Is the fact that Jesus rose from the grave about 2,000 years ago really all that important to a Christian’s faith? What
if Jesus had never risen from the tomb in which He was buried? What if He were in the grave today? Couldn’t we still be Christians if Jesus had never arisen?
Let’s allow the apostle Paul to answer these questions. Notice what he told the Christians at Corinth about the resurrection of Christ. He said: “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (1 Corinthians15:14). Then, three verses later, he made a similar statement, saying, “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (15:17). In other words, without Jesus’ resurrection, no one would have any hope of going to heaven. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith.
The numbers of people in the early church multiplied quickly in just a few years. They grew by “leaps and bounds.” People were obeying the Gospel by the thousands, and one central message lay at the heart of their decision—the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Had Jesus never been raised from the grave, the Gospel never could have been preached. The Gospel, you see, is not about a lifeless lord, but a risen Redeemer.
Jesus’ resurrection gives meaning to a Christian’s faith.
• Every Sunday when Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper, we remember the Lord’s death “until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). If Jesus were not risen, however, we would have no hope of His coming again.
• Every time Christians pray “in Jesus’ name,” we are relying on a risen Savior, Jesus, to take our prayers to God (John 14:6). But, if Jesus were not risen, our prayers would not be heard.
The only reason preaching and baptizing (Matthew 28:19-20) are of any importance at all is because Jesus is not dead, but alive. When a person is baptized “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), he is raised from a world of sin, “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Romans 6:4).
Christians always need to keep in mind how important Jesus’ resurrection is to our faith. We must not let the fact that Jesus’ resurrection occurred nearly 2,000 years ago lessen the importance of His resurrection.