The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most attest-able historical fact. More papers have been written, more research work has been done and more skeptics have turned to Christ because of the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There have been libraries written about the subject of the resurrection, and I think I know why. It is also the most argued subject by those who do not believe. The miracle of Christ’s resurrection is simply too hard for some to believe. I would like to discuss the importance of the resurrection in a way that can help believers and non-believers to see why the core to the Christian faith is and will always be the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The first and most important thing about the resurrection is its witness. the witness of the resurrection witnesses to the immense power of God the Father Himself. If you believe in the resurrection then it follows that you actually believe in God. If you believe in the existence of God, then the understanding of His immense power can be seen as His creation of the universe and His power over it. If in fact He has absolute control of space, matter and time then He has power to raise the dead. If He was not in control of creation and did not have the power to defeat death then He is not worthy of our faith and worship. Only God the Father, who created life, can resurrect anything after death. This understanding of the glory and power that God the Father has shows that only He can reverse death itself, and only He can remove the sting of death and gain the victory over the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54–55). In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.
The resurrection validates the claims of Jesus being the Son of God and being the Messiah. If Christ’s claims were not validated then there would be cause of concern for every person who believes that He did in-fact rise from the dead. God the Father resurrecting His Son however does validate Christ’s claims to be the Son of God, the Messiah.In the Gospel of John 12:20-33 describes Christ’s claim of not only being the Son of God, but also prophesied about how he was going to die. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians Paul gives an amazing explanation of the Importance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. If hundreds of people saw Him alive after everyone saw Him die, then it testifies that His claim to be the Son of God was real.
The resurrection also validates the Old Testament. It was the Old Testament that Paul used when he would reason within different synagogues (Acts 17-1:3). With Jesus fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies of His birth, death and resurrection, it made it simple for Paul to point to those scriptures and explain that only Jesus could possibly be Christ.
There are many important reasons why the resurrection is so important. One that is not so far from the immense power of God the Father is what Jesus said of Himself. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.” (John 11:25) In this claim by Jesus is Him claiming to be the source of both the resurrection and the key to eternal life. Jesus bestows His life on those who believe in Him so that we can share His triumph over death with others (1 John 5:11–12). Those who believe in Christ will personally experience resurrection because, having the life Jesus gives, we have overcome death. It is impossible for death to win (1 Corinthians 15:53–57).
In His name,
Pastor Bill
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