Jesus' resurrection

 Did you know that the apostle Paul gave away the secret to destroying the Christian faith? In 1 Corinthians 15.14 he wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the linchpin of the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, Christianity crumbles like a house of cards. 

So why would Paul give away this secret? Won’t sceptics attack Christianity at this most critical point? The fact is, sceptics have indeed attempted to discredit Christianity by denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is so compelling that it’s withstood centuries of attack. No one has been able to disprove the resurrection. Furthermore, many who have attempted to do so have ended up turning to Jesus Christ, convinced that He’s alive. As Christians, we need never fear the most intense scrutiny of our faith. Jesus is alive, and because He rose from the dead the Christian faith is more than secure. It’s advancing around the world. 

Now, we must be careful to understand what the Bible means when it says that Jesus is alive. We’ve all lost loved ones through death. Sometimes at a funeral I’ll hear someone say that their loved one will always be alive in their memories and in their hearts. This is a real and comforting sentiment. But when we say that Jesus is alive, we mean much more than that He’s alive in our sentiments. He is actually alive physically. He rose physically from the grave. When Jesus’ followers went to His tomb three days after the crucifixion, the grave was empty. 

Furthermore, Jesus met physically with His followers after the resurrection. He spoke with them, ate with them, taught them, and comforted them. These appearances of Jesus took place on several occasions over several weeks before Jesus ascended into heaven. As a result, these men and women were transformed. Cowards became courageous preachers of the truth. Doubters became martyrs because Jesus is alive. 

So what does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to us today? Romans 4.25 says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Our eternal salvation depends on Jesus’ resurrection. If you’ve received Jesus by faith, your sins are forgiven and you have resurrection life. In fact, through faith in Jesus you have resurrection power available to help you live for God today. Ephesians 1.18-20 encourages us to know God’s “incomparably great power” that’s at work in our lives and to recognise that this power for living is identical to “the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead.” Jesus’ resurrection is the basis of our faith and the basis of our victory over sin day by day. Have you received the risen Christ into your life?