Resurrection is Important - Why? & the Blessings of Resurrection
By Fr. Kamil AlChouefati
We often assume that those around us, at least our children, know what we grew up with or are accustomed to. It is not necessarily true that our children and those we serve will have the same convictions and mentality as us. The glorious feast of Easter is a very important event in Christianity and a fundamental belief. If it were not for the resurrection of the Lord of Glory, Christianity would have become a lie: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Why do we find so many doubts and allegations that about the doctrine of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? And why did Jesus Christ rise after exactly three days?
Simply put, if the body of Jesus Christ had remained in the tomb for more than three days, it would have been spoiled, and who can guarantee that this the actual body of Christ? Why wouldn’t it be someone else who looked like him? If Jesus Christ had risen moments or a few hours after his death, we would have suspected that he had not died but was merely unconscious from the effects of stress and suffering or, at worst, he had entered a coma. If he had risen on Saturday, the Jews would have claimed that the disciples had exploited the sabbath and stolen the body of Jesus without the Jews noticing (the Jews did not do anything on the sabbath; it was a day of rest).
The Lord Jesus’ death on the cross is the foundation of our salvation and redemption, but through the resurrection, He swallowed up death forever. The Lord Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the cornerstone of faith. All hope and expectation in Christianity is based on the resurrection and on the fact that Our Lord Jesus Christ is alive. Here are some facts that demonstrate the importance of the resurrection to our Christian faith and life.
To Him be glory, and we will live with Him in heaven forever. Amen.
Simply put, if the body of Jesus Christ had remained in the tomb for more than three days, it would have been spoiled, and who can guarantee that this the actual body of Christ? Why wouldn’t it be someone else who looked like him? If Jesus Christ had risen moments or a few hours after his death, we would have suspected that he had not died but was merely unconscious from the effects of stress and suffering or, at worst, he had entered a coma. If he had risen on Saturday, the Jews would have claimed that the disciples had exploited the sabbath and stolen the body of Jesus without the Jews noticing (the Jews did not do anything on the sabbath; it was a day of rest).
The Lord Jesus’ death on the cross is the foundation of our salvation and redemption, but through the resurrection, He swallowed up death forever. The Lord Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the cornerstone of faith. All hope and expectation in Christianity is based on the resurrection and on the fact that Our Lord Jesus Christ is alive. Here are some facts that demonstrate the importance of the resurrection to our Christian faith and life.
- The resurrection is one of the most important and greatest proofs of the truth of the words, teachings, and declarations of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even if the religious leaders had placed all the armies of the world and all the huge stones in the world against the door of the tomb, they would not have been able to stand before the risen Lord Jesus. We read in Romans 4:1 that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was one of the greatest proofs that the Lord Jesus is the son of God: “And he was declared to be the son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.” The resurrection also proved the truth of the Lord Jesus’ declarations that he would rise on the third day. It also proved the truth of the Old Testament prophecies that Christ’s body would not see corruption.
- The resurrection is considered the center and foundation of the Christian faith. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 13-2:2: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received … if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied… but the opposite is true. Christ is risen, truly risen. He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep, that is the first to rise from the dead. We, in turn, will rise and experience a great change in the resurrection: we will be clothed in spiritual bodies that are imperishable, living bodies by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
- The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christians’ confidence in their resurrection and eternal life with God in heaven. We read in Colossians 2:12, “…buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” In baptism, we die to sin, are buried under water, and are raised to new life by faith with our Lord Jesus Christ.
- The resurrection has a daily impact on our daily Christian lives. Our Christian life begins with salvation from sin through faith in the Lord Jesus. We are filled with the Holy Spirit and continue journeying with God for the rest of our lives by the power of the Spirit of resurrection. Our hope remains alive in our minds and hearts until the very last day of our earthly lives, as we read in 2 Corinthians 4:14. Remaining free, even in the most complex relationships, is the only way to make life blossom again through a true forgiveness capable of renewing the bonds weakened by time and sin. Only in this way, without resentment or bitterness, does a person become a witness to that greatest love which neither the waters of evil nor death can extinguish. The power of resurrection is directly proportional to the strength of love—that flame which the Lord has imprinted in our hearts and the seal of eternal life that has begun even now in this world. The resurrection gives our lives meaning, a message, a purpose, and a living hope for the future, so we live without fear of aging, sickness, or death because in the resurrection, we will defeat death by the power of our Lord Jesus.
To Him be glory, and we will live with Him in heaven forever. Amen.
