The Resurrection: The Crux of Christianity

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present... Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?... And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. (1 Corinthians 15)

The empty tomb is not a footnote to the gospel — it is the very thing the gospel hangs upon.

Skepticism About the Resurrection Is Nothing New

It's pretty normal for modern people, when they hear about the resurrection, to be skeptical. After all, when people die, they normally stay dead and don't come back to life. But listen: the early followers of Jesus were skeptical of the resurrection too. Every time it came up in the book of Acts, it provoked resistance. A great example is Acts 17, where Paul preaches the resurrection from the dead, and as soon as he says it, people respond, "Oh, come on — you're one of those weirdos." Many simply said, "We don't believe that."

Even Jesus's closest disciples struggled with it. John and Peter were skeptical. Thomas, when told by his fellow followers that Jesus had risen, said, "Unless I see Him and put my hands in His scars and in His side, I can't believe it." It was just too far out for him.

The Disciples Couldn't Even Grasp the Idea

They were skeptical even though Jesus told them on several occasions that He would rise. He said plainly, "We're going to Jerusalem. I'm going to be crucified, I'm going to die, and on the third day I will rise again." And what was the response of His disciples? They had no comprehension of the idea of a resurrection.

In Mark chapter 9, as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what "rising from the dead" even meant. In Mark 9:31 He taught them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day." But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask Him.

We tend to think we're so modern, with all our technology and understanding, that we know dead people don't rise — so the resurrection probably didn't happen. We say that because we think we're so smart. But two thousand years ago they questioned whether it was real too, until they saw the risen Lord.

No Eternal Life Without the Resurrection

John writes, "The life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."

Here is the fourth point: there is no eternal life, no fullness of joy, and no fellowship with the Father without the resurrection. It is the critical thing — the crux of the Christian faith. And it is even bigger than that. As I've already said, there is no Christianity at all without Christ rising from the dead.

The Resurrection at the Heart of the Gospel

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul declares the gospel he preached, the good news which they received and in which they stand, by which they are saved if they hold fast. "I delivered to you first of all," Paul says, "that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

Then he calls the witnesses. Christ was seen by Cephas — Peter — then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred people at once, of whom the greater part, Paul says, are still alive. You can go talk to them. Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles, and last of all by Paul himself, as one born out of due time.

If Christ Is Not Risen, Everything Collapses

Paul presses the logic. If Christ has been preached as raised from the dead, how can some say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is empty. We are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we have testified that He raised up Christ — whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead do not rise.

If the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen, and if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most to be pitied.

Everything Hangs on the Empty Tomb

Here is the fifth and final point: if there is no resurrection, then there is no point to Christianity. It all hangs on this. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures — and He was seen by dozens, even hundreds, of witnesses whose lives were radically transformed by what they saw, heard, and touched. They went to their deaths as martyrs, proclaiming as they died, "Christ is risen."

Everything about the Christian faith hangs on the empty tomb. It hangs entirely upon the resurrection. It is the central good thing in the good news we call the gospel.

And if it is true — as I believe it is, and the evidence supports — then it proves Jesus is a prophet, for He predicted He would die and rise. It confirms He is the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah. It validates that He is the Son of God; it validates His divinity. It rebukes His detractors — it doesn't matter what anyone says against Him, because He rose from the dead. It settles the problem of sin, because He died for our sins. It destroys death, which is exactly what Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 15. It secures our salvation, and it gives us hope of our own future restoration and resurrection.

The Good News I Hope You Know

I hope everything I say on a Sunday morning is just a reminder of things you already know. But if you don't know this, I want you to know it: Jesus Christ came into the world to rescue and save sinners. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to give His life a ransom for many, to give life and that more abundantly — and His resurrection proves that He is able to do exactly what He came to do.

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. That is the good news of the gospel. That is the news I hope you already know — and if you've never heard it before today, you've heard it now. I hope you would put your trust and faith in Him, because He is risen. He is risen indeed. It's good news.