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Why The Resurrection of Jesus Matters

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The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as an essential element of the gospel: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3–4). Yet some denied the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12). Paul answered them directly, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). At the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, and the resurrection is God’s public declaration that the payment was accepted and that righteousness has been secured. Scripture states, “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God” (Rom. 4:25). The cross removes the penalty of sin and secures righteousness, while the resurrection validates and publicly declares that the saving work of Christ has been fully accepted.

Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross, dying as our substitute, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18; cf. Isa. 53:6; 2 Cor. 5:21). During the hours of darkness, He endured judgment for sin, and then He died physically (Matt. 27:45–50). Death is the consequence of sin (Rom. 5:12; 6:23), and Jesus entered that realm fully. The resurrection demonstrates His victory over sin and death, proving that the penalty was completely satisfied and that death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24).

The post-resurrection appearances provide cumulative, verifiable evidence that Jesus rose bodily. These are not visions or impressions but encounters with the same physical body that was crucified, now glorified (Luke 24:39; John 20:27). Jesus appeared to numerous eyewitnesses. He appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11–18), to other women returning from the tomb (Matt. 28:8–10), to Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5), to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), to the apostles without Thomas (John 20:19–25), to the apostles with Thomas (John 20:26–29), to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1–14), to more than five hundred brethren at one time (1 Cor. 15:6), to James (1 Cor. 15:7), to all the apostles (Luke 24:50–51; 1 Cor. 15:7), and later to Paul as one “untimely born” (1 Cor. 15:8; Acts 9:3–6). These appearances occurred over forty days, “presenting Himself alive… by many convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3). The four Gospels function as converging eyewitness testimony, supplemented by apostolic witness in Acts and the Epistles (Luke 1:1–4; John 21:24; Acts 2:32).

A distinction must be made between resuscitation and resurrection. Prior to Christ, individuals such as the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17–24), the Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:32–35), Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:35–43), the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:11–15), and Lazarus (John 11:43–44) were restored to mortal life, only to die again. Christ’s resurrection is categorically different. He rose in a glorified, immortal body, never to die again, becoming “the first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20, 23).

The resurrection of Christ guarantees the future resurrection of all who belong to Him. For the Church, this occurs at the Rapture, when “the dead in Christ will rise first… then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them… to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Th. 4:16–17), and “we will all be changed… for this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:51–53). Old Testament and Tribulation saints will be raised at the end of the Tribulation (Dan. 12:2; Rev. 20:4–6). These resurrections result in glorified bodies fit for eternal life in God’s presence (Phil. 3:20–21).

Unbelievers will also be resurrected, but for judgment, not blessing. At the Great White Throne, they will be raised and judged, then cast into the lake of fire (John 5:28–29; Rev. 20:11–15). The resurrection of Christ does not benefit them because they reject the provision secured by His work (John 3:18, 36). Unbelievers who receive resurrection bodies “will go away into eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46), spending eternity in the lake of fire, forever separated from God, suffering eternal torment with no hope of relief. The lake of fire is avoidable.

How Can I Be Saved?

The answer is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Jesus Christ is the eternal Son who became man (John 1:1, 14), lived sinlessly (1 John 3:5), died in your place (Rom. 5:8), and rose again on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3–4). He accomplished everything necessary for your salvation. Scripture declares, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” and “He who believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:16; 36a). The issue is not what you do for God, but whether you will accept His free offer of salvation purchased by Christ on the cross.

Eternal life is a free gift from God, offered because He is gracious and not because we are deserving, “for there are none righteous, not even one… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:10, 23). But God, because of His great love and grace toward us (Eph. 2:4–5), offers total forgiveness (Acts 10:43), reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18–19), and eternal salvation through faith alone in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8–9). Scripture states, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). A gift requires no payment before, during, or after. Eternal salvation was purchased by Jesus and is offered as a free gift to all.

You receive God’s free gift of eternal life the moment you place your faith in Jesus as your Savior. Believing in Jesus means you trust Him to accomplish what you cannot: to make you righteous before God by removing your sins (Col. 2:13–14), crediting you with His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), and giving you eternal life (John 10:28). This great gift of salvation was very costly to Jesus (1 Pet. 1:18–19), but it is totally free to you, if you will believe in Jesus as your Savior. If you have not trusted in Him, you can do so now. The matter is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Once you believe in Jesus, you are forever part of His family (John 1:12; Gal. 3:26), and will never face the lake of fire (John 5:24; Rom. 8:1). Heaven is secure from that point onward (John 10:28–29; 1 Pet. 1:4–5), and you can rest in Him and what He accomplished for you.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

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The Importance of Jesus’ Resurrection

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A dead Savior cannot give life. If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then He did not conquer sin, and He is powerless to save us from our sins. As Paul declared, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor 15:17). Furthermore, if Jesus is not raised, then we who proclaim His resurrection are “lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave” (1 Cor 15:15), and those who believed our message have placed their hope in a lie (1 Cor 15:19). In such a case, Christianity collapses, the gospel has no saving power, and we are left with nothing more than a delusion.

