Why are Christians so fixated on the resurrection?
Is the resurrection really that big of a deal? Maybe we would do better to set aside our obsession with a historical event and just concentrating on loving each other. I mean, isn’t that the reason Jesus came?
Well, no, it’s not. He came for one reason—to take our punishment on Himself and die. And to subsequently rise from the dead.
That is the basis for Christianity. It is the foundation for everything we believe. It is, in fact, THE tenet that divides Christianity from all other belief systems. If the resurrection happened, Christianity is the ONLY true religion. If it did not happen, Christianity is the biggest farce the world has ever seen.
So, which is it? Over the next several articles, I plan to consider the evidence for why we believe that the resurrection is a factual, historical event.
But before we get into the details of “if” it is true, let’s pause to consider “why” it even matters. Fortunately, Paul gave us a passage where he clearly outlined how crucial the resurrection is to our faith. We find it in I Corinthians 15.
As Paul jumped into his defense of the necessity of the resurrection, he focused not just on the resurrection of Jesus, but the idea of resurrection in general. After all, if resurrection itself was impossible, Jesus could not have risen. Made sense to Paul, and it makes sense to me.
In this passage, Paul followed a logical train of thought. Basically, he claimed that if resurrection did not happen (a thought propagated by his religious opponents, the Sadducees), then Christians have been horribly deceived.
So, he began with the idea of resurrection itself. If there were no resurrection, Jesus could not have risen.
1. If there is no resurrection, Christ is not risen
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. (1 Corinthians 15:12-13)
If there is no resurrection, when you die, that’s it. Maybe you could reincarnate as a cow or a cockroach, but life as you know it is over.
Of course, this poses a problem for the resurrection of Christ. If resurrection were an impossibility, Christ could not be risen. And if Christ were not risen, we have a whole host of problems, which Paul listed in rapid succession.
2. If Christ is not risen, our preaching is worthless
And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty…(I Corinthians 15:14)
Our preaching is empty because our message is empty. We can stand in front of one person or a crowd and wax eloquent with perfect enunciation and rhetoric, but if our message is empty, it’s all in vain.
3. If Christ is not risen, your faith is worthless
…and your faith is also empty (I Corinthians 15:14)
So you have faith. Big deal. Faith requires an object, and if that object proves to be inadequate, your faith is unfounded. It would be like stepping out on ice that looks strong but is too thin to hold your weight. It’s all in vain.
4. If Christ is not risen, we are false witnesses of God
Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. (1 Corinthians 15:15)
If we claim that Jesus rose from the dead when He did not, we are guilty of propagating lies.
5. If Christ is not risen, you are still in your sins
And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! (1 Corinthians 15:17)
Now it gets personal. If Jesus did not rise, we have no forgiveness. And even worse—there is no way to get forgiveness. If Jesus did not rise, then He would not have been God, and hence unable to satisfy God’s wrath for our sins.
6. If Christ is not risen, the dead are gone forever
Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (1 Corinthians 15:18)
So much for offering hope at funerals. If there is no resurrection, it’s all over. Jesus did not rise, and you won’t either.
7. If Christ is not risen, we are more pathetic than everyone else
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (1 Corinthians 15:19)
The word “pitiable” (translated as “miserable” in the KJV and “most to be pitied” in the NIV) connotes compassion. It’s akin to putting your arm around an unfortunate soul and whispering, “Poor thing. You’ve had it so rough.” That is exactly what the world should do to us if Jesus did not rise. Rather than enjoying all the world has to offer, we have been wasting our lives with our fixation on some random dude who lived 2,000 years ago and died a religious martyr.
We deny ourselves the pleasure of the world in exchange for eternal rewards—an unfortunate trade if Jesus did not rise.
We can see how much is at stake if Jesus did not rise. Not only are we badly mistaken in our beliefs, but we forfeit the only enjoyment available to us—the pleasures of the world.
Fortunately, the resurrection did happen.
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
Because He rose, not only are we not wasting this life, but we have something of value to anticipate in the future.
Jesus is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Firstfruits are those first tomatoes or beans that you reap from your garden. They do not comprise the whole crop; just the beginning. More will follow.
In the same way, Jesus was the first to permanently rise from the dead, and we get to follow. Suddenly giving up the pleasures of the world doesn’t seem so bad.
So, again, why do we make such a big deal of the resurrection?
Because without it, we have nothing. But with it, we have everything.
