And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:14-20 NLT
Some people will tell you that the Bible is the foundation of our faith. Not the case. Our faith is not based on a book, but on an event. The Bible RECORDS that event. The event of Christ’s resurrection predated the Bible significantly. The early church existed and spread rapidly for roughly 20 to 50 years before the New Testament books were written and even longer before they were compiled into a "Bible.” The original "gospel" was spread orally from person to person, giving the eye-witness accounts of those who had seen Jesus alive after His crucifixion. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, there would be no Bible, only the Jewish Law and the Prophets.
The resurrection validates that Christ is who He said He was – God’s Son, the Savior. His resurrection showed His authority over death and every other enemy. His resurrection verified that He has power to forgive sins forever. If the resurrection was not true, we would all still be guilty and lost. He would have simply been a failed and forgotten prophet. But His death and then His resurrection secured life and salvation for all who believe.
The resurrection is the catalyst for transformation. The disciples were so terrified they deserted Jesus, the One they had loved and followed, when He was arrested. When He was crucified they went into hiding, fearing they would be killed as well. But then they saw the resurrected Christ with their own eyes. They touched Him; ate with Him. They saw Him cook breakfast to share with them. He showed them the scars on His hands, feet, and His side. They were with Him for 40 days as He taught about the Kingdom. They watched Him ascend to His Father after promising He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them. They would never be forsaken. They would live again when they died too, and one day they would be with Him at home forever. They became flaming evangelists of great courage, facing execution and martyrdom rather than recant their faith. The resurrection gave them the power to fulfill the mission of Christ.
- The resurrection of Jesus Christ still gives us power and courage to live transformed and transforming lives today! He is God, our Savior and King.