The document emphasizes the critical importance of Jesus Christ's resurrection to Christianity, arguing that without it, both faith and preaching become worthless, rendering Christianity a false religion. It cites biblical references to illustrate that the resurrection is foundational for salvation and hope for mankind, asserting that if Christ was not raised, the entire basis of faith and scripture collapses. The document also discusses theological implications of the resurrection, affirming it as a central tenet that signifies Jesus' victory over sin, death, and hell.

1. The Third Day
An Examination of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

2. The Third Day
The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection

3. The German chancellor, Konrad Adeneur, once
asked Billy Graham this question: ―Mr.Graham, do
you really believe that Jesus Christ rose from the
dead?‖ Billy Graham somewhat taken aback by the
question said, ―Sir, if I did not believe in the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, I would have no gospel
left to preach.‖ Graham said Conrad Adeneur
paused, walked over to the end of the room, looked
out of the window, at the post-war ruins and said,
―Mr. Graham, outside of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ, I know of no other hope for mankind.‖

4. The Fact of the Resurrection

5. " Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which also you
stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word
which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I
delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures, and that He
appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He
appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time,
most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and
last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also."
(1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

6. "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also
you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast
the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain."
(1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
Paul is about to describe the
Gospel, or ―good news‖, which
includes the resurrection. This
Gospel:
1. Was preached
2. Was received
3. Makes believers stand
4. Saves believers

7. ―For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures‖
(1 Corinthians 15: 3-4)
Theologians agree that vs. 3-5 are one of the earliest Christian
creeds, which Paul quotes. Some believe that Paul received it
directly from Peter and James while visiting them in Jerusalem –
some five years after Jesus‘ crucifixion.

8. ―For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures‖
(1 Corinthians 15: 3-4)
Paul says these points – Christ‘s death, burial, and resurrection are
of ―first importance‖ - prōtois - which signifies a prominence; ―most
important‖. Without these three facts, Christianity falls and is
worthless. Paul also puts the integrity of Bible on the line and says
these things were prophesied in the Scriptures.

9. "And He said to them, ―O foolish men and
slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets
have spoken! ―Was it not necessary for the
Christ to suffer these things and to enter into
His glory?‖ Then beginning with Moses and
with all the prophets, He explained to them the
things concerning Himself in all the
Scriptures."
(Luke 24:25-27)

10. What if no Resurrection?

11. "Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the
dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection
of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even
Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then
our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are
even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified
against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in
fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not
even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised,
your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also
who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped
in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied."
(1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

12. ―But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if
Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. ‖
(1 Corinthians 15: 13-14)
Paul says his preaching and our faith are ―kenon‖, which means ‗empty‘
and ‗devoid of value‘. This is an important point to understand:
without the resurrection of Jesus, Paul says the Christian faith has
no value whatsoever.

13. ―[This is] not simply as having some
mixture of falsehood, but as being
altogether an empty fallacy. For what
remains if Christ has been swallowed up
by death — if he has become extinct — if he
has been overwhelmed by the curse of sin
— if, in fine, he has been overcome by
Satan? In short, if that fundamental article
is subverted, all that remains will be of no
moment. For the same reason he adds,
that their faith will be vain, for what solidity
of faith will there be, where no hope of life
is to be seen? But in the death of Christ,
considered in itself, there is seen nothing
but ground of despair, for he cannot be
the author of salvation to others, who has
been altogether vanquished by death.‖
- John Calvin

14. ―Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified
against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are
not raised. ‖
(1 Corinthians 15: 15)
If Jesus was not resurrected, then Paul says he and the other
apostles and fellow workers have been spreading a false religion.
But in addition, Jesus is found to be a liar or wrong as well as the
Scripture.

