Christianity is a belief about the Resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15 is the greatest chapter in the Bible on the theme of Resurrection and it proclaims that Christianity has no ultimate value or meaning apart from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:14-17 states, 14 If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up–if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! To deny the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is to destroy the entire basis of the Christian faith. If God did not raise Jesus from the dead then all people are still dead in their sins. You cannot just eliminate the Resurrection as if it were one small part of a whole. If you take the Resurrection of Christ away, the entire house of cards falls down.
What makes the Resurrection of Christ of such great magnitude? First of all, it validates everything Jesus did. The Resurrection confirms the reality of Jesus life and death. The Christian faith, and how a Christian is to live it out, is primarily based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. If the Resurrection were not true, then why would anyone trust anything that Jesus did during His earthly career? Even His death would be senseless brutality if there were no resurrection. However, the Resurrection is true and that means that everything in Jesus’ life was the example by which believers live their lives. It also means that Jesus’ death on the cross is effectual for all those who believe. Jesus’ Resurrection means His shed blood was not in vain, but it procured redemption for the people of God.
The second reality that makes the Resurrection so great is it authorizes everything Jesus said. Jesus said that He was speaking the truth from God (John 8:47). When He rose from the dead, every syllable He uttered while on earth became absolutely authoritative. Conversely, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, His words would have no authority. The Resurrection makes His words take effect. They become binding over everyone who ever lived. The Resurrection validates the entire Bible since Jesus claimed that the Bible was the very Word of God (Matthew 4:4).
Thirdly the Resurrection guarantees eternal life to those who believe. Over 4,000 years ago, Job asked the question, If a man dies, shall he live again? But Job isn’t the only one that asked that question, untold millions have asked the same question about immortality. Is there life after death? Jesus clears it up for everyone in John 11:25, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. Because Jesus rose from the dead, eternal life is possible by believing in Him. Romans 10:9, If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Salvation is predicated on the belief in the Resurrection (Romans 4:25). Before Jesus died and rose again, He said in John 14:19, Because I live, you will live also. Jesus predicted that He would be resurrected after His death and it came true, guaranteeing eternal life to His people.
Scripture Reference
“He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
If a man dies, shall he live again?
He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was braised because of our justification.
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