by Mark Rater
What is the significance of the Resurrection?
This Easter, though we can’t meet in person, though we struggle through all of the fear, uncertainty, inconvenience, and strain of the Coronavirus, let’s focus on what the resurrection of Jesus Christ really means. We know that Christ died for our sins. That He bore our sin and exchanged it for His righteousness. We know that the scriptures promised this and that this has been fulfilled in Christ. We know He was raised from the dead. But what does that really mean? Why was it necessary for Him to not only die in our place, but to be raised again? What difference does the resurrection make to us today in our lives? Today we will take a look at what the scripture has to say about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and why it is so significant as part of God’s plan of salvation from eternity past and what it means for our daily walk with God in Jesus Christ.
First, let’s look at the fact that...
Christ’s Resurrection Proves and Declares that Christ is the Son of God
In Matthew 16:1-4, when the Pharisees and Sadducees asked for a sign from heaven, Jesus refers to His future resurrection as the sign from Heaven that will authenticate His ministry and prove that He is who He says He is. This resurrection was witnessed by hundreds of people (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). The proof is there! Christ was resurrected and is the Son of God, the Savior of the world! The fact that the resurrection proves who Christ is is echoed in Romans 1:4 that says that Jesus was declared to be “the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead”. The resurrection of Christ declares to us that Christ is the Son of God, or savior! Not just a prophet, not just a good moral teacher, but the one who would come and bear the sins of His people (Isaiah 53), and sit on the throne forever (2 Samuel 7)!
Christ’s Resurrection Provides us Justification
It is the resurrection of Christ that provides justification for all who believe.
Romans 4:25 says that not only was He “delivered over because of our transgressions” but that He was also “raised because of our justification.” Because of our need for justification. So that we can be justified before God. Consider what William Newell, an old dispensational bible expositor said about this verse:
“Christ being raised up, God announces to me, "Not only were your sins put away by Christ’s blood, so that you are justified from all things; but I have also raised up Christ; and you shall have your standing in Him. I have given you this faith in a Risen Christ, and announce to you that in Him alone now is your place and standing. Judgment is forever past for you, both as concerns your sin, and as concerns My demand that you have a standing of holiness and righteousness of your own before Me. All this is past. Christ is now your standing! He is your life and your righteousness; and you need nothing of your own forever. I made Christ to become sin on your behalf, identified Him with all that you were, in order that you might become the righteousness of God in Him."” -Thomas Constable quoting William Newell
Consider also what John MacArthur says about this verse.
“The Resurrection provided proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of His Son and would be able to be just and yet justify the ungodly”.-John MacArthur
(see Romans 3:21-26 where we read that all have sinned and are justified by grace as a gift through the redemption in Jesus Christ, whom God put forward as the propitiation or “satisfaction” for our sins, which shows that God is not only just but also the one who justifies)
Without the resurrection, we are not justified before God. Christ could come and die, but if He stayed dead, death still reigns as it has in Adam. Death still is master over Christ and over us without the resurrection.
Because of Christ’s Resurrection, death is no longer master over Christ or us
Romans 6:5-11 says that we are united in Christ’s death and united with Him in His resurrection. Our old self crucified with Him. Sin done away with. Freed from sin! Never to die again. Death is no longer master over Christ, He died to sin once for all. And He lives! He lives to God! And we are now to “consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Christ died bearing our sins. Died once for all and now lives to God, as have and as do all who have died and risen with Him to new life spiritually and will one day rise physically with perfected bodies like His (2 Corinthians 5). His righteousness has been imputed to us (Romans 4, 1 Corinthians 5:21) and we now live our lives to God. The Resurrection is the foundation of our faith!
Christ’s Resurrection is the Foundation of our Faith
We see in 1 Corinthians 15:12-14 that “if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.” It is vanity to preach a savior who hasn’t been authenticated by God and hasn’t defeated sin and death. A savior who hasn’t conquered the problem of sin and death is not much of a savior, is he?
