Preparing For Easter: The Resurrection

“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-5. 

The most important event of all human history is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s right.  The greatest event in all history is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. With Easter several weeks away, we need to take time to remember and celebrate this single, history-changing event.

The Apostle Paul, throughout the first fourteen chapters of 1 Corinthians, has talked about any number of issues. Now as he nears the conclusion of this letter, he reminds the Corinthians and each of us that just as the heart pumps life-giving blood to every part of the body, so the resurrection is the gospel of life to our souls: “Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

Paul is not holding back. He is about as straightforward as he can be. He is summarizing and stating again the good news that, several years before, he had brought to the Corinthians. The good news was the Gospel, the news of the crucified and risen Lord. Paul reminds them that they had received it and that it was foundational to all they were. It was something by which they were saved. Paul was getting back to the basics, to the essence of the Christian faith.  

Everything in our redemption is connected to the resurrection.  The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose on the third day and He is coming again.  The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). The resurrection proves who Jesus is. It demonstrates that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

The message of Easter is a message of eternal hope. There is an eternal future with God waiting for each of us who are followers of Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

1. How should the resurrection impact your life on a daily basis? 
2. How much does the evidence and faith play a role in your belief in the resurrection? 
3. What does the resurrection mean for your past, present, and your future?