The term resurrection is defined as, "a standing up again, that is, (literally) a resurrection from death" (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries). Teachings concerning the resurrection of the dead are, and have been, various. The scriptures tell us, "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both (Acts 23:8). The Sadducees were a prominent sect of the Jewish nation: the high priests were from the Sadducees, in the Lord’s day. This difference in doctrine is still a prominent conflict: some believe that there will be a resurrection, while others believe the body is purely physical in nature and once buried, to never be alive again. Christianity is a doctrine that teaches a "hope that all people, good and bad, will surely be raised from the dead" (Acts 24:15). Belief in the resurrection is of such importance that God said, "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). Not only is belief in the resurrection taught in the sacred writings, but it is a foundational doctrine because Jesus "was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4). The sacred writings further emphasize the importance of the resurrection, by revealing that, "if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:13-17). Thus, the hope of a Christian resides in the evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead, and "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him" (Romans 6:9) gives the Christian hope that he too, may become dead unto sin and alive unto God. The doctrine of the resurrection is one of faith. Faith being an "assurance of things hoped for and a conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). No individual today was present when Jesus was raised from the dead. Yet, a lack of empirical knowledge does not remove the ability to believe that he was. Mankind believes many things through faith. By faith, we believe that George Washington was the first president. Not because we were there, but because reliable witnesses have recorded events substantiating the facts of the matter. The same is true in regard to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, we have records, both secular and sacred, substantiating the facts surrounding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The facts are so overwhelming that a rejection of them is not only futile, but also foolish, because a denial of those facts has eternal consequences. The sacred writings affirm that Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead, to die no more. His resurrection is mentioned some 84 times in the scriptures. Of the eight writers of the New Testament, six of them mention the resurrection. Of the twenty-seven divisions of the New Testament, nineteen mention the resurrection of Jesus. Mankind has a tendency to rationalize things in a way that eliminates the consequences of the truth: called denial. Some individuals deny that Jesus ever lived. Such denial doesn’t change the facts of history. In most cases denial is a means by which an individual is not required to deal with the consequences of the truth. An individual is diagnosed as having a drug or alcohol problem. They may deny it, but it doesn’t change the truth. Accepting the truth would necessitate an action, if the individual desires to be freed from the addiction. The same is true with religion. Many deny that they have a problem. If they accept their problem, then they also must accept the fact that they can, in and of themselves, do nothing to correct it. Once they recognize they need help, they must turn to the only source God has provided to save them, "And in none other is salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). That name, is "Jesus Christ of Nazareth" (Vs. 10). Accepting Jesus as the only source provided by God necessitates obedience to Him in all things. Jesus said, "if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I spake not from myself; but the Father that sent me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life eternal" (John 12:47-50). Jesus is not saying there will not be a judgment, quite to the contrary. For he also said, "Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23). When individuals deny the facts concerning the resurrection, they often do so because they are not willing to accept the consequences of the resurrection, i.e., a responsibility to turn away from their sins and "serve a living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1:9). What they need to come to grips with is the fact that denial will not change the facts.

Included in the sacred revelation of the resurrection of Jesus is the secular evidence. Josephus, a highly regarded secular historian, said, ""Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works,—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure…He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day" (Antiquities of the Jews, pg. 548).

Both secular and sacred writers affirm that Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead. "By the resurrection from the dead" Jesus of Nazareth was "declared to be the Son of God with power" (Romans 1:4). God affirms that if you believe that, and thereby respond to the provision God has made, "thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9).