Truths Every Christian Should Know about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the monumental miracle that changed the world. He is risen! Before we move on from Easter Sunday, let’s take the time to consider some indisputable truths about this foundational event of our faith. They will not only help us explain this historic event to others but also help us (me included!) face life’s difficulties with assurance and confidence!

Prophecies of Jesus Resurrection

Fulfilled prophecy of the resurrection is an important truth to know. Jesus perfectly fulfilled each prophecy and prediction of His resurrection.

We see it as early as Genesis 3:15, when God tells Satan, “He will crush your head,” speaking of his defeat when Jesus dies on the cross and rises from the dead.

Another prophecy (of many!) appears in Psalm 16:10:

“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol; You will not allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”

God’s plan of redemption was already in place before He created the world. He knew sin would enter His creation and we would need a Resurrected Savior to pave the way back to Him.

Jesus Predicts His Resurrection

Jesus predicted His death and resurrection many times. The earliest was His exchange with the religious leaders in John 2-

“Destroy this temple and in three days, I will raise it up.” V19. They thought He was speaking of the physical temple, but He was speaking of Himself.

He also predicts His death and resurrection three times to His disciples in the last 6 months of His life. He even tells them He possesses the authority to resurrect Himself! (John 10:17-18.)

His words would not take on their full meaning for the disciples until after His resurrection. But all these verses are there to show us God’s sovereign plan.

Jesus says, “I am the Resurrection and the life; he who believes in me shall live even if he dies.” John 11:25.

The resurrection proves all His claims were true. It also proves He was not delusional or a false prophet.

Resurrection in Christianity

Believing in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of our Christian faith. We might not agree on a lot of things, but every Christian denomination believes that the tomb was empty on Easter Sunday morning.

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him for the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9.

There are times, however, when we focus more on the cross than the resurrection. How often have you heard a sermon on the resurrection besides Easter?

It’s interesting to note that in the book of Acts, Luke barely mentions Jesus’ death. The apostle’s preaching highlighted Jesus’ resurrection instead.

Why is the Resurrection Important?

For starters, the church would not exist without the resurrection. The disciples (except for John and the women) ran away and hid at Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Maybe the Jewish leaders would come after them next?

They had given up three years of their lives to follow Jesus and now their Rabbi was dead. Without the resurrection, they would have probably gone back to their old lives and occupations. Jesus’ teachings and His death would have been just a story to tell their grandchildren.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an important piece of the redemption plan. Without it, Jesus would still be dead and in the grave; His mission would have been incomplete.

Jesus’ sacrifice paid the price for our sins, and His resurrection proved to the world that God accepted His sacrifice and raised Him from the dead to return and reign with Him again in heaven.

What Does the Resurrection Mean to Believers?

Because of the Resurrection, we receive both eternal life and spiritual power.

Satan thought he won when Jesus died on the cross. But Jesus’ death gives us victory over sin and His Resurrection gives us victory over death.

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:28.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son; that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

Death does not bring fear or dread to believers- our eternal life with Jesus and our loved ones awaits us! What hope and joy this brings!

Jesus’ resurrection also brought us life and power as the Holy Spirit:

“The spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.” Romans 8:11. When I spend time thinking about this truth, I am always in awe.

I don’t feel powerful, but I don’t have to. He has placed His Holy Spirit within you and me to help us transform to His likeness, equip us to do great things, and give us the spiritual power to share the Good News of the resurrected Christ with boldness and conviction.

Proof of the Resurrection

There are plenty of skeptics who claim we only believe in the resurrection because of blind faith. We believe, but also have proof- the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, known facts, and people’s responses.

●The oral history of the resurrection had been circulating from the time of the event. The written accounts came just a few decades after the resurrection, and many people who observed the events were still alive to verify them.

●They buried Jesus in a known tomb, not in a secret place. Matthew, Mark, and John’s Gospels recorded its exact location. They closed the tomb with a large stone. There was only one way in and one way out, no back entrance to steal His body existed.

●The chief priests and Pharisees demanded guards to secure the tomb. They led the guards to the tomb and sealed it.
Falling asleep while on duty was punishable by death, so it is unlikely all the guards would sleep through a grave robbing.

Also, it would have been impossible for someone to move the stone, unwrap Jesus’ body (John 20:6-7), and carry Him out without these guards knowing about it.

●If someone was making up the story of the Resurrection, they certainly wouldn’t begin with women as the first eyewitnesses. Judges in the day deemed women’s testimony unreliable.

●The resurrection transformed the disciples from a group of frightened and confused men into church leaders who put their lives on the line to preach the Gospel. They risked their lives because of their unshakeable confidence in the resurrection.

“After His suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.” Acts 1:3.

Witnesses to the Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus turned hard core skeptics into dedicated disciples. Even Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in Him during His ministry. (John 7:5)

James, Jesus’ brother, was one of the earliest witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection. He goes on to become an elder in the church and wrote the book of James in the New Testament.

Paul was a ruthless murderer of Christians who has a personal encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. It changed his life forever, and he became known as “the apostle to the Gentiles.”

There were hundreds of witnesses to the resurrection of Christ, including the disciples, Mary Magdalene and two friends, the two believers on the road to Emmaus, and over 500 Christian believers. (1 Corinthians 15:6)

Only 2 or 3 witnesses were required in Biblical times to establish truth. Jesus went above and beyond to establish the truth of His resurrection.

Believing in the resurrected Jesus requires faith. While our faith is a gift from God, Romans 10:17 tells us, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

We too need to be witnesses by understanding what His Word tells us about the resurrection and sharing it with others.

“How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14b

Jesus’ Resurrected Body

Jesus rose from the dead not as a resuscitated corpse (as with Lazarus) but with a resurrected body that allowed Him to enter closed rooms and disappear. He didn’t need rest or food, but ate with the disciples to prove He was not a ghost or just a figment of their imagination.

Jesus showed them His resurrected body and allowed Thomas to touch His wounds. Later, the disciples saw His resurrected body ascend into Heaven.

So what does that mean for us?

Resurrections of Christians

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21.

When Jesus comes again, we will have glorious, imperishable, resurrected bodies, raised in power, just like Jesus had. No more pain, physical limitations, illness, or disability. What a beautiful hope from the resurrection story to hang on to!

The Significance of the Resurrection

Paul gives lengthy instruction on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 15. He devotes the entire chapter to the topic to encourage the church in Corinth to hold fast to their belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was obviously a pressing issue for the church.

There were some in the church who denied the resurrection; possibly a holdover from the Greek philosophy that does not believe in life after death. It may have come from Jewish converts from the Sadducces who did not believe in life after death or a resurrection either. (That’s why they were “sad, you see…”)

Paul ends the chapter this way:

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin… But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ.” vv55-57.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, nothing we do for Him is in vain. We can stand firm and unshakeable, celebrating the resurrection daily.

Every time we look in the mirror, it should remind us of our glorious destiny. We have His resurrection power available each day to overcome any trial, trouble, or temptation.

Take these words of Paul to heart-

“I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him. It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven.” Ephesians 1:19-20.

Jesus Christ is the only man who has ever been victorious over sin and death. Every other great religious leader of the world is still in the grave. Eternal life is found in Jesus alone, and any other religion that contradicts this truth is false.

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no man comes to the father, but through me.” John 14:6.

How different would our lives be if we lived daily in resurrection power and believing far greater things than this world await us?

Blessings,

AnnMarie

All Scripture is taken from the NIV unless specified otherwise.

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