As Christians, our confidence is not in vain, for “Christ has been raised from the dead, and He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died” (1 Cor 15:20). Jesus’ resurrection guarantees ours. Since He rose, then we too shall rise. Jesus’ resurrection is part of the good news of the gospel (1 Cor 15:3-4), and it guarantees that we who have believed in Him will spend eternity in heaven, because Jesus—the living One—is coming again to receive us to Himself (John 14:1-3). For unbelievers, it’s bad news, for unless they turn to Christ and believe in Him for salvation (John 3:16), they will be resurrected to face eternal separation from God in the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15).[1]

We have confidence in Jesus’ resurrection because the Bible—God’s authoritative Word—is a reliable historical record. The New Testament was written by men who saw the risen Christ and testified to what they witnessed (Luke 1:1-4). These were men of integrity who willingly suffered and died for their testimony (1 Cor 15:3-8; 2 Pet 1:16). All four Gospels affirm Jesus’ resurrection that “He has risen” (Matt 28:6; cf. Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6-7; John 20:1-18). After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to numerous persons over a period of forty days (Acts 1:3), namely, Mary Magdalene and other women (Matt 28:1-10; John 20:10-18), two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32), the disciples without Thomas (John 20:19-25), the disciples with Thomas (John 20:26-29), the disciples by the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-23), Peter, James, and more than 500 brethren at one time (1 Cor 15:5-7). After these appearances, Jesus ascended bodily into heaven (Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11; Eph 1:20). Peter and others were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, saying, “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32), and later, at the house of Cornelius, he said, “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He appear, not to all the people, but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead” (Acts 10:40-41). Throughout the NT, there are over 40 direct mentions of Jesus being raised from the dead.[2] Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6) and to John on the island of Patmos, saying, “I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (Rev 1:17-18).

Every writer of the New Testament assumes the resurrection of Jesus as a historical event that took place in time and space. Paul affirmed that Jesus was “raised on the third day” (1 Cor 15:4), and that He, “having been raised from the dead, is never to die again” (Rom 6:9). He also exhorted believers to “remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead” (2 Tim 2:8). Jesus’ bodily resurrection demonstrates that He is truly the Son of God, possessing the authority to give life (John 10:17-18). Scripture states that Jesus Christ “was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom 1:4a). Jesus’ resurrection was God’s public endorsement that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be, and that His redemptive work was completed and fully accepted. To deny the resurrection is to gut the gospel of its power. But to embrace it is to be rooted in unshakable truth and to live in resurrection hope.

Jesus’ resurrection is the Father’s declaration that Christ’s atonement for our sins was accepted, for Jesus “was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God” (Rom 4:25). Our sins were the reason Jesus went to the cross (Rom 5:8; 2 Cor 5:21). He bore the penalty that rightfully belonged to us, for “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18a). Jesus’ resurrection proves the sin debt has been fully paid. Without the resurrection, there would be no assurance that the transaction at the cross was sufficient. But because Jesus lives, we have full confidence that we are declared righteous before God through faith in Christ alone (Rom 5:1). Simply put, no resurrection means no salvation.

In light of all this, the resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as an indispensable feature of our Christian faith—historically grounded, theologically essential, and personally transformative. It is the Father’s validation of the Son’s work and the believer’s assurance of eternal life, power for daily living, and hope beyond the grave. To deny it is to unravel the very fabric of the gospel; to believe it is to stand firmly in the truth of God’s Word, secured by grace, and anchored in a living Savior who conquered death and lives forevermore. Because He lives, so shall we.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

If this article has enriched your understanding and walk with Christ, and you feel led to support my ministry, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Your gifts enable me to continue sharing the gospel of grace and providing in-depth biblical teachings. Thank you for partnering with me in this mission.

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[1] The Bible teaches that all people will be bodily raised from the dead by God, each in their own divinely appointed order (1 Cor 15:22-24). For the Church, the resurrection occurs at the rapture, when believers are caught up and transformed to receive glorified, incorruptible bodies like Christ’s (1 Th 4:16-17; Phil 3:20-21). Old Testament saints will be raised at the Second Coming of Christ to share in the blessings of the millennial kingdom (Dan 12:2; Isa 26:19), along with Tribulation martyrs who are also resurrected at that time (Rev 20:4-6). Other saints, such as those who believe during the Millennium and die during that period, will likely be raised at the end of the thousand years. In contrast, unbelievers from all ages will be raised in a final resurrection after the Millennium to stand before the Great White Throne and be judged according to their works, resulting in eternal separation from God (John 5:28-29; Rev 20:11-15). This multifaceted doctrine underscores both the certainty of future bodily existence and the distinction between resurrection unto life and resurrection unto judgment

[2] These references span across the Gospels (Matt 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6-7; John 20:9), Acts (Acts 2:24; 3:15; 4:10; 10:40; 13:30), Epistles (Rom 1:4; 4:25; 6:4; 8:11; 10:9; 1 Cor 6:14; 15:4; 15:20; 2 Cor 4:14; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:20; Phil 3:10; Col 2:12; 1 Th 1:10; 4:14; 2 Tim 2:8; 1 Pet 1:3), and Revelation (Rev 1:18).