The resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and on the third day rose again from the dead. The resurrection demonstrates Christ’s power over sin and death and confirms His divinity and authority. It is considered the cornerstone of the Christian faith for several key reasons:
1. It demonstrates Christ’s deity and power over death
By raising Himself from the dead, Jesus demonstrated that He was truly God incarnate (John 10:18). His resurrection confirmed His earlier claims to be the Son of God and have power over life and death (John 11:25). The fact that Jesus prophesied His death and resurrection ahead of time and then accomplished it is strong evidence of His divine nature and authority (Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23).
Death is the ultimate enemy of humankind, but Jesus’ resurrection represents victory over death and offers hope for eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 says, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ’s resurrection defanged the power of death and opened the door for resurrection to eternal life.
2. It confirms Christ’s identity as the Son of God
The resurrection powerfully confirms Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Romans 1:4 says He was “declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.” His victory over death was predicted in the Old Testament, such as Psalm 16:10: “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” Peter cited this and other Old Testament prophecies to prove to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 2:25-32). The resurrection confirmed Christ’s divine identity.
3. It demonstrates Christ’s sinless life and sacrifice for sins
The fact that Jesus rose from the dead demonstrates that He lived a sinless life, because sin leads to spiritual death (Romans 6:23). Jesus remained dead for parts of three days to fulfill prophecy and conquer the full measure of death’s punishment for sin (Matthew 12:40). But since He had no sin of His own, death could not keep Him in the grave (Acts 2:24). His resurrection proves that He paid the full penalty for humankind’s sins.
4. It gives believers hope of resurrection and eternal life
Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). His resurrection blazed a trail for believers to follow Him in resurrection from the dead. Those who put their faith in Christ can have confidence they will experience resurrection to eternal bodily life as He did (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). His resurrection marked the firstfruits of the great harvest to come (1 Corinthians 15:20). Believers can look forward to resurrection and eternal life because He lives.
Jesus also indicated His resurrection would provide the basis for the future resurrection to eternal life, saying those who believed in Him “will be raised up at the last day” (John 6:39-40). The hope of resurrection found in Christ brings meaning amid earthly troubles and trials (Romans 8:18).
5. It gives power to believers for victory over sin
The risen Christ empowers believers to live resurrection lives right now by giving them victory over sin. Paul wrote that just as Christ was raised to life, believers should consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11). The indwelling Spirit of Christ enables believers to resist sinful desires and live righteously (Romans 8:9-13). The resurrected Christ gives believers supernatural power to walk in newness of life.
6. It assures believers they are justified
The resurrection provides proof that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice for sins on the cross. As Paul wrote, “[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). If God had not raised Jesus from the dead, it would indicate His displeasure with the atonement. But Jesus’ resurrection shows God’s complete satisfaction with Christ’s sacrifice, proving believers are justified through their faith in Christ.
7. It shows Christ’s resurrection body is the prototype for believers’ future bodies
When Jesus rose from the dead, He had a real flesh-and-bone body that could be touched and recognized (Luke 24:39, John 20:27). But He could also appear and disappear miraculously (Luke 24:31). This indicates believers’ resurrection bodies will be physical yet transformed. As Paul said, Jesus “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). Christ’s resurrection body is the prototype.
8. It allowed Christ to give the Great Commission
Before ascending to Heaven, the resurrected Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission, telling them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19). Without Christ’s resurrection, the disciples would not have received this call to take the gospel to the world. The resurrection gave Christ the authority to issue the Great Commission that guides the mission of the church.
9. It allowed Christ to give the Holy Spirit
The risen Christ had promised to send the Holy Spirit to indwell believers (John 14:26). So in John 20:22, one of His first actions after rising was to breathe on His disciples and say, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” As the crucified and risen Lord, Jesus could send the Spirit to empower the church for ministry. His resurrection enabled the gift of the Holy Spirit.
After His ascension, Jesus at the right hand of the Father poured out the promised Holy Spirit on believers at Pentecost (Acts 2:32-33). The resurrected Christ is the Baptist in the Spirit, giving His followers power from on high.
10. It proves Jesus’ sacrificial death was accepted by God
As Paul states in Romans 4:25, Jesus “was raised to life for our justification.” In other words, Jesus’ resurrection proves that His sacrificial death on the cross fully paid the penalty for sin and satisfied the wrath of God toward sinners. If Christ had remained dead, it would have indicated God had rejected His sacrifice. But Jesus conquered death in triumph, showing God was pleased to raise Him to new life.
This means believers can have confidence they are justified before God through faith in Christ, whose sacrifice was accepted. The resurrection provides assurance of Christ’s completed atonement and God’s forgiveness.
Conclusion
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is pivotal to Christianity. His rising from the dead demonstrated His deity and divine power, confirmed His identity as the Son of God and Messiah, showed His sinless life and sacrifice succeeded in paying for sins, gives believers hope of resurrection and eternal life, empowers them for victory over sin, assures them they are justified, provides a prototype for their future bodies, enabled Him to commission the church, allowed Him to send the Holy Spirit, and proves God accepted His atoning death. The resurrection establishes Jesus’ lordship and the truth of Christianity.