interestingly enough this is exactly what the Apostle Paul says we should do if the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is not true in 1 Corinthians 15:32, which says “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
[21] Matthew 26:57-28:20; Mark 2:1-12, 14:53-16:20; Luke 1:26-38, 22:54-24:53; John 1:1-5, 9-18, 29-51, 8:1-59, 18:12-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, 3:1-4:37, 5:27-42, 7:1-8:1, 9:1-30, 13:13-52, 17:1-34, 21:17-23:11, 24:1-27, 25:13-26:32; Romans 1:1-17, 4:13-25, 6:1-23, 8:9-39, 10:1-13, 14:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Galatians 1:1-2:10, 15-21; Philippians 2:1-11, 3:7-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2:8-13; Hebrews 1:1-4; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 2:21-25, 3:3-22; Revelation 1:4-20.; Lewis, “Mere Christianity,” 35-36.
[22] Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25; and Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42; Geisler, “What Saith the Scriptures?”, 122-126, 133-134.
[23] Matthew 26:57-28:1-20; Mark 14:53-16:20; Luke 22:54-24:53; John 18:12-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, 3:1-4:37, 5:27-42, 7:1-8:1, 9:1-30, 13:13-52, 17:1-34, 21:17-23:11, 24:1-27, 25:13-26:32; Romans 1:1-17, 4:13-25, especially 6:1-23, 8:9-39, 10:1-13, 14:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Galatians 1:1-2:10, 15-21; Philippians 2:1-11, 3:7-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2:8-13; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 2:21-25, 3:3-22; Revelation 1:4-20; Geisler, “What Saith the Scriptures?”, 121-135.
[24] Matthew 12:39-41, 17:1-13, 22-23, 20:17-19, 28:1-20; Mark 8:27-33, 9:1-13, 30-32, 10:32-34, 16:1-20; Luke 9:18-22, 28-45, 18:31-34, 24:1-53; John 3:1-21, 6:35-65, 11:1-45, especially verses 23-27, 12:20-36, 20:1-21:25; Acts 1:1-11, 15-22, 2:14-42, 3:1-4:37, 5:27-42, 7:1-8:1, 9:1-30, 13:13-52, 17:1-34, 21:17-23:11, 24:1-27, 25:13-26:32; Romans 1:1-17, 4:13-25, 6:1-23, 8:9-39, 10:1-13, 14:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Galatians 1:1-2:10, 15-21; Philippians 3:7-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-14, 2:8-13; 1 Peter 1:3-9, 2:21-25, 3:3-22; Revelation 1:4-20; see also J. Warner Wallace, Person of Interest (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Reflective, 2021), especially Chapter 3, “Jesus, the Copycat Savior?”, 24-47.
[25] In John 1:35-39, we read the following: “Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.” Also, in John 1:45-46, we read the following: “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.””