The Resurrection

Why the Resurrection Matters

For Christians the resurrection is not a bonus miracle at the end of the story; it is the hinge on which everything turns. Paul says flatly that if Christ is not risen, the faith is empty and Christians are to be pitied. If he is risen, then his death was not a defeat but a victory over sin, God has vindicated his claims, and death itself has been broken open, which is why Christians can face the grave with grief but not despair.

Everything hangs on it

Christianity does not offer the resurrection as inspiring symbolism it could survive without. Paul grounds the whole thing on a historical event and invites it to be tested. That honesty cuts both ways: it means the faith is falsifiable, and it means, if true, it is not merely helpful but decisive.

What it means if it is true

• Jesus is vindicated. The resurrection is God's public verdict on the one the world condemned (Romans 1:4), the seal on his claims to forgive sins and to be the Son of God.
• The cross was victory, not defeat. Sin and death did their worst and did not hold him, so his death can be received as the place they were defeated for us.
• Death is not the end. Christians call Jesus the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20), the first of a harvest, and stake their own hope of resurrection on his.

The hope, and an honest invitation

This is why the earliest Christians, and Christians today, can grieve at a graveside with real tears and real hope at once. The historical case in this cluster can bring you to the door; it cannot carry you through it. In the end the resurrection asks not only to be assessed but to be met, in the person it points to. The oldest advice is still the best: read the accounts, and see for yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the resurrection so important to Christianity?

Because Paul made it the foundation of everything: 'if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain' (1 Corinthians 15:14). If Jesus rose, his death was victory over sin, God has vindicated his claims, and death has been broken, which is the ground of the Christian hope.

What does the resurrection mean for people today?

Christians hold that Jesus is the 'firstfruits' (1 Corinthians 15:20), the first of a coming resurrection they will share. It is why they believe death is a doorway rather than a wall, and why they can grieve with genuine hope rather than despair.

Is believing in the resurrection just about hope, or about history?

Christianity claims both. Paul rests the hope on a historical event and openly says the faith is worthless if it did not happen. That makes it, unusually, a hope that invites investigation rather than asking you to look away.