Easter is an important time to reflect on why the resurrection is crucial to our faith. If you grew up in church or were always surrounded by people talking about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, it can be easy for the impact to lose its effect. Rather than feeling overjoyed about the resurrection, you feel indifferent to it. If this is something that you have experienced in the past or recently, know that you can regain the same excitement you had when you first heard about the resurrection.
The resurrection is not something to be overlooked or ignored. If we don’t give the resurrection of Jesus Christ the glory it deserves, we have undermined the faith itself. The entirety of Christianity is found in the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus had not been resurrected, He would not have defeated death and our faith would be futile (1 Corinthians 15:17-19). However, as it is, Jesus has indeed defeated death, conquered the grave, and will give eternal life to all who place faith in Him (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
Instead of undermining the resurrection, it is important to recognize how important it is to our lives. Many individuals take the resurrection of Christ for granted. What I mean by this is that they live each day without giving thanks or praise to God for the resurrection. Rather than living for Christ, they are living for themselves. This is one of the many dangers that can happen if we downplay the importance of the resurrection.
With time, we will pay no mind to the resurrection and drift further away from Christ. As one can imagine, this could cause someone to lose their entire hope, peace, and grace found in the Lord. The good news is that even if you have found yourself in this situation today, know that you can always return to the Lord. He will always welcome you with open arms. If a loved one has drifted from the Lord, pray for them and trust in time that they will return. This is why we don’t need to fail to recognize the importance of the resurrection.
Check out five reasons the resurrection is so important:
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1. Salvation
One reason why the resurrection is important is because only through it do we have salvation. If Jesus had not been resurrected from the dead, our faith would be built on shaky ground. However, our faith is firmly rooted in the truth of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Since we know this to be true, we can praise the Lord that He has given us so many blessings in Him. Jesus died the death we deserved to bring us life.
This is a beautiful truth that does not need to be overlooked. Jesus took on the form of a human to redeem us from our sins (Philippians 2:5-11). The Lord lived a sinless life, carried all of our sins on His back, and died the death we deserved. Jesus didn’t do this because He had no other choice. Rather, He did this because He loves us (Romans 5:8). All of us deserve to die on the cross for our sins, yet through Jesus, He has appeased the Father’s wrath.
Salvation is now offered to all people. Anyone can place faith in Jesus as all you have to do is believe that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. If you believe in this, you have been given salvation through the Lord. If you look closely at the means of salvation, we see that a crucial part is believing that Jesus rose again, or, in other words, was resurrected. As we can see, the resurrection and believing in the resurrection are very important for salvation. If someone doesn’t believe Jesus rose from the dead, how will they be able to take Him as their Savior?
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2. Victory over Death
A second reason why the resurrection is important is that death has been defeated. The Apostle Paul tells us, “‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). As Paul says here, the Lord has given us victory by conquering the grave. No longer do we have to live in fear of the grave.
While it is normal to be afraid of the pain of death, there is no reason to fear life after death as a Christian. At the moment we pass away, we will be standing in the presence of the Lord. As believers, we will spend eternity with God. However, for those who fail to place faith in Jesus during their earthly lives, there is reason to fear. If a person never places faith in Jesus, they have not been given forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.
In this way, all that will be left is standing before an angry God. This is a terrifying reality that will happen to many people. For those who do not believe there is a God or have followed false gods or false belief systems, know that one day you will stand before the true God of the Bible. On this day, you will recognize the true God, but it will be too late. This is why we as Christians need to help others learn about Jesus and teach them the truth of His death, burial, and resurrection.
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3. New Life
A third reason why the resurrection is important is because we are given a new life in Christ. This new life is an abundant life in the Lord (John 10:10). When Jesus tells us that He has given us an abundant life, He does not mean materially. Rather, He means an abundant life in following Him, knowing Him, and spending eternity with Him. As we come to know this truth, we can praise Him as these are greater gifts than anything the world could give us. Everything in this world is temporary, but everything with God is eternal.
With this new life, we are also new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). This means that once a person has placed faith in Jesus, they are no longer defined by their past. Instead, they are defined by Christ. If you have recently come to know Christ or have known Him for a long time, know that you are still a new creation in Christ. Do not allow shame or guilt to make you feel as though something in your past makes you less than a person or a believer. Know that the Father has forgiven everything in the sight of Jesus.
Satan has a way of trying to make us ineffective for Christ, and a common way he does this is to make us dwell on our past. Shame and guilt have no place in the life of the Christian because everything in your past has been forgiven. All of this is only possible because of Jesus and His resurrection. Allow this truth to inspire you today and give you peace. Even though the resurrection is more spoken of during Easter, know that it is important throughout the entire year.
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4. The Promise of a New Heaven and New Earth
A fourth reason why the resurrection is important is through it, we have the promise of the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21; 2 Peter 3:13). Everyone who places faith in Jesus by believing in His death, burial, and resurrection has the promise of eternal life in Him. Not only this, but we have the promise of the New Heaven and New Earth, where there will be no more crying, pain, or death (Revelation 21:4). This is something that is not normally connected with the resurrection, yet it is one of the many blessings that accompany it.
The New Heaven and New Earth will be home to all believers for all time. This will be our final destination and our final home. All of us can look forward to this day with grateful hearts because it is a promise from God. Throughout the Bible, we see that God always holds true to His promises, and this includes the creation of the New Heaven and the New Earth. Even though the New Heaven and New Earth might be a long time away, we can still give the Lord praise that all of this is possible because of Him.
The fall of mankind is what ultimately caused the Lord to have to die for our sins. As we can see, it was our fault, yet God fixed it. Many of us see this trend to be true in other areas of our lives. Maybe we messed up something or made a major mistake, yet God always is the One who comes in to save the day. This is true not only for our lives now but for all eternity. He always makes all things new.
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5. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
A fifth reason why the resurrection is important is because it allows us to be dead to sin and alive in Christ (Romans 6:11). At the moment of salvation, we are given forgiveness, redemption, and salvation in the Lord. This should cause us to want to live for Christ. No longer will we want to live for our own sinful, selfish desires. Instead, we will want to live for the Lord and to give Him praise, glory, and honor in everything that we do.
This is only possible because of the resurrection of Christ. All sin will not be eradicated until future events within eschatology, yet our sin will be eradicated the moment we die. This is possible because of our faith in Jesus. However, we know that when we do sin here on earth, we can turn to the Lord and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
As believers, we need to recognize this as the beautiful gift that it is. We can now live lives dead to sin and alive in Christ. Christianity is not all about rules or following certain laws. Rather, Christianity is about knowing Jesus and accepting Him as your Savior, which ultimately will cause you to want to do good things for Him. This is how we start seeing that we are living for Christ instead of living for the sinful nature. Praise the Lord that we have this victory through His death, burial, and resurrection!
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Originally published Thursday, 14 March 2024.
