Resurrection—What Does It Mean?

Resurrection is one of those words that may have been given a new meaning in the Christian books you’re reading. The idea is that Jesus’ body didn’t literally rise from the dead (some suggest his body was eaten by dogs); what “resurrected” (or lived on) was merely faith or the experiences people had with Jesus. The story of the resurrection was just a myth/metaphor, they say, a symbol of hope. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t real—only that it carries meaning for us. But what do the Scriptures say? John 2:21 says that Jesus’ words meant that his body would rise. Romans 10:9 says that we will be saved if we believe in the resurrection. 1 Corinthians15:3, 4 names the death, burial, and resurrection as being “of first importance.” And verse 14 says our faith is useless if Christ didn’t rise. There are many other such Scriptures. One wonders how someone can hold the Bible in one hand and insist on this other meaning of resurrection. Google-search an author’s name along with terms like resurrection, deity of Jesus, inerrancy of Scripture, etc., to dig in until you discover his actual theology.