15. Paul Would be a Liar or Wrong
"―Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to
men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which
He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed,
having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.‖"
(Acts 17:30-31)
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who
raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His Spirit who dwells in you.―
(Romans 8:11)
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,"
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
" But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are
asleep."(1 Corinthians 15:20)

16. The Apostles Would be Liars or Wrong
"this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God,
you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. ―But
God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was
impossible for Him to be held in its power."
(Acts 2:23-24)
"And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all."
(Acts 4:33)
"let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of
Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the
dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health."
(Acts 4:10)
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to
His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"
(1 Peter 1:3)

17. Jesus Would be a Liar or Wrong
"From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to
Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day."
(Matthew 16:21)
"As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them,
saying, ―Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the
dead.‖"
(Matthew 17:9)
"Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, ―Behold, we are going
up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets
about the Son of Man will be accomplished. ―For He will be handed over
to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after
they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise
again.‖"
(Luke 18:31-33)

18. Jesus Would be a Liar or Wrong
"Jesus answered them, ―Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up.‖ The Jews
then said, ―It took forty-six years to build this
temple, and will You raise it up in three days?‖
But He was speaking of the temple of His
body."
(John 2:19-21)

19. ―Our Saviour‘s
resurrection is truly of
great importance in
Christianity, so great
that His being or not
being the Messiah
stands or falls with it.‖
- John Locke

20. Jesus Would be a Liar or Wrong
" Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him,
―Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.‖ But He
answered and said to them, ―An evil and adulterous
generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to
it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was
three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster,
so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in
the heart of the earth."
(Matthew 12:38-40)
Jesus did not say He would give them no sign. Jesus said THE sign, THE proof
that would show Him to be truthful and the Messiah was His resurrection from the
grave.

21. The Bible Would be Wrong
"―So, having obtained help from God, I [Paul]
stand to this day testifying both to small and
great, stating nothing but what the Prophets
and Moses said was going to take place; that
the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of
His resurrection from the dead He would be
the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish
people and to the Gentiles.‖"
(Acts 26:22-23)

22. The Bible Would be Wrong
"I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be
shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my
glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell
securely. For You will not abandon my soul to
Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One
to undergo decay."
(Psalm 16:8-10)

23. God the Father Would be a Liar
In the original Greek, the construction of verse 15 seems to indicate
Paul saying that God was lying and by God‘s false testimony, he and
the other apostles were spreading falsehoods.
―Now, therefore, he teaches that, if the resurrection of Christ is
denied, God is made guilty of falsehood in the witnesses that have
been brought forward and hired by him.‖ - John Calvin

24. The Uniqueness of Christianity Vanishes
Buddha
All
Dead
VS.
and
Buried
Muhammad
Confucius
Alive Forever?

25. ―Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified
against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are
not raised. ‖
(1 Corinthians 15: 15)
If Jesus was not resurrected, then Paul and the apostles
word could not be trusted, Jesus could not be trusted,
and the Bible could not be trusted. What source of truth
is left…?

26. "For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has
not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also
who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished."
(1 Corinthians 15:16-18)
Without the resurrection, Jesus could not have done three things:
1. Conquer Sin
2. Conquer Death
3. Conquer Hell

27. Why is this the case?
Why couldn‘t Jesus die
on the cross for our sins
and His spirit then
depart and be with
God? Why did He have
to be resurrected to
defeat sin, death, and
Hell?

28. ―This firstborn from
the dead was raised
from the grave, not a
human creature, but a
spirit‖
Jehovah‘s Witnesses
Let God Be True, pg. 276.

29. The Anthropology of Man
What is the nature of human beings? Some theories:
• Materialism – humans have a material body but nothing else. All is
just a manifestation of matter.
• Idealism – the reverse of materialism – humans only have an
immaterial dimension, and the body is nothing more than a mirage to
the non-material mind.
• Monism – just as one side of a coin is the same substance as the
other side of the same coin, so humans are made up of a body and
soul that are the same substance – really just the same thing.
• Dualism – the body and soul are separate components that run in
parallel to each other, but never really interact.
• Trichotomy – a person has a separate body, soul, and spirit. With
the body, a person is world-conscious; with the soul, they are self-
conscious; and with the spirit, they are God-conscious.

30. The Anthropology of Man
What is the nature of human beings?
A person has a material and immaterial component, but they are
unified in one person, with the word for this unity being
hylomorphism.
When God breathed life into man in Genesis 2:7, there was a unity
of dust (body) and God‘s breath giving life to the unified person.
Paul touches on this cohesive concept in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 when
he says, ―Now  the God of peace 
may
 Himself sanctify you entirely;

and may your  and soul and body be preserved
spirit

complete, 
without blame at  coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.‖
 the

In the same way God is not three gods but one God in three
persons, our immaterial and material sides are one.

