Recently, my 7-year-old son said, “Dad, what is the most important thing you know?” Immediately, I thought of 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, where the apostle Paul explains the heart of the Gospel, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day.” The Resurrection is the most important truth of the Christian faith!
If Christ has not risen, then our faith is useless (1 Corinthians 15:14). That’s right — useless. Without the Resurrection, we might as well forget God, church, the Christian life — it is all a lie.
On the other hand, if the Resurrection is real, then a few important truths follow:
The Bible makes it clear that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). And sin put a rift in our relationship with our Creator, separating us from His love. But because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have received forgiveness, and our relationship with God has been restored.
Jesus conquered the grave and promises that we can follow in His footsteps (Philippians 3:21). Because of the resurrection of Christ, death no longer has power over us. We have gained eternal life. Paul shouts with an air of defiance, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). Of course, there is no reply.
Because we know we will live forever in God’s presence, our priorities and devotion are focused on Him, not on the concerns of this present world. This focus does not take us out of this world, but keeps our attention where it belongs (Colossians 3:2). In fact, living with our hearts focused on eternity enables us to be more effective in God’s business — living out His truth and building His kingdom — right here and now.
The resurrection of Jesus means that …
1 Peter 1:3
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
For a more in-depth look at the Resurrection, read these Bible passages:
Matthew 28
Luke 24
John 11:21-27
1 Corinthians 15
This article first appeared in the March/April 2012 issue of Thriving Family as “The Most Important Truth.” If you enjoyed this article, read more like it in Thriving Family, a marriage and parenting magazine published by Focus on the Family.
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