When death occurs, your body simply shuts down. Muscles relax, your heart stops, and within minutes the process of decay begins. You might believe that to be the end of your story.
However, at the heart of the gospel lies a radically different claim. Jesus of Nazareth, who died on a Roman cross, rose from the dead. More than that, He never died again. In a previous article we considered the monumental significance of His sacrificial death, but the cross cannot be separated from what came next. Three days later, Jesus’ tomb was empty – He had risen.
How important is the Resurrection?
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not an incidental detail of the gospel. If there is no resurrection, there is no gospel; the entire message falls apart:
“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1 Corinthians 15:14 NIV).
During his three years of public ministry, Jesus did more than perform miracles and tell parables; He claimed to be the Son of God, the Messiah who had been promised for centuries. He even told His followers that after being killed He would be raised to life. So, if He had remained dead, His words would have faded into history – just another imposter silenced by the grave. But the resurrection is God’s validation of all that Jesus claimed to be. Jesus really is who He said He was.
His resurrection also has significance for the future. The New Testament calls Jesus the “firstfruits” of the dead. In simple terms, this means that He is the first person in history to rise from death, never to die again, but He will not be the last. All those who “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” have the promise of resurrection and life beyond the grave. Because He rose, we will rise.
But did Jesus really rise from the dead?
Are there any reasons to believe this radical claim?
The Empty Tomb
Despite their significance in the Bible, women were not considered reliable witnesses in the ancient world, and yet all four Gospels say that women discovered the empty tomb. If the disciples were inventing the story, they would have chosen Peter or John to make that discovery. The fact that they did not suggests that they were simply reporting what happened.
Following the resurrection, the disciples of Jesus began publicly preaching the gospel in Jerusalem, declaring that He had risen and testifying that they had seen Him. The obvious way for the religious authorities to disprove the resurrection claim would have been to parade Jesus’ dead body through Jerusalem. Instead, they attempted to destroy the growing church by persecuting the preachers, a clear indication that they could not produce it.
The Appearances
The Gospel writers and the Apostle Paul all tell us that Jesus appeared to individuals, small groups, and even over five hundred people at one time. People spoke with Him, ate with Him, touched Him. When the Scriptures were written, many of these people were still alive and could bear witness to the resurrection.
Changed Lives
Before the resurrection, Jesus’ closest followers were terrified. Scripture records, “they all forsook Him and fled” and Peter, the bold leader of the group, denied even knowing Jesus. But, just a few weeks later, these same men were in the centre of Jerusalem declaring that Jesus was alive, even though it could have cost them their freedom or their lives.
Sceptics Who Changed Sides
Two of the most influential leaders in the early church started out as sceptics. James, Jesus’ own brother, did not believe in Him during his lifetime, and Saul of Tarsus, who later became the Apostle Paul, was actively persecuting Christians. Both changed completely after claiming to have encountered the risen Christ. Their transformations are difficult to explain in any other way.
The Birth of the Church in Jerusalem
The first Christian church did not start in some remote location. It began in Jerusalem, the city where Jesus had been killed and buried. If His body was still in the tomb, anyone could have said, “Come and see.” The fact that the gospel began in, and spread from, that place, at that time, is remarkable.
What is the Significance of the Resurrection for the Gospel?
Christ’s power to forgive sin
The Bible says: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” By rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrated His authority to break the power of sin and to provide forgiveness and eternal life to all who accept His gift of salvation.
Christ’s power over death
The Bible records: “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.” For those who follow Christ, His resurrection secures their victory over death as well: “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Christ’s defeat of God’s enemy
From Satan’s original rebellion and the entrance of sin into the world, he has worked to overthrow the kingdom of God. At the cross, Satan must have thought he had dealt the final and decisive blow in his war against God, but this was the devil’s greatest miscalculation. The cross was not a defeat. When Jesus rose from the dead, the power of sin and death was forever shattered. Because of the resurrection, Christians no longer need to fear Satan or death.
The resurrection is Christ’s triumphant and glorious victory. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and He is coming back again! The dead in Christ will be raised, and those who are alive at His coming will be changed and receive glorified bodies.
It is a radical claim: Jesus is alive! Do you believe it?
“. . . 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” (Romans 10:9).