What is the Significance of the Resurrection?

In my previous article, “What if Jesus did not rise from the dead,” I said that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christianity. The Christian faith collapses if the resurrection is proven to be a hoax because the validity of Christianity depends on the historical truth that Jesus was raised from the dead. But other than that, what is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

The boast and glory of Christianity is the empty tomb because Christianity is the only religion with a living originator. Buddha is dead; Brahma (Hinduism) is dead; Mohammad (Islam) is dead; Marx (Communism) is dead.

The Significance of the Resurrection

Does it really matter that Jesus was raised from the dead? Isn’t it enough that He suffered and died by crucifixion in order to redeem the world? No!

A. The resurrection guarantees us that we will not remain dead but that we too will be resurrected.

After planting a church in Thessalonica, the apostle Paul together with Silas and Timothy left the city unwillingly and moved on to Athens; they intended to return to the city but were prevented (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18). Finally, Paul and Silas sent Timothy from Athens to see how the Thessalonian Christians were doing.

When Timothy returned, he reported that they were doing well. Except for one problem that concerned questions and a certain amount of anxiety that some of them were having with regard to their loved ones who had died.

The Thessalonians rightly understood that Christ was going to return; however, they had not considered the possibility that some of their loved ones and friends would die before it occurred. All sorts of questions were going through their minds: “What would happen to our loved ones who had died since trusting Christ? Will they miss out on the resurrection? Will those who are alive when Christ returns have an advantage over those who have died?”

So Paul educates these believers about the status of their brethren who have passed away and assures them that all those who died in Christ will be raised up when Christ returns. He told them not to mourn like the people who have no hope because when Jesus returns, God will bring with Him those who have died (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

He then goes on to say that the dead in Christ will be resurrected first and those who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who died. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then together with them, those who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

The Christian doctrine of resurrection assures us that physical death is not the end; death is not the termination of human existence. The grave is not the end. The body goes to sleep but the soul goes to be with the Lord (Philippians 1:20-24). When the Lord returns, He will bring the soul with Him, will raise the body in glory and will unite the body and soul into one being to share His glory forever.

B. The resurrection of Christ gives us an assurance that our salvation is an accomplished fact.

We have been separated from God because of sin (Isaiah 59:2) and we are bound to suffer eternally in hell. But because God loved us so much, He made a way for us to be forgiven of our sins and be reconciled back to God. Jesus Christ paid the penalty of our sins in full at Mount Calvary in order for that broken fellowship to be restored (John 3:16).

However, our salvation is not guaranteed without the resurrection. Our salvation was completed when Jesus died on the cross (John 19:28-30) but the resurrection confirms it. We can be confident that we have been forgiven of our sins and have eternal life because Jesus did not remain on the grave.

Jesus conquered death. Sin is the sting that results in death but thanks God for giving us the victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Salvation rests on the resurrection of Christ but one cannot be saved without believing in it (Romans 10:9).

Read here: What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 

C. The resurrection proves the deity of Christ.

The deity of Jesus Christ is one of the most attacked doctrines of the Christian faith. There have been a lot of arguments against the deity of Christ, which I will be tackling in my upcoming articles. But the fact of Jesus’ resurrection is the strongest and supreme argument that Jesus is God.

Romans 1:4 specifically states that the resurrection declares Jesus as the Son of God. If Jesus were fake, a liar, impostor or a mere man, God would have left Him in the grave until the day of final judgment and condemned Him to hell.

We also read in Romans 6:4 (NLT) that it was God the Father Himself that raised Jesus from the dead. The Father thus proclaims conclusively to the world the deity of Jesus Christ by raising Him from the dead.

If the resurrection is true, and it is, then Jesus is indeed the Son of God. This is the miracle on which all other miracles stand or fall.

“Resurrection is the greatest power in the world outside of the power of prayer. It surpasses the power of the atom, hydrogen, cobalt or uranium (used in nuclear reactors). These elements have the power to destroy; resurrection has the power to give life to the dead.” – Alban Douglas (One Hundred Bible Lessons)

But while the resurrection provides assurance of salvation and a living hope, it also provides assurance of judgment because the resurrection marks Jesus Christ out as God’s Son and God’s provision of grace for our sins.

There is nothing left for those who reject Christ but to look fearfully for a day of judgment. While believers are assured of resurrection unto life, unbelievers are assured of a second death (Revelation 21:8).

Conclusion

If you can explore the historical truth that Jesus was raised from the dead, the Christian faith collapses because the resurrection is the basis on which Christianity stands or falls.

Christians can be confident that they will all be transformed when the last trumpet is blown. Those who have died will be raised to live forever and those who are living will be transformed into bodies that will never die (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

The heavenly kingdom is not made for the kind of bodies we now have, bodies of flesh and blood. So when Jesus returns as He promised, the bodies of living believers will be instantly transformed like His body and the dead believers shall be raised with new glorified bodies. Our new bodies will not be subject to decay or death.

This is the hope that believers have because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ was raised and became the firstfruits, then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back (1 Corinthians 15:23).

The important question now is: Do you know Jesus Christ? Did you receive Him as your personal Lord and Savior? Have you placed your trust and hope in Him and in what He has accomplished through His death and resurrection? Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Him though he may die shall live (John 11:25).

Act now before it’s too late, for today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Confess Jesus as Lord and believe that His suffering, death, and resurrection guarantee you of eternal life with God (Romans 10:9).

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Recommended Resource: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus By Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona

“This is an accessible, comprehensive, and persuasive resource providing detailed evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. It also demonstrates how to share the material clearly, honestly, and definitively. Included is an interactive CD that tests the reader’s knowledge of the material by using an entertaining TV game show format.” – Norman Geisler