Christ’s Resurrection Authenticated the Apostle’s Teaching about God
Christ’s resurrection authenticates the apostles’ teaching about God that we find in the New Testament (not to mention the prophets’ teaching about God in the Old Testament which proclaimed this coming Messiah who would take away sin and reign forever). If Christ hasn’t been raised from the dead, then the apostles are liars and false witnesses, because they have proclaimed that indeed God has raised Christ from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:15-16). The Apostle Paul himself is the one who’s making this point. Paul continues on in this section to say that...
We are still in our sins without Christ’s resurrection
In fact, he says starting in verse 17 that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” Why? Again, because we would be preaching a savior who couldn’t defeat sin and death, who had not been authenticated by God, and who had shown the writers of scripture to be liars. We would be unjustified sinners trusting in a savior who had no more power than us to defeat sin and death. We also would be unjustified sinners with no hope of being raised to eternal life ourselves.
We Would Have No Hope of Being Resurrected if Christ Hadn’t Been Resurrected First
1 Corinthians 1:20-23 teaches us that Christ is the “first fruits” of those who will be resurrected. Through one man (Adam) came death. Through one man (Christ) came the resurrection of the dead. In Adam all die. In Christ all are made alive. Christ, through His resurrection, paves the way for His people to be resurrected after Him. All who are His will be raised from the dead at His coming! Death has no more sting for the believer, we’ve obtained victory through Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:53-57)!
If we haven’t already been convinced, Peter also speaks of the fact that...
Our Hope, Protection, and Salvation Come Through the Resurrection of Christ
In 1 Peter 1:3-9, Peter tells us that it is through the resurrection that we obtain our living hope, imperishable and eternal inheritance, protection by the power of God, and salvation! Ephesians 1:18-21 says that the hope of His calling, the inheritance that we receive, and His power on our behalf were brought about in Christ “when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
The guarantee of these things to believers, the accomplishment of the atonement, is not realized by a dead savior but by a living and active one who is seated at the right hand of the Father!
The Current Ministry of Jesus Christ Is Not Possible Without the Resurrection
What is Christ’s current ministry? Hebrews 7:25 and several other parts of scripture tell us that Christ is currently living to make intercession for those who draw near to God. Romans 5:10 challenges us to think about the fact that since we were saved by His death, how much more will we be saved by His life and current ministry! As S. Michael Houdmann put it, “If when humble, despised, dying, and dead, He had the power to accomplish so great a work as reconciling us to God, how much more may we expect that He will be able to keep us now that He is a living, exalted, and triumphant Redeemer, raised to life and interceding on our behalf before the throne (Romans 8:34). Clearly, Jesus is still very active on our behalf in heaven.”
Christ is our Advocate, seated at the right hand of God as the one who once and for all put away the guilt and penalty of our sin. While Satan accuses us, Christ is seated triumphantly on our behalf and makes intercession. John 6 explains that Christ will keep us until the end. Our salvation is secure. Hebrews 2;17 and 4:14 speak of Jesus being our High Priest. He is living and active on behalf of His children who have been adopted by faith! He rescues us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). He is the one mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).
A dead savior does not and can not do these things. Our savior is alive and well.
He is Risen!
Much uncertainty and trial is surrounding us these days. But He is risen! We must put all of our thoughts and feelings through that lens. Coronavirus? Economy? Isolation? Uncertainty? He is risen!
Risen as a proof and declaration of being the promised Son of God who would bear our sin.
Risen for our justification, having taken on our sin and given us His righteousness.
Risen to defeat sin and death once and for all.
Risen to ensure our resurrection to eternal life.
Risen for our hope.
Risen for our eternal inheritance in Heaven.
Risen for our protection.
Risen for our salvation.
Risen to be our Intercessor.
Risen to be our Advocate.
Risen to be our Great High Priest.
Risen to save us from the wrath to come.
He is Risen!
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