Is the resurrection figurative or literal?

The Apostles' Creed from the 3rd-4th century reads:

I believe in God the Father Almighty;
Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary;
Suffered under Pontius Pitlate, was crucified, dead and buried;
The third day He rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven;
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From there He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
The holy catholic Church;
The communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting. Amen.

This is put beautifully to song by the late Rich Mullins. My 3-year old boy- Hudson- loves this song and can recite it word for word. I don't understand why churches don't sing this creed versus reciting it as some dry reading, but I digress... Here's the video of the song. I encourage you to take time to listen to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHWoDwxyKUE

A lot of people who would label themselves as Christian believe that the resurrection of Christ is a symbolic thing and did not actually happen. They say, "C'mon people do not rise from the dead." Of course, we see it in nature all the time. Things die and come back to life. Winter comes and then comes Spring. Trees lose their leaves and then a miraculous rebirth occurs and new buds pop out of lifeless (seemingly) limbs.

Easter is about the resurrection of Christ. The hope of Christianity rests on this literal resurrection. The apostle Paul realized the importance of the literal resurrection. A whole chapter is devoted to it: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?go=Go&q=1+Corinthians+15. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. He appeared to Peter and the apostles. He appeared to over 500 people. Paul says that our faith is worthless if Christ did not literally resurrect.

One my favorite passages in all of the Bible is 1 Corinthians 15:19-20, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of peoples most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead..."

Many skeptics have sought and seek to disprove Christianity. Very few actually study the Scriptures and investigate the literal resurrection of Christ. Some that have gone to this trouble have come to a disturbing conclusion: the literal resurrection of Christ is true. In 1930, English journalist/Christian skeptic Frank Morrison wrote Who Moved the Stone? Morrison came to the conclusion that the resurrection was true.

Josh McDowell wrote Evidence That Demands a Verdict after a similar study. Avowed atheist and legal editor for the Chicago Tribune Herald Lee Strobel investigated the claims of Christianity and found them true. He wrote about his journey in The Case for Christ. CS Lewis underwent a similar journey and wrote about his discoveries in many of his books.

I believe in the resurrection and I believe in life that never ends. I believe that one day God will take this sinful dying or dead body and resurrect it with a perfected body just like He does in nature every Winter/Spring. I believe that God will take this worn out, disease filled, dying earth and resurrect it with a renovated earth free from pollution, sin, disease, death, waste, greed, etc... I believe that God will do this just as He shows us it is possible in nature every Winter/Spring.

I believe that my hope is firmly planted in the resurrection of Christ. He died on the cross for my sins and the sins of all who believe in His sacrificial love. I believe that His resurrection from the dead makes my resurrection from the dead possible. I believe that He will return to judge the earth and everyone in it. I believe that the only way to escape the just wrath of God is to be a follower of Christ. I believe that He will return to establish a kingdom of truth, mercy, righteousness, love and good that will never end.

My daughter Hope is due any day now. Her birth is eagerly awaited by her mother and me. But there is a hope that I long for even more than the birth of my daughter. I long for the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. I love my kids and would die for them. But I would also stake my life on the truth of Christ's literal resurrection from the dead. If it is only in this life I have hope, I am to be pitied.

One more video: Bruce Springsteen's version of When the Saints Go Marching In:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aff_zv76sCY&mode=related&search=

For The Hope of Resurrection,

Ashley Hodge