31. The Fall of Man
―The Lord God  commanded the

man, saying, ‗From any tree of the
garden you may eat freely; but
from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not  for
eat,

in the day that you eat from it 
you

will surely die.‘‖ (Genesis 2:15-16)
The Hebrew word for ―die‖ in
verse 16 is muwth, which can mean
to die prematurely from neglect of
wise or moral conduct.

32. The Fall of Man
―For the wages of  is death‖
sin

-Romans 6:23
The concept is simple – you sin, you die. A person
experiences separation from God (spiritual death) and
your body ages and dies in a physical manner. Both were
consequences of the fall and both have to be undone
because, as we‘ve already seen, man‘s nature involves an
inseparable unity between the material and the immaterial.
We cannot just be partly saved – it‘s all or nothing.

33. The Redemption of Man
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the
world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all
men, because all sinned—"(Romans 5:12)
Just as through one man sin entered into the
world and spread death and separation from
God to all mankind, through another man,
freedom from sin, physical death, and separation
from God (Hell) entered into the world.
Jesus had to be raised bodily to fully save
mankind and demonstrate victory over sin and
death. If He wasn‘t raised bodily, then sin and
Satan won in the garden. What the first Adam
lost, the last Adam (Christ) retrieved.

34. The Redemption of Man
The key difference to remember between
Greek/Platonic thought, Gnostic philosophy and
Christianity is this: In the former, salvation is defined as
deliverance FROM the body, whereas in Christianity,
salvation is deliverance OF the body.

35. No Resurrection: Sin Wins
"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is
the law;"
(1 Corinthians 15:56)
Without a bodily resurrection of Jesus, sin wins and eternal death
is the ultimate outcome for every human being. But because of the
sacrifice and victory over sin accomplished by Christ, we are saved
from the sting of sin: "I am writing to you, little children, because
your sins have been forgiven you for His name‘s sake."(1 John
2:12)

36. No Resurrection: Death Wins
"―I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon
this rock I will build My church; and the gates of
Hades will not overpower it."
(Matthew 16:18)
Contrary to many interpretations, ―the gates of Hades‖ does not
refer to Satan‘s kingdom. Instead it is a Jewish expression for
death. Jesus was saying that death would not defeat Him, would
not defeat His plan for building His Church, and would not defeat
those who would be part of His body. But without the
resurrection? As Paul says, ―Then those also who have fallen
asleep in Christ have perished."

37. No Resurrection: Death Wins
"But when this perishable will have put on the
imperishable, and this mortal will have put on
immortality, then will come about the saying that is
written, ―Death is swallowed up in victory. ―O
death, where is your victory? O death, where is
your sting?‖
(1 Corinthians 15:54-56)
Notice it is only after our resurrection that death will be
finally overcome. And if Christ was not raised, as Paul
has said, neither will we be.

38. No Resurrection: Hell Wins
"Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the
first resurrection; over these the second death has
no power, but they will be priests of God and of
Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand
years."
(Revelation 20:6)
Without Christ‘s bodily resurrection, Hell wins. Christ‘s
resurrection was the proof (or demonstration and vindication) of
God‘s acceptance of Jesus‘ sacrifice. Because He lives, God can
credit His provided righteousness to the account of every person
who responds by faith to that offer: "He who was delivered over
because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our
justification."(Romans 4:25)

39. No Resurrection?
"If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are
of all men most to be pitied."
(1 Corinthians 15:19)

40. No Resurrection?
―If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for
tomorrow we die."
(1 Corinthians 15:32)

41. No Resurrection?
1.The life-giving power of the Gospel is eliminated
2.The divinity of Jesus is eliminated
3.Salvation from sin is eliminated
4.Eternal life is eliminated

42. But…

43. "But now Christ has been raised from the
dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep."
(1 Corinthians 15:20)

44. The Proof of Christ’s Word
―no sign will be given to it but the sign
of Jonah the prophet; for just as
Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of the sea monster,
so will the Son of Man be three days
and three nights in the heart of the
earth.‖ (Matthew 12:38-40)
"who was declared the Son of God
with power by the resurrection from
the dead, according to the Spirit of
holiness, Jesus Christ our
Lord,"(Romans 1:4)

45. ―For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures‖
Christ‘s resurrection is of ‗first importance‘ – without it, Christianity collapses.

46. The Third Day
The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection