Sometimes Sunday is called the eighth day – the day after the seventh day, or the Sabbath. Eight is sometimes considered the number of resurrection, and Resurrection Sunday is a wonderful time to examine eight effects of the resurrection of Jesus. Sometimes, we do not consider all the effects of this event, but if Christ did not rise, we would have no faith at all. Here are eight reasons to rejoice.
1) The resurrection proved Jesus Christ to be God
Romans 1:3-4 says, “concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
The resurrection of Jesus Christ proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ was all the things He claimed to be. Jesus had clearly claimed to be God by stating in John 8:57, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” If Jesus had not risen from the dead, He would have been relegated to history’s pile of lunatics who claimed to be God. But Jesus Christ rose again, meaning all that He claimed about Himself was true. When Jesus drove people out the temple, we read:
So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
John 2:18-22
The sign of Christ’s resurrection was the ultimate proof of His identity. Again, when asked by the Pharisees for a sign, Jesus says:
But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Matthew 12:39-40
Jesus spent three years teaching who He was, and then accomplished atonement on the cross. The resurrection proved that He was who He said He was. In fact, in almost every sermon preached in the book of Acts, when the apostles wish to prove that Jesus is in fact the Son of God, they refer to the resurrection.
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
Acts 2:32
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Acts 2:36
One of the reasons why the resurrection proves that Jesus is God is that it was impossible for God to die. He had to willingly surrender His Spirit, and had the power to raise Himself up. He states this in amazing words in John:
“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
John 10:17-18
Even Peter said, referring to Jesus: “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it” (Acts 2:24).
The resurrection is the ultimate proof that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. But there is another thought to Christ’s deity, and it leads us to the second important effect of the resurrection.
2) It proved Christ to be sinless and therefore a qualified Saviour
The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. In other words, whenever man dies, he is reflecting the fact that he is of the line of Adam, and justly a recipient of death. Now if Jesus Christ had remained in the grave, we would have no reason to think He was any different from any other man. We would conclude that though He was killed, the fact that He remained in death proved him to be a true son of Adam, experiencing the wages of sin – death. And of course, if this was true, then Jesus Christ could not be a substitute for us.
A sinner cannot die for another sinner to save him from his sin, because when he dies, he can only pay the price of one – his own sin:
Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
Psalms 49:7-9
So if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then Jesus died for his own sins, and can be nobody’s Saviour. But 1 Timothy tells us:
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16
Vindicated by the Spirit. His resurrection was His vindication. God raising Him from the dead was God’s stamp of approval on His life. He had not died for His own sins. He had not become a partaker of the sins of the world. He had simply been a sin-bearer, without becoming a sinner. Thus, God raised Him up, vindicating Him as sinless, and His death as a successful atonement. We need not wonder if the death of Christ succeeded in providing redemption: the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead says it all.
3) It proves that we have a trustworthy Bible
If Jesus had not risen from the dead, we would have very little reason to place our trust in the Bible as the Word of God, because the Bible centres around Jesus Christ. It sets the stage for Him, points to Him, predicts His coming, records His coming, and the rest of the Bible is made up of writers speaking of Him as the Lord, as God, as the One we are to believe and receive and love and serve. Now if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the whole thing falls to pieces:
And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty.
1 Corinthians 15:14
Why should I trust the Bible for anything regarding my future, if the One it pointed toward died like any other man? What is remarkable about that? Most importantly, Jesus predicted His death and resurrection and this prediction is recorded in the Word of God numerous times. Now if He got it wrong about that, why should I trust Him on anything else? Why should I entrust my soul to Him, if He made such a large claim and then could not fulfil it? That would mean the Bible is full of lies.
Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up; if in fact the dead do not rise.
1 Corinthians 15:15
But the reverse is equally true. If He did indeed rise from the dead, then the Word of God is true. If He predicted His resurrection, and was right about that, then it is reasonable to assume He was right about everything else He said. And He explicitly said:
“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
Matthew 5:18
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
Matthew 24:35
If Jesus rose from the dead, I can stake my life on the Bible. If the Christ’s resurrection is a historical fact, all arguments about the Bible’s accuracy or truthfulness can be laid to rest.
4) It proves that the new birth is a reality
Only life can beget life. Something dead cannot create something living. When we speak about being born again, we are speaking about new life – eternal life entering a person. It means the old is passed away, all things are become new, a person is made into a new creation. Well, where would this new life come from if in fact Jesus died and did not rise? There could be no salvation. In fact, Peter links these two facts quite clearly:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
1 Peter 1:3
Notice, we have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. When we talk about someone being born again, we are talking about a reality as real as the physical birth of a living creature. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then it is all in our heads. It is only as real as ‘turning over a new leaf’, ‘making a fresh start in life’ or ‘setting new goals and reaching for them.’
