The Wonder of Resurrection

Easter makes the stunning assertion that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Various efforts have been made to discount that claim (e.g., “He wasn’t really dead”; “The disciples stole his body”—see Tim Keller’s chapter on the resurrection in The Reason for God for a careful response to such ideas). But Roman soldiers weren’t novices in the execution business, and they made sure Jesus was definitely dead (John 19:34). Further, the risen Jesus appeared to over 500 people (1 Cor 15:6), and to make sure his followers understood that he was really there “in the flesh,” the risen Jesus let Thomas to touch his wounds (John 20:27) and he ate with his disciples (Luke 24:43). This was a bodily resurrection!

Let’s turn from the fact of the resurrection to its meaning: what was accomplished that first Easter Sunday? 1 Corinthians 15 is a long essay about the resurrection’s vital importance. Here are some key points:

• Christ was raised “according to the Scriptures” (v 4)—in the mind of God, Easter was pre-planned.
  
• Without the resurrection, Christian preaching and all sharing of the Gospel message are useless, “in vain” (v 14).
  
• So too, Christian faith would be “futile” (vv 14, 17): no point believing in a dead “savior.”
  
• And there’d be no remedy for sin (v 17)—we’d never know if Christ’s death would have satisfied the Father’s holy wrath.
  
• But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead (v 20)!
  
• Christ’s resurrection is the “first fruits” (vv 20, 23) of a coming general resurrection of all who belong to him.
  
• The final outcome of Christ’s resurrection is the destruction of death (vv 26, 55-57): the curse of Genesis 3:19 will be reversed.
  
• Our resurrection bodies will represent a vast improvement over our present, temporal, flawed physical bodies (vv 42-44).
  
• Our resurrection bodies will be imperishable, immortal (vv 53-54).
  

So where do YOU stand with Christ this Easter? Do you see the blazing importance of the resurrection? Are you trusting Christ for the forgive­ness of sin and the solid hope of resurrection life? Don’t let this Easter slip away if you have yet to come to terms with Jesus Christ!

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