The Essential Resurrection
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Why is the resurrection important? Can’t we just accept the teachings of Jesus without believing that after He died, and that He rose from the dead?
I believe the resurrection is foundational to all of Christianity. With the resurrection, Christianity is dynamic and powerful. Without the resurrection Christianity is a fraud with nothing to offer humanity.
I would like to suggest there are four reasons found in 1 Corinthians 15 that define why the resurrection is essential to the Christian faith.
The resurrection is essential to the Gospel.
The resurrection is essential to the Gospel.
Paul begins his discussion of the resurrection by pointing out that it is central to the Good News or “Gospel.” Paul defines this Gospel in verses 2 through 4 of this chapter.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Paul begins with the assertion that we must hold to the belief in the resurrection or our faith is in vain. Many have tried to cast doubt on the resurrection simply because it is beyond our understanding.
However, it is much more important that we thoroughly examine the evidence of the empty tomb, the many witnesses including both close friends, skeptics and large groups of people.
The failure of Jesus’ opponents to produce a body or any verifiable evidence to doubt the resurrection even as the church grew exponentially while witnesses were still alive, raises questions since they could have easily destroyed Christianity by destroying the belief in the resurrection.
Probably the strongest evidence of the reality of the resurrection was that all of the disciples were willing to go to their death rather than deny the resurrection.
The Gospel, according to Paul consists of three things recorded in the Scriptures:
1. Christ died for our sins
2. Christ was buried
3. Christ was raised from the dead on the third day
This is the essence of the Gospel. The resurrection anchors the Gospel.
Paul then considers what would be true if the resurrection had not really happened.
For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
If we concede that the resurrection of the dead is impossible, which is exactly what the skeptics would have us to believe, then Jesus’ resurrection could not have happened.
The consequences of that are that our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and that His death was for the forgiveness of our sins are both undermined significantly. He cannot be who He said He was if He could be defeated by death and there is no reason to believe that His death accomplished any more than the death of any other man.
We and all those who have passed on before us are therefore still in their sins and facing eternal condemnation.
Paul’s conclusion is simple.
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
His answer to this seeming hopelessness is that Christ has risen and all is not lost, rather we have a certain hope because of the resurrection.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
This brings us to the second reason the resurrection is so essential to us.
The resurrection is essential to our own life after death.
The resurrection is essential to our own life after death.
As Paul suggested in the previous verse, the resurrection is the firstfruit or visible evidence, of our resurrection.
For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
He begins with sin coming into the human race through Adam and the universal penalty of death that has been passed on to all of humanity. He then contrasts the death that comes through Adam with the eternal life that comes through Christ.
Christ is seen as the firstfruits of our life after death. In the Old Testament, the firstfruits were like the down payment or guarantee of the crop that was about to be harvested. Here, firstfruits refers to the resurrection of Jesus proving the reality of life after death.
Paul recognizes what we all know far too well, that death is the one enemy we cannot defeat. But with Christ, death has been defeated.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Paul next raises the question of how all of this will happen.
The resurrection is essential to explain how our resurrection will happen.
The resurrection is essential to explain how our resurrection will happen.
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
He explains, first of all, the kind of resurrected body we will have.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
While this passage answers some important questions we have, it also leaves unanswered much of our curiosity about life after we die.
We do discover that our new bodies are imperishable, unlike our present bodies which we are all to aware, are wearing down. How great is it that we will have bodies free from many of the limitations we live with today. He describes our new bodies with the words “glory” and “power.”
Paul then addresses the “how” of our resurrection.
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
This gives us an incredible future to look forward to. Twice he repeats that we will be changed, given a spiritual body for all eternity. There is coming a time that we will be reunited with our risen Christ in our transformed bodies, for all eternity.
The final essential reason for believing in the resurrection pertains to our remaining life here on earth.
The resurrection is essential as our lifetime motivation to faithfulness.
The resurrection is essential as our lifetime motivation to faithfulness.
The knowledge that there is life after death and that the reality of the resurrection has been demonstrated in Christ’s resurrection has significant implications for every area of our lives.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
When we experience the transformation of our bodies into spiritual bodies at the resurrection we will experience complete victory over death. But we need not just hope and wish that this will be true, since Jesus has risen to demonstrate the certainty of our eventual victory.
It’s like watching a game on television that has already been played and knowing the final score. You can still fully enjoy all of the action but without the stress and agonizing that would be true if you were viewing it live.
Not only has death been defeated, but sin has also been defeated and no longer holds control over our lives or our future
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
The sting or consequence of sin is death and with death being defeated, we no longer have to fear the power of sin or death.
When Jesus rose from the dead he announced victory over death and removed the penalty of sin for those who would put their trust in Him. We can truly say:
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This changes our entire outlook on life! No longer are we moving through life with uncertainty and fear. We can be confident that we ultimately have the victory in Jesus Christ.
Paul concludes this chapter with some important instructions for how this should impact the way that we live our lives from this point forward.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
He first instructs us to “stand firm” and “let nothing move you.” This is the confidence and strength that comes from living free of the penalty and power of sin and death. It is liberated living in the here and now based on our victory in the hereafter.
He then instructs us to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord. This is a natural implication of all that he has just explained about the resurrection.
If Jesus rose from the dead establishing the foundations of our faith, and ensuring our resurrection while also removing the threat of sin and death from our lives, then there is no more worthy investment of our lives than to live for Him.
Now this does not mean that we all must become pastors or missionaries. It means that in whatever we do we will work to honor and promote the cause of Christ. His resurrection demands no less.
But what is our motivation for this kind of life? In the final words of this verse, it is “because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
No one ever sets out to live a wasted life, but far too many manage to accomplish it anyway. We dedicate vast portions of our lives to things of little significance or eternal consequence.
Living for Christ brings meaning and significance that will have impact for eternity. Consider this, what could be more impactful than sharing Christ with a friend and seeing them come to Christ. Or consider the impact of investing in the lives of boys and girls, changing the direction of their lives and impacting the next generation.
A confidence in the resurrection of Jesus can give purpose and impact to our lives that will transform our joy in this life and our influence for eternity.
Prayer: God, we thank you for your gift of your Son, Jesus Christ and for His powerful resurrection from the dead. We are eternally grateful for the eternal life that is ours as a result of the resurrection. We pray, that you will impress on our hearts the importance of living our lives liberated from fear of death and slavery to sin and instead live with confidence in what you have accomplished. We pray that from this day forward we will devote ourselves to living with purpose for eternal, kingdom impact. This we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.