The Theological Significance of the Resurrection
The indication, vindication, and validation of Jesus
It's that time of year again. Easter approaches, and Christians around the world prepare to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But as we dust off our Easter decorations and plan our family gatherings, a question lingers beneath our celebrations: How important is the resurrection, really? Is it simply one more doctrine in a long list of Christian beliefs? Is it merely a metaphor for spiritual renewal? Or does it stand as something more—something foundational to our entire faith?
Two Contrasting Views
The late Marcus Borg, a prominent liberal theologian and leader of the Jesus Seminar, wrote:
"As a child, I took it for granted that Easter meant that Jesus literally rose from the dead. I now see Easter very differently. For me, it is irrelevant whether or not the tomb was empty. Whether Easter involved something remarkable happening to the physical body of Jesus is irrelevant."
Borg's perspective represents a view increasingly common in certain theological circles, namely that the physical resurrection is symbolic story, falsely distinguishing between spiritual truth and historical fact.
Compare this with the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:14-19:
"And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 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, if so be that the dead rise not. 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. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
Paul doesn't mince words. For him, the resurrection isn't peripheral. It's pivotal. It isn't decorative. It's decisive. Far from being "irrelevant," Paul considers the bodily resurrection of Jesus to be the linchpin of the entire Christian faith. Without it, our faith collapses.
So which is it? A dispensable symbol or an indispensable reality? What makes the resurrection of Christ a foundational theological truth?
Christ's Resurrection Indicates Who He Was
Throughout his ministry, Jesus made extraordinary claims about himself. Main of these claims, in their first-century Jewish context, amounted to assertions of divinity. When he declared "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58), his audience immediately reached for stones to execute him for blasphemy. When he claimed, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30), they attempted the same. His claim to be able to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-7) was understood by the religious authorities as "speaking blasphemies" because "Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
These claims were either true, delusions of grandeur, or calculated deceptions. C.S. Lewis famously articulated this "trilemma" in Mere Christianity:
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse."
How do we determine which option is correct? Paul provides the answer in Romans 1:4, writing that Jesus was "declared to be the Son of God with power...by the resurrection from the dead."
The resurrection serves as divine indication of who Jesus was. Anyone can claim divinity, but only God could conquer death.
When Jesus was executed as a blasphemer and buried in a borrowed tomb, it appeared his claims had been decisively refuted. His disciples scattered, their hopes shattered. But when Jesus rose, demonstrating authority over death itself, he provided the ultimate authentication of his identity. The resurrection isn't just evidence that Jesus was who he claimed to be—it's God's definitive verdict.
Christ's Resurrection Vindicates What He Did For Us
Paul makes a startling claim in 1 Corinthians 15:17: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." But why would this be the case? Didn't Jesus pay for our sins on the cross?
The cross and resurrection function as two inseparable parts of a single redemptive act. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins and their penalty; in the resurrection, God declared the sacrifice accepted and the debt paid. As theologian Daniel Wallace explains:
"Forgiveness was costly (the cross), but because of the resurrection, there should not be lingering guilt for sin. If God slew his own Son and kept him in the grave, every time we sinned the guilt would be too much! We'd say, 'It's because of sins like this that Jesus is no longer with us!' But the empty tomb means that they're forgotten and forgiven!"
The resurrection is God's "Amen!" to Jesus' declaration "It is finished." Without the resurrection, we would have no assurance that Christ's sacrifice had been sufficient, that God had accepted the payment, that our debt had been canceled.
Paul develops this further in Romans 5:9-10:
"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."
Notice the logic: if Christ's death accomplished our reconciliation with God, "much more" does his resurrection life secure our salvation. The resurrection isn't an epilogue to the atonement—it's the fulfillment of it.
Christ's Resurrection Validates What He Promises to Do
The resurrection of Jesus doesn't merely vindicate his claims about himself. It authenticates his promises about us. Because Jesus conquered death, we can trust his assurances about eternal life.
When Jesus promised, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28), his resurrection provides the credentials for this audacious guarantee. A dead savior cannot save, but a risen Lord has demonstrated his power over our greatest enemy.
The resurrection also anchors our hope for personal transformation. Paul writes that believers are "united with him in a resurrection like his" (Romans 6:5) and that Christ's resurrection power works in us to create "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we struggle against sin, doubt our capacity for change, or despair of becoming the people God calls us to be, the resurrection reminds us that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us (Ephesians 1:19-20).
Finally, Christ's resurrection guarantees cosmic renewal. His resurrection isn't just a private miracle but the "firstfruits" (1 Corinthians 15:20) of a coming harvest. It is the beginning of God's project to restore all creation. The God who raised Jesus promises to "make all things new" (Revelation 21:5), to wipe away every tear, and to abolish death forever. In a world groaning under the weight of suffering, injustice, and decay, the resurrection assures us that these conditions are temporary. The final word belongs to life, not death; to restoration, not destruction.
Living in Light of the Resurrection
If the resurrection is indeed the foundation of our faith, how should it shape our daily lives? How do we "return to the resurrection" not just annually on Easter but moment by moment?
First, the resurrection gives us unshakable hope in a world of uncertainty. When anxiety, loss, or catastrophe threaten to overwhelm us, we have an anchor that holds—a Savior who has defeated death itself. As Augustine wrote, "We are Easter people, and Alleluia is our song."
Second, the resurrection provides assurance of forgiveness when we fall. Because the risen Christ lives to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:25), we need not carry the burden of guilt or shame. We can bring our failures to the One whose resurrection proclaims "Paid in full" over our sins—past, present, and future.
Third, the resurrection empowers transformation in our character. We are not merely forgiven and then left to struggle against sin through willpower alone. Rather, "the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you" (Romans 8:11). The resurrection isn't just something we believe in—it's a power that works within us.
Fourth, the resurrection gives purpose to our suffering. When we endure hardship, rejection, or pain for Christ's sake, we participate in the pattern of his life—a path that leads through death to resurrection. As Paul writes, we share in "the fellowship of his sufferings" so that we may also know "the power of his resurrection" (Philippians 3:10).
Finally, the resurrection reorients our priorities. If Christ is risen and we will one day be raised with him, then our ultimate treasure lies not in what we can accumulate or achieve in this life but in the eternal kingdom he is preparing. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, "Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."
As we approach another Easter season, let us remember that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely a quaint religious observance or an annual ritual. It is the central fact of history, the foundation of our faith, and the wellspring of our hope.
When the Easter decorations are packed away and the holiday meals are forgotten, may we continue to return to the resurrection—not just with our minds but with our lives. Every fear we face, every sin we struggle against, every pain we endure, and every good work we undertake can draw us back to the empty tomb and to the living Lord who emerged from it.
For the resurrection of Jesus is not just about what happened to him two thousand years ago. It's about what happens to us, now and forever. As he declared to Martha beside her brother's grave, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die" (John 11:25-26).
This is our faith. This is our hope. This is our future.
And so we ask ourselves: Is the resurrection merely a date on the liturgical calendar, or is it the reality that defines our existence? Is it a story we tell once a year, or is it the power that shapes our every day?
May we live as those who know the answer.