Why Is the Resurrection Important?

This may seem an odd question. After all, the cross is at the heart of Christianity. Our sin deserves death (Romans 6:23), but Jesus shed his blood to pay the penalty for the sins of his people. Thanks to his death on the cross, we are no longer under God’s wrath but are now considered children of God (John 1:12-13). Without the cross, there is no gospel. If Jesus did not die for our sin, then we remain guilty before God and, no matter how many good and noble things we do in this life, we will be punished by God for violating His holy law (James 2:8-11). The only escape from the wrath and curse of God is Christ who died on our behalf, the perfect offering for our sin.

But what about Christ’s resurrection? Sure, the cross is important. Christ died for our sin on the cross. Wasn’t that enough to secure our salvation? Why did he also have to rise from the dead?

Scripture Says the Resurrection Matters

If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 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. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people to be most pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order; Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. [1 Corinthians 15:14-23, ESV]

This passage from 1 Corinthians 15 spells out Paul’s conviction that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, we are still in our sins and those Christians who have already died have perished without any hope of eternal life. In fact, if the resurrection didn’t happen, then our gospel proclamation is in vain. There is no point to it. Worse, we are false witnesses of God. We have testified against God (the Greek is emarturēsamen kata tou theou) because we say he did something he did not do.

I think we can understand that if the resurrection didn’t happen, then by proclaiming the resurrection, we are bearing false witness against God. Also, I think we can understand that if Christ did not rise again to glory, we cannot hope to do the same. In Romans 6, Paul talks about how we identify with Christ in his death and resurrection. As Christ died, so we die to sin. In Christ’s resurrection, we are raised with him in newness of life. Since Christ was raised from the dead, he will not die again. Death has no hold on him. Just as Christ died for our sin and lives eternally in the presence of God, so in Christ, we die to sin and are made alive to God (Romans 6:8-10).

So, Christ’s resurrection seals eternal life for us. But even if there was no resurrection, would we not still be free from sin thanks to his death? Isn’t it true that a resurrection-less gospel would still be good news? Maybe not the best news, but good, nonetheless?

Clearly Paul didn’t think so. As we saw, he says that if Christ is not raised from the dead, our preaching is in vain. How can this be?

The Importance of the Resurrection

I think the key to understanding the importance of the resurrection is to see it not as an isolated event, but as part of the redemptive work of Christ that includes both the cross and the empty tomb. Paul speaks of the death and resurrection of Christ together, almost as if they are a single event. In Romans 6, he uses baptism as an illustration of the work of Christ in us through both his death and resurrection. As we go down into the baptismal waters, we symbolize our union with Christ in his death; as we rise up from the baptismal waters, we symbolize our union with Christ in his resurrection. (Yes, Paul had baptism by immersion in mind here.) This shows that we are to consider Christ’s death and resurrection together. You can’t have one without the other.

But there’s more. Here are some of the reasons why I believe the resurrection, in particular, is important:

• God is the object of the gospel. In his book, God Is the Gospel, John Piper argues that the ultimate purpose of the gospel–repentance, justification, sanctification, glorification–is to clear the way of sin and everything that creates an obstacle to us worshiping God and enjoying Him forever. Forgiveness of sin is only one aspect of the gospel. The message of the gospel is not simply that we need atonement for sin so we are not under the wrath of God. That’s true and important. But that atonement for sin is a means to an end: worshiping and enjoying God forever. Christ’s death makes atonement possible. His resurrection allows us to fulfill our creation calling to spend our lives and all eternity living for the Lord. The life we have in Christ that Paul talks about in Romans 5 and 6 is not simply being free from sin. It is truly living for God, with Him at the center of our lives, forever.
• The resurrection validates the cross. How do we know that Jesus’s death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin? Remember, sin brings death (Romans 5:12). So what proof do we have that our sin has been dealt with? Wouldn’t victory over death demonstrate that our sin has been atoned? When Jesus became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), he died carrying the guilt of our sin on our behalf, even though he himself was sinless. The fact that he then rose from the dead demonstrates that his death atoned for that guilt, and we are no longer held to account for that sin. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:56-57, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law [which reveals to us our guilt before God]. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• The resurrection validates our faith. Jesus made some pretty audacious claims when he walked the earth. He claimed to be able to forgive sin (Mark 2:5), that he had a very special relationship to God the Father that made him equal with God (John 5:18), that he is able to grant eternal life (John 6:27, 40), and that he pre-existed creation with God the Father (John 17:5). That’s just to name a few. How can we know Jesus was equal to these claims? Well, Jesus made one other claim that vindicates all these other claims: that he would die and rise again after three days (Matthew 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:21; John 2:18-22). The fact of the resurrection shows that Jesus was who he claimed to be (Luke 24:25-27, 44-48). And if Jesus is who he claimed to be, then every aspect of the Christian faith, from our belief in a triune God, through to the forgiveness of sin and eternal life we have in Christ is also true.

The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is, without doubt, the central event of history. That atoning work is the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people, starting back in Genesis 3. By shedding his blood, Jesus made peace between God and his people (Romans 5:1). But the cross does not stand alone. Jesus didn’t just die. He also rose again. And the resurrection proves that Christ has indeed conquered death, that our sin truly has been atoned, and that we are now free to love, worship, and serve our Lord for all eternity.