The Resurrection Matters

If I were to ask each member of SPC, "What is the Gospel message?" I would expect a slightly different answer from each person. Some might give a succinct response: "Jesus Christ died for sinners and rose from the grave." The more theologically minded among us might offer a fuller answer: "The Son of God became man, lived for our righteousness, died for our sins, was raised for our justification, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father." There are many ways to communicate the Gospel, but whether the answer is lengthy or succinct, the content must always include the resurrection from the dead.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the faith once for all delivered to the saints — but why is this the case? Could the Gospel message simply end with "Jesus died for our sins"? Why did he have to be raised? If the skeptic says to you, "So what?" — how would you respond?

There is a multitude of approaches one could take in answering these questions, and what I offer here is by no means exhaustive. Nevertheless, my hope is that you will find these considerations useful and edifying. I want to examine three vantage points from the testimony of Scripture as to why the resurrection matters.

First, the vantage point of the witnesses — where we see doubt and misunderstanding.

The responses of the apostles, disciples, and the women to Jesus' death are telling. The disciples cowered in fear (John 20:19), Mary Magdalene wept (Mark 16:10), but one of the more pointed statements comes from the Gospel of Luke. On the road to Emmaus, Cleopas says this in Luke 24:

"Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel."

The inference is unmistakable: they had mistakenly believed Jesus was the Messiah. In the eyes of Cleopas and his companions, the death of Christ signified defeat.

This misunderstanding did not begin at the cross. Throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, it became clear how many people misunderstood who the Messiah would be and what he would do. Statements like "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46), "Is the Christ to come from Galilee?" (John 7:41), and "Is not this the carpenter?" (Mark 6:3) all reflect this confusion. Even Christ's own followers — including his apostles — could not fully grasp how Jesus was

going to redeem Israel (Matt. 16:21–23; Mark 9:30–32). It seemed that no matter how many times Jesus told them he would die and rise on the third day, they simply did not understand.

Second, the vantage point of Paul — where we see severity.

In 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul confronts us with the stark reality of what is at stake if there is no resurrection, beginning in verse 14:

"If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain… if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished."

If Christ is not raised, there are far better things you could be doing on a Sunday. You might as well "eat, drink, and be merry." Paul makes the consequences of a Christless resurrection unmistakably clear — yet he does not fully explain here why the resurrection carries such weight. For that, we need one more vantage point.

Third, the vantage point of Christ — where we find the answer.

Two passages in the Gospel of John speak directly to the question: So what?

"For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father." (John 10:17–18)

No mere man could utter such words without bordering on blasphemy. Only the God-man, the incarnate Son, possesses such authority over his life and death. And crucially, this power is not limited to himself. We read in John 11:

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'"

Here we see how his resurrection applies to us. The resurrection of Christ demonstrates that he has power over death, and that life — true life — is found in him, even beyond the grave. That is why, when we weep over the death of loved ones, we do not weep as those without hope. That is why we can say with confidence that death is swallowed up in victory (1 Cor. 15:54). Brothers and sisters, you have been raised to new life by the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ — a power that sustains us now and carries us into eternal life.

As it has been said, the Gospel is like a perfect diamond. We see different aspects of its beauty as we look at it from different angles and in different light. Each vantage point serves its purpose, but at the center of the diamond is and shall always be—the resurrection.

♫He arose, he arose, hallelujah, Christ arose!♬ Amen.