Why The Resurrection Matters

Easter is right around the corner. While our contemporary culture tries to tell us that is about chocolate and egg hunts and bunnies, in reality, it is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You might be thinking “That’s all well and good, but what does the resurrection of Jesus Christ have to do with me? What is the significance of his death?”

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The life of Jesus dramatically changed the course of history. People stood in both awe and anger at His teachings and the miracles He performed. Jesus proved his deity by fulfilling the prophecies of His death and return from the grave.

The meaning of the resurrection is that God is for us. The resurrection means Jesus was really telling the truth that there is only one way to God. Jesus died the death that we deserved for our sins before a holy God so that we could be restored into a close relationship with God. The resurrection is the promise to God’s people that all who trust Jesus will receive an inheritance after their time on earth is over.

The Significance of Jesus Resurrection 

We were bought with a price, the blood, and death of Jesus. Jesus paid it all for us. It is His gift to us. God loves you so much that whatever was done in your past is completely washed away on the cross. When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you can receive forgiveness for your sins.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26.

The resurrection sets Christianity apart from any other religion. No other religious leader has conquered the power of death. Jesus did this to demonstrate His sovereignty over all things. The cross was heaven’s triumph. When Jesus arose, the power of sin and death was forever shattered. Because of Jesus, believers don’t need to ultimately fear Satan or death ever again. Jesus overcame the power of sin in the lives of believers and gives them the promise of eternal life.

Why the Resurrection Matters 

If there is no future resurrection for believers, then Christ himself has not been raised. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be separated from the death of Jesus Christ. Should we separate the two, we seriously miss the significance of the final act of salvation and redemption for believers.

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household. Ephesians 2:18-19.

God’s approval of Christ’s substitutionary death, demonstrated in raising Christ from the dead, is likewise directed toward us, so that, when we believe, we receive the favor of God. Therefore, Christ continues to intercede on our behalf. His intercession before the Father is necessary for our eternal salvation. Only Christ’s death could serve as the perfect sacrifice so that we may be brought into relationship with the Father.

His mission completed, Jesus was exalted to His former glory. The resurrection is the final proof that Jesus is who He claimed to be. The way we know Jesus was actually the Son of God is because He was raised from the dead. Because He truly is the Son of God it means we can put our trust and hope in Him.

 

 

Living in the Power of the Resurrection 

The disciples preached this Good News, risking their lives, living in the power of the resurrection. Their bold and courageous behavior does not make sense unless they knew for certain that Jesus died and rose again. We are commanded to share this good news with the same boldness and certainty.

And the apostles were giving testimony with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. Acts 4:33.

The testimony of hundreds of millions throughout history gives proof to the power of the resurrection. Many have overcome addictions. The lost have found hope in the cross. Broken marriages have been restored. The most conclusive proof is that the Holy Spirit, the helper promised by Jesus, is living within believers today in all of His resurrected life and transforming power.

Believing in the resurrection of Jesus is more than accepting it as a fact. It means being confident that God is for you, that He wants a close relationship with you, that He is transforming your life. It means being so confident in God’s power that as we grow and mature in our faith, our hearts will become more like Him and our desires for sin will become less and less. Only then are we able to rest in the true meaning of His Son’s resurrection.