And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up— if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 1 Corinthians 15:14-18
In this life we encounter various ideas and truth claims. These concepts will inevitably impact each of us somewhat differently. Some concepts will have a profound impact on our lives, others will have none. This truth is perhaps seen no better than in the various religious teachings of the major world religions. Each one has a "sacred text(s)" which serves as a guide to their adherents in faith and practice. The differences in these texts are too vast to discuss in this article, so we will focus on the foundational tenet of Christianity. That foundation is of course the resurrection of Christ.
The most profound difference in Christianity and the other world religions is the biblical claim that its originator defeated death. The Zoroastrians know all too well that Zoroaster is long since dead. The Buddhists know Siddhartha Guatama is long since dead. The Muslims know Muhammad is long since dead. This fact remains true for all the major world religions save Judaism as we know Yahweh is not dead (though they have rejected the completion of His plan for them in Christ). The significance of this cannot be overstated. While Judaism and Islam alike teach a future resurrection and judgment, neither offers sufficient means to make atonement for sin. Neither do they boast a risen Savior who is alive today as proof of the resurrection to eternal life. In Islam, the only people with the promise of paradise are those who die in Jihad. The rest will be judged by their good deeds done with no assurance that Allah will judge them worthy. What comfort can be derived from serving such a whimsical master?
With Christianity, we are assured " ...if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:14). And again, "...knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will present us with you" (2 Corinthians 4:14). The best news of all is that when He died and rose from the grave, He solved our sin problem. Paul told the Corinthians, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Peter wrote to urge a group of persecuted Christians to press on in His service with the knowledge that God has "...begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." (1 Peter 1:3).
It is one thing to make such a bold claim, but it is another thing entirely to give a reasonable defense of it (1 Peter 3:15). Are we prepared to make such a defense? The resurrection of Christ stands on very reliable historical evidence. From the failed efforts of the enemies of Christ to explain away the empty tomb (Matthew 28:11-15), to their inability to refute the public claims of the many witnesses of His post-resurrection appearances, to the willingness of the eyewitnesses to willfully go to their deaths rather than recant their allegedly false claims and live is a mighty big hurdle for the skeptic to overcome. The only reason they deny the historical reality of the event is that we have never seen a resurrection. However, these same people have no problems accepting a causeless effect (e.g. the Universe), life coming from non-life, simple life changing into more complex, eternal matter or self-created matter, etc. Funny thing is no one has ever seen any of these things happen. Yet, the opponents of the resurrection carry right on claiming to be the "rational" ones while building their case on things with far less data to commend them. Let us arm ourselves with the truth that we serve a risen Savior and bring the wayward home.