So, why is the bodily resurrection of Christ so important? Why can’t we just believe that Jesus only rose spiritually, as so many skeptical modern scholars believe?

In the first place, Jesus’ physical resurrection proves the truth of what the prophets and apostles said about Christ. The Old Testament pointed forward to a Savior who would be sacrificed to pay the sins of all His people, but also to a Messiah Who would rule and reign over David’s kingdom, indeed over the whole world forever. Because Jesus walked out of that tomb, He proved that He is the One the prophets said would come. Moreover, because all of the apostles preached that Christ is risen, His resurrection proves that they are truthful witnesses to everything He did and said. Without the resurrection of Christ, as Paul says in verse 14, the preaching of the whole Bible is in vain.

But perhaps even more seriously, it is only the Resurrection of Christ that makes the salvation He offers available to those who trust in Him. For if He did not rise from the dead, then He was not, in fact, Who He claimed to be – the Son of God, the Savior of the world. A dead man can’t redeem anyone else from their sins. If Jesus were still in the tomb, as Paul says in verse 17, our faith is futile and we are all still in our sins.

But the bodily resurrection of Christ also matters because of the wonderful things it proves will happen in the future. As Paul says in verse 20, because Christ rose from the dead, we can be certain that all who trust in Him will also rise from our graves one day – He is only the firstfruits of all those who have died. This is why Christians have historically practiced burial and not cremation – it is a testimony to the living that the bodies of the dead will live again when Christ comes in glory.

But most importantly, it is the resurrection of Christ that proves He will finally undo the curse that Adam’s sin brought on the whole world. Because Adam broke fellowship with God, he and all his descendants were cut off from the only source of their life. But all who are trusting in Christ as Savior and bowing the knee to Him as Lord are now part of Christ, and in Him we shall all be made alive. Christ’s resurrection thus proves that He has conquered not only death, but the sin that brought it into this world.

So, regardless of what may make sense to our reason, or our experience, the fact is the Christ is risen. That means the Bible is true. That means He has conquered sin and death for all who will trust in Him. And that means we can look forward to life with Him forever. Isn’t that reason for rejoicing today?

I Corinthians 15:12-28 (ESV)

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.