Resurrection is the act of being raised from the dead. Jesus Christ was bodily raised on the third day, conquering sin and death, and His resurrection guarantees the future bodily resurrection of all people—believers to eternal life and the lost to judgment.
If the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened, which it did, then Christianity is true. If Christianity is true, everything else is false.
Christianity has the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Game. Set. Match.
The resurrection of Christ is the most important event in the history of the world.
It is God’s declaration that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be and that His sacrifice was fully accepted. He ascended into heaven and now reigns as Lord and King. One day He will return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead.
Every person will stand before Him and every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Those who reject Him remain under condemnation, but those who belong to Him receive eternal life, complete forgiveness, reconciliation to God, and the promise of everlasting joy in His presence. (Romans 8:1)
Only Christianity proclaims a risen Savior who conquered death and lives forever.
Through His finished redemptive work — His sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection accomplished what was necessary for our redemption.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.“ (1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV)
The Resurrection Is Essential to the Gospel
The resurrection is not an optional doctrine added to Christianity. Without it, there is no Christian Gospel.
The apostle Paul wrote:
“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
(1 Corinthians 15:17)
Paul did not leave Christianity a way to survive without the resurrection.
If Christ remained in the grave, Christianity collapses.
But Christ did not remain in the grave.
Paul summarized the Gospel:
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:3–4
The Gospel therefore includes three inseparable realities:
Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose from the dead.
Through His finished redemptive work—His sinless life, substitutionary and atoning death, and victorious resurrection—Jesus accomplished everything necessary for the redemption of sinners.
His perfect life provided the righteousness we do not possess.
His death paid the penalty sinners deserve.
His resurrection demonstrated His victory over sin, death, the grave, and Satan.
The Resurrection Was Promised in the Old Testament
Isaiah 53 — The Suffering Servant Would Die and Yet Live
Isaiah 53 describes the coming Servant of God who would suffer for the sins of others.
He would be despised and rejected.
He would be wounded for our transgressions.
He would be crushed for our iniquities.
He would be led like a lamb to the slaughter.
He would be cut off from the land of the living.
He would be assigned a grave.
Yet after describing His death, Isaiah declares:
“He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of God will prosper in His hand.” (Isaiah 53:10)
The Servant dies, yet afterward He lives and sees the results of His saving work.
Isaiah continues:
“As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied.”
(Isaiah 53:11)
The resurrection of Jesus Christ completes the picture.
The Historical Case
No individual piece of evidence stands completely alone.
The power of the historical case comes from considering the evidence together:
Jesus unquestionably lived and was crucified.
He was buried.
His followers began proclaiming almost immediately that God had raised Him from the dead.
Very early Christian testimony identifies numerous people and groups who claimed to have seen Him alive.
The disciples became convinced that He had risen.
James moved from skepticism to faith after a reported appearance of Jesus.
Paul moved from persecuting Christians to preaching Christ after what he believed was an encounter with the risen Jesus.
The resurrection proclamation began in the very region where Jesus had been executed.
A movement centered upon the worship of the crucified and risen Jesus rapidly spread throughout the Roman world.
What best explains all of these facts together?
The Christian answer is the same answer proclaimed by the apostles:
The Gospel Truth App 