I recently heard a man say, “I believe in Jesus, but I do not believe He rose from the dead.” I asked him where his beliefs came from, and he very casually replied, “From the parts of God’s Word that make sense to me.”
It’s so interesting how we, as humans, like to redefine Almighty God through our own limited, human minds or—based upon what suits the lifes we want to live. But if God is who He says He is, and His Word is worth trusting, when it comes to the resurrection, there’s really no compromising the truth. The apostle Paul doesn’t soften the critical importance of believing in the resurrection either—in fact, he swings it like a sledgehammer:
“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”1 Corinthians 15:14-19
Wow! In fact, the King James Version says that if we only have hope in this life and there is no resurrection, then we are “of all men most miserable.” The resurrection isn’t a truth that’s optional if we claim to be born again. It’s fundamental. If Christ is not risen, then every word we speak, every thought we think, and every deed we perform “for Jesus” is nothing but hot air and a complete waste of time.
Why?
Well, if Christ is not risen, our faith is in a dead savior and we are still in our sins. Follow this logic:
- If Jesus never rose, then → death defeated Him.
- If death defeated Him, then → He is not God—which is who He claimed to be.
- If Jesus is not God, then → His death cannot pay for our sins.
- If our sins aren’t paid for, then → we are still guilty before a holy God.
Paul looks back at his beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonments, and sleepless nights and says: “If there’s nothing beyond this life, I am simply a fool to be pitied for believing.” If this life is all there is, then we’ve chosen the hardest path for zero eternal payoff. We’re not just mistaken; we’re pathetic. Spurgeon nailed it when he wrote:
“If Jesus rose, then this Gospel is what it professes to be; if He rose not from the dead, then it is all deceit and delusion.”
But here is the personal, life-altering flip side for you and for me: Christ is risen. This single historical fact changes everything about THIS day and every day God gives us until our final breath on this earth! Because He rose, the complete divinity of Jesus stands. As Paul declares in Romans 1:4, that Jesus was,
“declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
Because Jesus rose, His sovereignty over eternal death is absolute! Romans 14:9 explains: “For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”
Because Jesus rose, our justification is complete! Romans 4:25 tells us He “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
Because Jesus rose, our new birth is a real, memorable event! 1 Peter 1:3 praises “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Because Jesus rose, our own resurrection and eternal life are guaranteed! Romans 8:11 states: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
The resurrection isn’t a doctrine to just celebrate once a year; it’s the reason the entire weight of our sin is forgiven today. It’s the reason the grave is not the end for us. It’s the reason we can face cancer, betrayal, loneliness, or even death itself and say, “This is NOT the final chapter.”
Without the resurrection, you and I would be the most miserable people alive—clinging to a dead savior, faking hope, and wasting our lives on a lie. But because of the resurrection, we are the most privileged people on earth—forgiven, empowered, and headed for an eternity greater than we can even imagine.
My friend, the resurrection is personally important for you and for me.
Without the resurrection, nothing matters, so we might as well live in futility and eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow we may die. But because of the resurrection, absolutely everything we do has eternal consequences, and everything about our lifes matters. We have purpose, significance, and hope, and our lifes can change the course of eternal history for ourselves and those around us!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am grateful beyond words for the hope You have given me. You are risen, and my sins are paid in full. Because You live, my hope is certain. I thank You, not just with my lips, but with my life today. Help me dedicate every thought, word, and deed to living for Your glory. Strengthen me to live as one who really believes the tomb is empty: bold in my witness, fearless in suffering, joyful in every trial, and anchored in the blessed hope that I have hope far beyond this short life. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior. Amen.
