The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that Christianity is true. It means that Jesus is alive, and that he will someday rule the world. If someone can conquer death, that means that he is unstoppable. Only God can conquer death. The resurrection proves that Jesus is God, and that he will someday rule over everything.
If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then Christianity is false. If Jesus didn’t resurrect, Christians would be the most miserable people in the world because they are wasting their time with a fairy tale (1 Cor. 15:12-22). But because Jesus rose up from the dead, we can be confident in our faith.
Paul wrote in one letter that after Jesus resurrected he appeared to over 500 people at one time (1 Cor. 15:6). Then Paul said that most of those people are still alive. If anyone doubted the resurrection, he could have checked with any of those hundreds of people and discovered that indeed the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact.
The resurrection of Jesus means several important things for us.
1. The resurrection of Christ means that our sins are gone. Jesus was perfect. He had no sin. This means that he didn’t need to die, because the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). If someone sins, they must die, but if they never sin, they don’t need to die. Jesus never sinned, and yet he died anyway. Jesus didn’t die for his own sins, because he didn’t have any, but he died for our sins. When he was on the cross, all our sins were put on him. He died under their weight. Then when Jesus rose from the dead, he conquered all of these sins. All of our sins are taken away by Jesus. They are gone. The resurrection of Jesus means we don’t need to live in guilt or condemnation, and we can be reconciled to God.
2. The resurrection of Jesus means that we can have victory over sin. We don’t need to live in bondage to sin anymore (Rom. 6:14). The Holy Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead is inside of us. This is the Spirit that defeated all sin. Because the Holy Spirit has already defeated all sin, we can get victory over sin in our lives. God will empower us to defeat sin through the resurrection of Christ.
3. The resurrection of Jesus means that we have eternal life. We have this life now (John 10:28). We have been born again by the Holy Spirit. Our inner man, which is our spirit man, has been made new. Nothing can kill our souls or spirits now. Even if our bodies die, our souls will live forever with God. We don’t need to fear death. Before, we were afraid of death. We were in bondage because of this fear. But now that our souls are eternal, we don’t need to fear death. Through resurrection, Jesus sets us free from the fear of death, and he delivers us from all bondage that comes because of the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15).
4. The resurrection of Jesus means that we will be resurrected. At the end of the age, when Christ comes back to judge the world, we will receive glorified bodies. These bodies will match up with our eternal souls, and they will be indestructible (John 5:28-29). Some of us may be alive when Jesus returns. If we are alive at that time, our bodies will be changed into glorified bodies (1 Cor. 15:51). The resurrection of Jesus is a promise that we will be resurrected.
5. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope that we will see our loved ones who believed in Jesus again. The death of a Christian’s physical body is just the releasing of their soul to go be with God. And someday we will be reunited with these loved ones forever. We don’t need to be sad therefore as if we have lost them forever when they die, because we will see them again (1 Thess. 4:13-14). This is because of the resurrection of Jesus.
6. The resurrection of Jesus means that Satan is defeated. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to crush Satan’s head. Every fallen angel is defeated by Christ (Col. 2:15). Every demon is defeated by Christ. We now have authority to cast out demons (Luke 10:19). We don’t need to fear the devil. He has lost the war. We are on the winning side. And someday, the kingdom of God will crush the devil’s entire dark dominion, throw it out of the earth, and Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire forever.
7. The resurrection of Jesus means that all things work together for good for those who love God (Rom. 8:28). Redemption is stronger than the biggest loss. In the worst situations, God can bring something good out of it. Nothing is too far gone for God. With God nothing is impossible. After death, things look hopeless. But resurrection proves that even death cannot win. There is something stronger than death, and that is the love of Jesus. So no matter how hopeless things appear, because of the resurrection of Jesus, victory is always possible.
The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith. It proves that Christianity is true, and that Jesus is God. It shows that our faith is based on something eternal and substantial. And it releases infinite blessing into our lives. Let us think about the resurrection of Jesus, and draw on its power every day of the year, for this is the power by which we are to live our lives in this world.
Lincoln House Churches 