Why do Christians Care So Much About the Resurrection?
By Rhett Austin
When I was young, maybe twelve or so, I struggled with the resurrection of Jesus. I wasn’t struggling with whether it happened, I was struggling with why it happened. Let me give you some insight into young Rhett’s line of reasoning. It was simple, but it went like this:
- In the Old Testament, God requires that his people offer sacrifices to cover (atone for) their sins.
- The animals that were sacrificed in the Old Testament did not come back to life.
- Jesus was the sacrifice to which all the Old Testament sacrifices pointed.
Why, then, did Jesus have to come back to life?
Don’t get me wrong. I was thankful that he did come back to life. But I wasn’t clear on why he had to come back to life. What did Jesus’s resurrection have to do with the salvation of the one who believes in Jesus?
Have you ever wondered something similar to this? Do you ever wonder why the resurrection is such a big deal and why it’s so important to how we live now?
In 1 Corinthians 15, where the Apostle Paul provides the most extensive treatment on the resurrection in the New Testament, he makes this bold claim: “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. . . . But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-17, 20).
We do need to be clear on this: Paul and the writers of the New Testament did not believe Jesus’ resurrection was simply a coming-back-to-life of his “spirit,” in some ethereal way. They believed, lived, and died with the firm conviction that Jesus rose from the dead physically; bodily as Savior and King.
Why is it so vital for our salvation that Jesus was resurrected from the grave? I’ll touch briefly on the implications for our salvation as it relates to our past, present, and future.
The Past: The resurrection of Jesus confirms that he is Lord and Savior and that his work of substitutionary atonement (taking our place of punishment) was received by God the Father as the full payment for our rebellion. In 1 John, the Apostle says this, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world” (1 John 2:1b-2). Jesus’s resurrection confirms that the Father has accepted his sacrifice. Our debt is paid. Period. The only proper response is the response of praise and joyful obedience.
The Present: The resurrection of Jesus means that he is living and reigning right now. Christians do not serve a dead Savior. After his resurrection he ascended to heaven. To use the words of the Nicene Creed: “He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” When Christians confess that he is “seated,” it doesn’t mean that he is taking a break (like I need to take a seat after a few minutes at the gym). Rather, it means he is enthroned. It means that he is ruling over all creation. The Savior of the world is also the King over creation. There is nothing that takes place in my life or in your life that is outside the control of the loving, wise, yet powerful providence of our Lord.
The Future: No matter how dark the hour may seem, light is on the horizon. During the Protestant Reformation, the Reformers adopted a motto that became widespread: “Post tenebras lux.” After darkness, light. It was a clarion commitment to the belief that God would not allow his people to remain in the darkness of sin and false teaching. This motto, however, is especially true when it comes to the whole of human history. The darkness and destruction of sin will be finally and fully defeated when Christ returns. When he returns, we will receive new physical bodies, no longer susceptible to the debilitating effects of sin–the pain, the aches, the decay.
The resurrection of Jesus, which confirms for us our future resurrection, plays an indispensable role in our salvation–past, present, and future. We are great sinners, but we have been given an even greater Savior.
If you want to learn more about the resurrection and why it’s so important for our salvation, take a look at these resources:
- Essay: Resurrection by Jeff Brannon
- Essay: The Resurrection of Christ and Salvation by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.
- Booklet: Did the Resurrection Really Happen? by Timothy Paul Jones