jesus
the warrant of authenticity
by Paulo Sérgio Gomes
In the book Jesus , Who Is He ?, the famous author of the Left Behind series Tim LaHaye shares a deep reflection on the impact that not only Jesus ’ life and death , but especially His resurrection , have had on all those who believe .
Christ ’ s execution may well be considered a tragic , illegal miscarriage of justice , but when we include the resurrection , the message of the cross becomes glorious victory . Jesus ’ resurrection is what gives power to the cross and proves Christianity ’ s reliability . As Napoleon put it , “ you must die on a cross and rise on the third day ” to found a religion .
Jesus resurrected physically , not just in spirit . A specter does not walk , talk and eat like Jesus did with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus , thus inquiring them : “ Why are you troubled ? (…) See my hands and feet , that it is I myself ; handle , and see : for a spirit hath not flesh and bones , as you see me to have .” ( DRA )
You could say that the true Christian believes in Christ ’ s death for our sins , in the entombing of his body in a sepulcher , and in his bodily resurrection . Thus no one who refuses to believe in Christ ’ s resurrection can be saved .
The resurrection fulfilled His prophecies , as well as those of the Old Testament prophets , being the core message of the first century church and comforting the followers of Jesus in the following centuries , resulting in the adoption of Christianity as the predominant religion of the Roman Empire , in the 4th century . It was the essential doctrine of Protestant reformers , becoming crucial in the message that Biblical-based churches preach today .
A renowned rationalist , Dr . Charles Guignebert , professor of History of Christianity at Sorbonne who ut-
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