Dr Paul Allen

Appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene after resurrection, Alexander Ivanov, 1835 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” Philippians 3:10 The doctrine of a risen Savior is exceedingly precious. The resurrection is the cornerstone of the entire building of Christianity . It is the keystone of the arch of our salvation. It would take a volume to set forth all the streams of living water which flow from this one sacred source, the resurrection of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . But to know that he has risen, and to have fellowship with him as such—communing with the risen Savior by possessing a risen life—seeing him leave the tomb by leaving the tomb of worldliness ourselves, this is even still more precious. The doctrine is the basis of the experience, but as the flower is more lovely than the root, so is the experience of fellowship with the risen Savior more lovely t...

English: Icon showing the Resurrection of Jesus, at the inner side of the Resurrection Gate to the Red Square, Moscow (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus . LUKE 24:1–3 Jesus’ resurrection , which was a divine act involving all three Persons of the Godhead (John 10:17–18; Acts 13:30–35; Rom. 1:4), was not just a resuscitation of the ruined physical frame that was taken down from the cross for burial.  It was, rather, a transformation of Jesus’ humanity that enabled him to appear, vanish, and move unseen from one location to another (Luke 24:31, 36). It was the creative renewing of his original body, the body that is now fully glorified and deathless (Phil. 3:21; Heb. 7:16, 24).  The Son of God in heaven still lives in and through th...

Jesus represented as telling Mary not to touch him, by Hans Holbein the Younger. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25) The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the most important event of human history. If it didn’t happen, the most influential world religion is a sham. If it did happen, “all things are possible” ( Matthew 19:26 ). The resurrection is a fantastic claim. Jesus’ own disciples didn’t believe it at first. And Thomas struggled more than anyone with his skeptic side. And in his experience1 in particular there is hope for all of us stumbling doubters. Jesus knows how and when to reach us. Jesus’s death had been difficult and confusing for everyone. Having been welcomed into Jerusalem like a king, he was dead before the week was over. And when the shepherd was struck the sheep scattered (Mark 14:27). But they re-ga...

ANGELICO, Fra Resurrection of Christ and Women at the Tomb Fresco, 189 x 164 cm Convento di San Marco, Florence (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 27:62–66  It is important to know how secure Jesus ’ grave was from outside influences. The tighter the security, the less likely the body could have been tampered with. Archaeologists have been able to determine from excavations of first-century sites how Jesus’ tomb was probably constructed. There was likely a slanted groove that led down to a low entrance and a large disk-shaped stone was rolled down this groove and lodged into place across the door. A smaller stone was then used to secure the disk. Although it would be easy to roll this big disk down the groove, it would take several men to roll the stone back up in order to reopen the tomb. In short, it was quite secure. In addition to the physical weight of the rock at the tomb’s entrance, guards stood watch around the tomb. In fact, Matthew reports that when the guards repo...

The Resurrection of Christ (Kinnaird Resurrection) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption (1 Cor. 15:42). The Corinthians questioned the viability of the resurrection on two counts: “How is it possible for life to come out of death?” and “What is to be the nature of the resurrected body?” The first question is easily answered: If God is able to create life out of nothing, then He is perfectly able to bring life, order, and organization out of the chaos and confusion of death (which is not annihilation but the passing from one form of existence to another). But what will be the nature of that organization? “The Bible clearly teaches that our bodies hereafter are to be the same as those which we now have; but it nowhere teaches us wherein that sameness consists,” Hodge wrote. “In what sense is a sprouting acorn the same with the full-grown oak? Not in substance, not in form, not in appearance. It is, however, the same indivi...

( Jesus death & resurrection) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) From Keith Mathison. Eschatology moves to the foreground in 1 Corinthians 15. Here Paul turns his full attention to the doctrine of the resurrection. The question to which Paul is responding is not stated explicitly until verse 12. Paul informs us there that some of the Corinthians were saying that "there is no resurrection of the dead ." As we examine the text it will become clear that what they were denying was the future bodily resurrection of believers. Paul makes very clear in this chapter how central the doctrine of the resurrection is to the Christian faith . His argument proceeds in two stages. In verses 1–34, he demonstrates the reality of the resurrection of the dead. In verses 35–58, he explains how it is that the bodily resurrection of believers is possible. Paul opens the discussion by reminding the Corinthians of the Gospel that he had preached to them and that they had believed (15:1). In oth...

The Resurrection of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) We must boldly  proclaim the resurrection of Christ from 1 Corinthians 15 where the apostle Paul gives, "the greatest defense for the primacy and the centrality of the resurrection of Christ in the gospel." If the resurrection did not happen: Our preaching is futile. Our faith is foolish. The disciples are frauds. The cross has failed. The grave is final. Everything is folly. Related articles "Why is the truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ so important (jesuschristlordsavior.wordpress.com) Our worthless faith (thebereanway.wordpress.com) Christ's Resurrection (erikbrewer.wordpress.com) The Resurrection of Christ: Four Flawed Theories and the Glorious Truth (insightscoop.typepad.com) Yolanda's Points Of Power: The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ [EXCLUSIVE AUDIO] (praiserichmond.com) The Resurrection and the Believer (codybateman.org) Resurrection: Jesus Christ Was ...

The Resurrection of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) If there is no resurrection of the dead , then not even Christ has been raised ( 1 Corinthians 15 :13). Death is the last enemy (v. 26). It is not our friend. It is hard, frightening, and absurd. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus and shrank from death on the Mount of Olives . Because death is so fearful, it is difficult to retain faith in the face of it, but thankfully the Holy Spirit enables us to. Philosophers such as Plato and Immanuel Kant have wrestled with the problem of death, but they cannot give us any assurance of a life to come. It is only in the Gospel that we find the facts that enable us to die in faith. Primary among those facts is the resurrection of Jesus Christ . His resurrection in a glorious body proves that there is a new life in glory for believers. Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15 that the resurrected Christ appeared “to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than 500 of the...