“He (Jesus) has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so.” ~ C.S. Lewis, Miracles
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central truth in Christianity. It is God’s mighty proclamation that the old has ended and the new has come. The resurrection provides evidence that God’s Kingdom is advancing into this world.
Without the resurrection we would be living in a world without hope. It is the resurrection that infuses victory and meaning into the cross. It is the resurrection that shows us that God keeps His promises. It is the resurrection that gives us hope in hopeless situations.
Jesus’ resurrection provides vindication for his claims:
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:18-19; ESV)
The resurrection gives us a foretaste of what is to come:.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4; ESV)
The resurrection creates a new and living hope that even death cannot destroy:
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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5; ESV)
Jesus’ resurrection established, once and for all, that he is the only way to heaven:
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:5-7; ESV)
The resurrection of Jesus gives our faith meaning:
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:16-17; ESV)
The resurrection is the most important reality to our Christian faith:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6; ESV)
Everything about Christianity flows from Jesus’ resurrection. This is the reason that C.S. Lewis wrote that the resurrection of Jesus “changes everything.” It was like turning on a light in a dark room, and all of life has hope and meaning because of it.
The world has always been a place of competing religions and philosophies. Today we have access to all sorts of beliefs systems, and each one has its own attraction. If there was no resurrection then it wouldn’t matter which way you chose to go, because they would all be making promises in the dark.
Since Jesus rose from the dead it is essential that your faith is in him. For Jesus alone has rescued us from the dominion of Satan, sin, and death. That is what his resurrection proves. To experience that hope and freedom your faith must be in him. Only Jesus can promise you resurrection as well.
Questions to consider:
- Why is Jesus’ resurrection so important to Christianity?
- How has the resurrection given your life hope?
- Do you believe the resurrection of Jesus changes everything? Why or why not?
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