How is the resurrection of Christ necessary to the gospel?

Question

The typical gospel presentation goes something like this:

There is nothing you can do to warrant eternal salvation. Everyone has sinned and deserves to be eternally seperated from God in hell. Therefore, if God judges you by his holy law, you will be found guilty. This is the bad news. However, the good news is that Jesus came into the world and lived a life without sin. He then died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all who would put their faith on him. Therefore, turn from your sins and believe on Jesus Christ.

Notice that this says nothing about the resurrection. However, Paul's explanation of the gospel includes Christ's resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-4). What gives?

The Old Testament fortold of a time when God's people would be raised from the dead and Jesus was the first to experience this. He received a glorified body like the bodies we will have in the eternal new creation. But even though we have not yet received our glorified bodies, we have experienced the spiritual aspect of the resurrection. Spiritually, we have been born-again. While we were once spiritually dead, God has given us new life so that we turn to Christ and begin to live our lives in ways that reflect his character. And so while our resurrection is not complete in the sense that we have glorified bodies like Jesus, this resurrection has been initiated in each of us. This is why Paul says "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor 15:7). Although not yet complete, our resurrection is the same as his resurrection. Therefore, if he is not raised, then we are not raised.

Answer 1

The Resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer in Jesus Christ who died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scripture. And, He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who remain and are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important? It demonstrated that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It proves that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that those who believe in Christ will not remain dead, but will be resurrected unto eternal life.

Answer 2

Believing that He died on the cross and that we should put our faith in Him implies that He is still alive, which of course He is. Paul did say IF there was no resurrection, then Jesus was not who He said He was and our faith is in vain. If He had not risen, He would be just a man and we would all still be dead in our sins. The resurrection of Christ is what proves He is God.

Answer 3

How can we part from the scriptures when speaking of Christ and His life?? Christ came to this earth for several purposes: 1) to fulfill all law 2) to give us the perfect example to follow 3) to suffer, give His life voluntarily and 4) to break the bonds of death through His resurrection. The purpose, according to the Plan of Salvation, for Christ's suffering, death and resurrection is: 1) that we may not have to suffer for our sins IF we repent, because Christ paid the "price" for our sins 2) to make repentance possible and 3) to make resurrection possible for US. And no, the Bible is not complete or clear on some doctrines. That is your choice to believe otherwise. I don't believe God "gave us all we need" in one book. There is SOOOO much we need, how on earth could it all be contained in ONE book, written by men. We believe in continued revelation, God loves us just as much as the "bible people" and He still reveals His word. The cannon of scripture did not close with the end of Revelations. God is alive today, so is His church and so is the gospel.

Answer 4

Well Jesus did pay for our sins on the cross but if he was not resurrected then there would be no resurrection for the believers. Basically he died and has ascended to the right hand of God just as we will. It is not just believing in Jesus that saves us, even Satan believes in Jesus it is knowing him and believing that he died and rose again, and yielding your life to him by repentance. You have to be more specific in your first reference because that seems like a paraphrase not a quote from the Bible. God bless

Answer 5

Jesus said as Jonah was in the earth 3 days so will I" Gospel of John

the resurrection was predicted in Psalm 16 "Thou will not let thine anointed one (Messiah) see corruption after death."

If Jesus didnt rise from the grave he couldnt come into our heart to save us and be our best friend,
really-what did I lose as a Jew letting Jesus forgive my sins and help me, come into my heart and become my friend, amen"

and Jesus also said there is a hell of weeping forever and gnashing teeth for those who reject the word of God (John 12:48) hell and heaven are described in Revelation 19-22nd chapters

that isnt even what I think-that is what Jesus says -I believed him for salvation and got set free-why would I think he is lying about hell and heaven and the resurrection??

Answer 6

Luke 9:22 And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

Sometimes He said it in the same sentence. It's there in the Gospels. Maybe you just overlooked it! No worries, you are asking a good question.

Answer 7

Well, whenever I hear Gospel explanations it is usually from one of the creeds and they usually involve Christ's death, descent into hell/place of dead, and resurrection. The resurrection is important because it is the conquering of the grave, the "harrowing of hell." Without the resurrection Christ is just some guy who died, but the resurrection makes Him the one who conquers death.

Answer 8

the gospel I hear ALWAYS includes the resurrection. It's the essencial conclusion. Without it, nothing else has much meaning. Jesus gave himself unto death - but overcame death so that WE WOULD HAVE life! That's the only gospel I know.

blessings :)

Answer 9

It shows that he is a living god. How can you believe in something that is dead?( No offence to buddist) We can be forgiven of all of our sins through Jesus.

Answer 10

Hello!

Your question reminded me a book am reading. It's called "The Morning". It talks about the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us. I haven't finished it though (http://www.adventistbookcenter.com/Detail.tpl?sku=0816318751).

1 Corinthians 15:1-4, says: << Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all 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, >> (NKJV).

In another Scripture, Paul says that if Christ has not resurrected then our faith is in vain.

Paraphrazing Clifford Goldstein, the dead of Christ by itself was not enough to save us.

The plan of Redemption would be incomplete if Jesus stayed dead. That's why Satan moved the religious leaders to put a guard on the tomb: to keep Jesus from raising. There were about 100 soldiers guarding the tomb of Jesus, plus evil angels.

Christ's ministry didn't finish on the earth, it had to keep going. Jesus is our Advocate now, and He must be alive in order to continue with His mission. Besides, Jesus' resurrection is our guarantee of salvation, becuase just as Christ was raised from the dead, so we will be raised from the dead when He comes.

Christ's dead is to substitute ours, and He had to return to life in order to give us His holy life. Let's put it this way: Jesus takes our penalty and we are not longer under the penalty of sin, right? But Jesus didn't come only to save us from our sins, He also came to teach us how to live without sinning. He dies to pay the penalty of our sins, and now He's alive to give us the power to obey, to keep us from sin.

<< Through Jesus, God's mercy was manifested to men; but mercy does not set aside justice. The law reveals the attributes of God's character, and not a jot or tittle of it could be changed to meet man in his fallen condition. God did not change His law, but He sacrificed Himself, in Christ, for man's redemption. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Cor. 5:19.

<< The law requires righteousness,--a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God's holy law. But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God. He builds up the human character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of spiritual strength and beauty. Thus the very righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in Christ. God can "be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom. 3:26. >> (http://www.whiteestate.org/books/da/da79.html)


<< To the believer, Christ is the resurrection and the life. In our Saviour the life that was lost through sin is restored; for He has life in Himself to quicken whom He will. He is invested with the right to give immortality. The life that He laid down in humanity, He takes up again, and gives to humanity. "I am come," He said, "that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." "Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 10:10; 4:14; 6:54. >> (http://www.whiteestate.org/books/da/da81.html).

Well, hope this may help. God bless you!