These are purely mental events, purely philosophical turns in the road. Nothing concrete actually changes about that person. They are still fundamentally the same. And this is what being born again means of Jesus has not risen. There is no new life, there is no new ability to understand, there is no new principle within, it is all just imagined.
And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
1 Corinthians 15:17
But if Christ rose, then that same life becomes our life when we repent of sin and trust Him as Saviour. And the supernatural resurrection of Christ becomes the basis for our supernatural spiritual regeneration.
5) It gives us new ability to now live to righteousness
Those who try to break a habit, or simply live differently, soon find out how strong their flesh is. Just like water cannot rise higher than its own level, so the flesh cannot find a principle stronger than itself within itself. When the flesh is driving the desire to sin, unless you replace that desire with another desire, your flesh will always turn back to what it wants most. There is no power within to say no to sin and yes to righteousness. But the glad news is, the resurrection gives us the power to do just that!
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:1-13
You can say no to sin, because having been joined into the death of Christ, He has died to sin once for all. You can continue to work that out by not yielding to sin. You can say yes to righteousness, because you have been united with Christ’s resurrection, which is an eternal living unto righteousness. You can flesh that out by yielding to the Lordship of Christ. The very power of the resurrection lives within you now in the indwelling Holy Spirit.
As you yield to righteousness, His power energises your obedience. You have power to say no to sin and yes to God as you obey. That’s what Paul wanted to live in, when he said, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10).
6) It gives you a reason to live for God
If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (1 Corinthians 15:32). Paul makes this statement to the Corinthians who were doubting a literal resurrection. Here, Paul reasons, if there is no resurrection, why not adopt the sensual, careless attitude of the world? If life is short, have fun now, or as some believe, ‘Live life however you want to, because you only go around once.’ This makes sense if indeed this life on Earth is all there is. you only go around once, and your life is short.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
1 Corinthians 15:19
But the truth of the resurrection teaches that while you only live once on earth, after that you live forever, somewhere else. It teaches that while life may be short here, it will never end when you leave this life. And that puts this life into perspective. The truth of Christ’s resurrection says: ‘Don’t waste your life on foolishness, on money.’ Jesus taught this:
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”‘ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:16-21
Elsewhere, Jesus said: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26). And similarly, Solomon warned: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9).
A life without Christ’s resurrection says, ‘Live how you please. Since there is no life after this one, live according to your own rules, your own wisdom. There will be no judgement. Have as much fun as you like, because this life is all you’ve got.’ That leads us to the seventh thing the resurrection of Christ teaches.
7) It proves the certainty of a future life after death
Paul tells us that if Christ is not risen, “Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (1 Corinthians 15:18). Those believers who have died are completely gone if Christ has not risen, he says. But if He is risen, then there truly is life after death, just as there will be a literal resurrection of our bodies in the future. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
I cannot imagine the hopelessness of trusting a mere man, dead and buried for my salvation. How do I know such a dead man’s teachings were right? I cannot ask him now, when it really counts – when he has died and entered the next life. But in Jesus Christ, that is possible – because He died, and rose. As Peter asked of Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). That leads us to the final point.
8) Christ’s resurrection proves the certainty of future judgement
When preaching in Athens, Paul said the following: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).
Paul says God has given assurance to the world that He will judge all people by the Man He has chosen. And He has proved this by raising Him from the dead. How?
Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
John 5:25-29
Notice – the dead shall be raised to receive judgement, by the One who was first raised from the dead. God thus signified – I am going to raise everyone from the dead, to face judgement before me. No one will escape judgement.
When we consider all these reasons, the resurrection is truly amazing. Take it away, and Jesus cannot be God; cannot be sinless; and so cannot be our Saviour. We then no longer have any reality behind the new birth; we have no real power over sin. There is no life after death, no judgment, and no real reason to live for God. In fact, the whole Bible is an untrustworthy book, we may as well stake our lives on something else.
On the other hand, if Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, then He is God, and must be obeyed. He is sinless, He is the Saviour, and the exclusive means of salvation. The new birth is a reality, and there is real power to say no to sin. There is life after death, there is a coming judgement, and there is every reason to live in light of this. The Bible is true in everything it says. In short – your hope is a living hope, based on a living Saviour. What a blessing that the tomb is empty in Jerusalem! Jesus Christ is risen indeed.