The Resurrection: Christianity's Essential Foundation

Have you ever considered what's truly essential in your life? Gas for your car, rain for crops, foundations for buildings—some things are simply non-negotiable. But when it comes to Christianity, there's one thing more essential than anything else: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without it, our faith crumbles completely. As I recently shared with my congregation, "If there is no resurrection, there's no Christianity. If there's no resurrection, there's no Christianity."

The Painful Premise

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul confronts a troubling contradiction among the Corinthian believers. He writes, "Now, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some of you, some among you, that there's no resurrection from the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:12). Paul is essentially asking, "What in the world are you guys talking about?" The entire foundation of their faith was built on Christ's resurrection, yet some were denying the possibility of resurrection altogether. This creates a fundamental logical problem. You cannot hold mutually exclusive beliefs simultaneously. As I explained to my congregation: "The sky above us cannot be both blue and not blue at the same time in the same place. One cannot be both a boy and a girl. If you have different answers to the same question, one can be right and the other can be wrong. Or both can be wrong, but they can't both be right." You simply cannot believe Christ arose while saying resurrection is not possible. That's the painful premise Paul addresses.

The Devastating Implications

If we follow Paul's logical argument, denying the resurrection leads to seven devastating implications:

1. Christ is not risen - "If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen" (1 Corinthians 15:13).
2. Gospel proclamation is vain - "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain" (1 Corinthians 15:14). If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then proclaiming that He did is profitless—just a waste of time.
3. Faith in the gospel is vain - "And your faith is also vain" (1 Corinthians 15:14). If the resurrection didn't happen, why gather as believers? Why study Scripture? It's all meaningless.
4. Preaching the gospel makes God a liar - "Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he raised not up" (1 Corinthians 15:15).
5. There is no forgiveness of sins - "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain and ye are yet in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17). Without the resurrection, there's no validation that Christ's sacrifice was accepted.
6. Those who died believing are gone forever - "Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished" (1 Corinthians 15:18). Every funeral where we said, "It's not goodbye, it's see you later" would be a lie.
7. Christians are most miserable - "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Corinthians 15:19). If Christ didn't resurrect, we're worse off than unbelievers because we're suffering for a lie.

The Historical Evidence

But here's the good news: "He is not dead. Jesus Christ rose from the dead." We have several distinct historical facts that provide strong evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus:

1. It's generally agreed upon by all historians, both Christian and non-Christian, that Jesus was crucified on a cross around Jerusalem.
2. Most historians agree that Jesus was buried in a tomb.
3. There's significant agreement on the empty tomb several days after Jesus' death.
4. Paul writes that over 500 people saw the resurrected Christ: "After that, he was seen above 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain under this present, but some are fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:6).
5. The disciples died for this belief. As I explained, "Millions of people have died for a falsehood they thought was true, but hardly anyone would die for a lie. And at least 10 of the original 12 disciples died because of their belief in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ."

The disciples didn't base their faith on Jesus' teachings alone. Their message was, "I can't help but speak the things that I've seen and the things that I've heard. This Jesus who you crucified, God raised from the dead." And they proclaimed this in Jerusalem within weeks of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.

What This Means For Non-Believers

Jesus taught clearly about two different resurrections in John 5: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). He continues: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29). The issue isn't whether you'll be resurrected—it's which resurrection you'll be part of. Those who believe in Christ will experience resurrection to life. Those who reject Him will face resurrection to damnation. As Revelation 20:11-15 describes the great white throne judgment: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God... And they were judged every man according to their works... And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

How Believers Deny the Resurrection in Practice

Even as believers who intellectually accept the resurrection, we sometimes live as "practical atheists"—people who believe in God but behave as if He doesn't exist. We deny the resurrection in our daily lives through:

1. Forgetfulness of mind - We simply forget what's most important as we go through our days.
2. Focus on me - We become so focused on our current life that we forsake thinking about eternity.
3. Filling of materialism - We become so satisfied with worldly things that we have little room for God. As I reminded my congregation, "This is going away... Everything is going away... The word of God will last forever."
4. Forsaking our manuscript - When we neglect God's Word, we start thinking like those who don't believe in resurrection or eternity.
5. Fear of man - We fear being mocked or rejected if we share the gospel.
6. Forgetting our mission - "We were saved so that we could be sent. To follow Jesus is to fish for men."

Putting It Into Practice

If the resurrection is true—and it is—how should we live?

1. Remember the resurrection daily - Make conscious choices that reflect your belief in eternal life.
2. Focus beyond yourself - Consider the eternal destiny of those around you.
3. Invest in eternity - "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal" (Matthew 6:20).
4. Stay in God's Word - Regular Bible reading reminds us of eternal realities.
5. Overcome fear with love - Remember what's at stake when you hesitate to share Christ.
6. Live your mission - Share the good news that Jesus died for our sins and rose again.

As I concluded in my sermon: "If we wouldn't say that Christ did not resurrect from the dead with our mouth, let's make sure that we do not say it with our life. Because he lives, we can live also."