by Jed Estrada

Created on: April 04, 2010

When Jesus Christ left his place in heaven to live on earth, He showed us that we could also live in righteousness through Him. When He died on the cross for our sins, He showed us that we can be forgiven through Him. But we still sin and we are still guilty, so what hope do we have? If Jesus Christ was just another good man who just lived another good life, then if doesn't matter if we are righteous or forgiven... we still will die. However, if Jesus rose from the dead and now reigns in heaven, then through faith in Him we can hope to have the same glorification. Our righteousness is worth pursuing, and our forgiveness is worth prizing. The only question is, do we believe it?

The Bible was written over the space of 1,600 years by 40 different men, and yet the message is the same. Throughout the entire book, the message of the Savior is constant. Every prophet and judge who picked up a pen and wrote the history of his time was writing down the history of God's plan. From the story of Creation and the Fall, through the promise of the Patriarchs, through the entire history of the rise and fall of Israel, the Bible leads up to God's plan for Jesus to come to earth and die for our sins. All the books of the law set the legal precedent for us to be judged, and the opening for a Savior to die for our forgiveness. That is why Christ's death is so significant and foundational to Christianity. By it, we are forgiven. So what then is the significance of the resurrection?

Christianity lays it's faith on the hope that when we die we will be with God. Christian works are done in hopes of being rewarded not on this earth, but in the life to come. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have that hope that we will rise like Him. Jesus Christ emphasized this shortly before He died on the cross. His good friend Lazarus had died, and Jesus went to see his family. He said to Lazarus's grieving sister, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Jesus went on to raise Lazarus from the dead as a testimony to His power and authority, and to prove that He is indeed the resurrection. The old testament saints died with the faith that they would be raised by Jesus. We who live today walk in the faith that when we die, we will also be raised by Christ. By rising again Himself, He proved that for us.

The significance of Christ's resurrection is so fundamental to Christian faith that the apostle Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 15:13-14 "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." He goes on to say in verses 16 and 17, "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." That passage of scripture details everything that Christianity stands for, and is often used as the basis for statements of faith. Furthermore, it is not enough only to believe that Jesus lived and died. Only if one believes that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is the confession of faith complete.

Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth to live as an example for us, so we could have hope of righteousness. He died on the cross for our sins and took the punishment that our sins deserved, to give us hope of forgiveness. He rose again from the dead, and went back to heaven to be forever with God, to give us hope that we can also spend eternity in heaven with God. The significance of Christ's resurrection is the final act in God's plan of salvation, and the final block in the foundation of our faith. The significance of the resurrection simply put, is hope.

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