The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The resurrection of Christ is essential to our salvation.

Christianity is the only religion that bases its claims of acceptance upon the resurrection of its founder.  In the 15th chapter of 1 Cor. the Apostle Paul makes Christianity answer for its life for the literal truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:13-19 “then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain … ye are yet in your sins ... we are of all men most miserable“

All is vain if Christ’s body is not raised from the dead.  Remove from Paul’s gospel and his message is gone.  The early church constantly affirmed the resurrection.  The apostles preached it in the face of fiercest opposition.

The resurrection is written more than 100 times in the New Testament.

If Jesus Christ had remained buried in the grave the story of His life and death would have remained buried with him. The New Testament is an effect of Christ’s resurrection.  The resurrection does not grow out of the story of His life but the beautiful story of Christ’s life grew out of the fact of His resurrection.  The New Testament is the book of the resurrection.

In other words the resurrection of Christ’s body from the tomb proves the Deity of Jesus, the officiousness of the atonement toward sinners.

References:

• Acts 2:24
• Acts 10:40
• Acts 17:31
• Acts 3:15
• 1 Peter 1:21-23
• I Corinthians 15
• Acts 4:10
• Acts 13:30-34
• Phil 3:21