15:1-11 Why is Christ's resurrection from the dead so integral to the gospel?
15:1-11 Why is Christ's resurrection from the dead so integral to the gospel?
The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is not just one of the held beliefs of the Christian faith; it is the primary and essential truth of the whole gospel of salvation. Without that truth the gospel of salvation has no purpose - salvation is not a reality for believers (CP V12-19).
Christ's resurrection is the foundational principle of the new birth. Faith in a risen Saviour is the very essence of Christian belief. It is a condition of our salvation (CP Ro 10:8-10). It is the resurrection, not the cross, which is the focal point of the New Testament.
As crucial as the cross was to God's plan of salvation, and without detracting in any way from the significance of Christ's pain and suffering on the cross as the central fact of christianity, because the cross was the price Christ paid for our redemption, it was the empty tomb and the risen Christ that made resurrection life for believers possible. The resurrection transformed Christ's death on the cross into the gospel of life (CP 1Cor 15:3-4 with Ac 26:23; Ro 4:24-25; Eph 1:19-23; 1Pe 1:3-5, 21).
On the cross Jesus was no threat to His enemies, but in the tomb He was.
His enemies were not concerned that He would get down from the cross, but they were concerned that He would rise up from the grave. His resurrection had been prophesied in the Old Testament, and He had foretold it Himself (CP Psa 16:10; 49:15; 68:18; Isaiah 26:19 with Mt 12:38-40; 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 27:63-66).
As well, Jesus had also raised up three dead people: the daughter of Jairus (CP Mk 5:22-23; 38-43), the son of the widow of Nain (CP Lu 7:11-15) and Lazarus, Mary and Martha's brother (CP Jn 11:41-45).
Their resurrection fulfilled God's purpose for that particular time, but they eventually died again, whereas Jesus can never die again, and neither will those who are redeemed unto eternal life with Him (CP Jn 3:16, 36; 5:24; 11:25-26; 1 Th 5:9-11; 1 Jn 5:11-12).
Christ won the victory over sin and death for believers through His resurrection, and since He is raised from the dead, believers have the assurance that the next step in God's plan of salvation is their resurrection into Christ's glory.
This is the certainty we have because He has been raised from the dead, and He said, "… because I live, ye shall live also" (CP Jn 14:19; 16:16-22; Ro 5:10-11; 1 Cor 15:20-23; 2 Cor 4:10).
Believers do not live anticipating physical death as unbelievers do, but in anticipation of Jesus coming again for us, and whether we be living or dead at that time we shall rise together with Him in glory (CP Jn 14:1-3; 1 Cor 15:51-58; 1 Th 4:13-18).
We learn from these scriptures that not only does Christ's resurrection from the dead guarantee the future resurrection of the righteous dead, but it also guarantees the catching away, or the rapture of the saints still living when Jesus comes back.
The scriptures also clearly express the Lord's eternal purpose and plan for believers. The ultimate purpose of His coming back for them is so that they will be with Him in all eternity, and taking them to heaven is simply the first step in His purpose (CP Ro 8:28-30; Eph 1:5, 11-12; Col 1:15, 18; 2Ti 1:9).
See also comments on Lu 21:36, Jn 5:28-29, Jn 14:1-3, Ro 10:9, 1Cor 15:51-58, 1Th 4:13-18, 2Th 2:7 and author's study The Resurrection in his book Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith.