I’m tired of hearing the suicide bombers in the Middle East being called martyrs. They’re assassins. True martyrs don’t take other people with them when they die.

As I write this column, Easter Day is approaching. Easter is the day we Christians celebrate our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. He was our example of a true martyr.

 Do I believe in the resurrection? Sure I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to call myself a Christian. The Apostle Paul said, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain” (1 Corinthiaans 15:14 New American Standard Bible).

 In fact, I believe the resurrection of Jesus was the primary event that sparked the spread of the Christian faith. It is widely believed, without the resurrection, Christianity would never have progressed beyond being a tiny messianic sect within Judaism.

 For some, the scientific age makes the resurrection story that is so foundational to the Christian faith hard to swallow. Although I understand why this is true, the modern secular thought found in most of our colleges today still amuses me. It assures us that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead never happened. Why? Because if Jesus rose from the dead, it would be a miracle. And since miracles are by definition impossible, miracles can’t happen.

If this kind of reasoning isn’t like a dog chasing its own tail, I don’t know what is. Not only is this reasoning circular, people who hold this argument must presume to know every event that has ever occurred, or ever will occur. 

 Some of our modern religious thought is equally amusing. Its argument against the resurrection is structured much the same: If Jesus rose from the dead it would be a miracle. And since miracles are a violation of God’s own natural laws, and God can’t break His own laws, miracles can’t happen.

 This argument is built on the false premise that a miracle must be a violation of a natural law. A miracle is not a violation of a natural law. A miracle occurs when an outside force (God) interferes with the normal working of a natural law. If left alone, the natural law would still work as it always does.

 There are many reasons I have for believing Jesus rose from the dead. My main reason, however, is I can find no satisfactory explanation for the rapid spread of the Christian faith other then the resurrection. This is especially true when you consider the unfavorable conditions in which the first believers found themselves.

 For example, some say Christianity was spread with the sword. Well, it was. But, the sword was in the hands of those who opposed Christianity, not in the hands of the first Christians. All of the Apostles, except one, had to die as martyrs to spread the news that Jesus rose from the dead. Not only that, many hundreds of other first century believers also had to die as martyrs because they insisted that Jesus appeared to them too.

Through the centuries, an uncountable number of both Jew and Gentile believers were willing to follow their Lord’s example in martyrdom. Like the first believers, they too were willing to lay down their lives for others, and they didn’t take others with them.

 Again and again, Christians have been willing to face death for their belief that Jesus rose from the dead. Why? Because they knew that, because Jesus rose from the dead, those who die believing in Him would someday rise from their graves too.

My point is, it’s evident something happened that first Easter Day that can’t easily be rationalized away. And for me, there’s only one good explanation.

 Jesus has, in fact, risen from the dead!