The Risen Christ
The apostle Paul states, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (1 Corinthians 15:14). And, three verses later, he made a similar statement, saying, “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
Without Jesus’ resurrection, no one would have any hope of going to heaven. The resurrection of Jesus is the basis of the Christian faith (Romans 1:4). The early church multiplied quickly in just a few short years because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Gospel is not about a “lifeless lord,” but a “risen Redeemer.”
The Resurrection – the Basis for the Christian Faith
- Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper to remember the Lord’s death “until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). If Jesus were not raised, we would have no hope of salvation.
- Christ is alive mediating for the believers in Heaven (1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:6; 1 John 2:1). If Jesus was not raised, our prayers would not be heard, and our petitions to have our sins forgiven could not be granted.
- The only reason that preaching and baptizing (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16) are of any importance at all is because Jesus is not dead, but alive. When a person is baptized “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), he is raised from a world of sin, “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Romans 6:4).
- Christians look forward to the resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. If Christ was not resurrected, there would be no resurrection for the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
- Christians look for the second coming of Christ to take them home. If Christ did nor resurrect form the dead, there would be no second coming (John 14:1-3; Philippians 3:20, 21).
Christianity as a faith is built on the Resurrection of Christ. Amen.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team