The resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the crux of New Testament theology. Paul is clear that one must believe in the resurrection of Christ in order to be saved, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Furthermore, Paul said if Jesus was not raised from the dead then our faith is useless (1 Corinthians 15:17). Peter connects the resurrection to the regeneration of believers: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3). In His resurrection Jesus secured the regeneration of the elect! In Romans 4:25 we learn that Jesus was resurrected for our justification: “who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” More verses could be cited, but these clearly show the resurrection to be crucial to many doctrines of our faith. It was not merely a miracle that confirmed Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God, though it was that; the resurrection is also tied to our sanctification as believers. For example, in Philippians 3:10 Paul expresses his desire to know “the power of his resurrection” and in Colossians 3:1-5 it is our spiritual resurrection with Christ which forms the basis for putting to death the sinful desires that remain in us (cf. also Ephesians 2:4-6). The resurrection is not a peripheral issue – it is at the core of our faith! Skeptics have claimed that Christianity is like a house of cards: a fragile system that is dependent on one core belief, the resurrection. If the resurrection of Christ can be disproven the whole belief system will come tumbling down. So did the resurrection actually happen? Everything hinges on this question because if Jesus Christ rose from the dead, then He is God and everything He claims is true.