1 Corinthians 15:3-4. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
Without the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have nothing. The cross of Christ and the empty tomb changed everything. The moment Jesus rose from the dead, the grip of sin, death, hell, and Satan was shattered forever. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus opened the eyes of the spiritually blind, set captives free, and led those trapped in the darkness of sin out of their prisons, just as Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 42:7).
This is why Paul reminded the Corinthian believers of the most essential truths—the death and resurrection of Christ. These are not optional beliefs or side issues; they are the heart and center of the gospel message. Without them, our faith is meaningless.
The resurrection of Christ was not a random event but a fulfillment of the promises foretold throughout Scripture. David, inspired by the Spirit of God, declared, “Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your holy one see decay” (Psalm 16:10).
Jesus Himself also foretold His own death and resurrection multiple times. In Luke 18:31-33, Jesus said,
“We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again.”
The empty tomb stands as undeniable evidence of His resurrection. After Jesus’ death, His followers took His body and laid it in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man who had offered his own tomb for Jesus’ burial (Matthew 27:57-61). This, too, was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death” (Isaiah 53:9).
The religious leaders feared that Jesus’ prediction of rising from the dead might come true. So, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate and asked for the tomb to be secured with a Roman seal and guarded by soldiers (Matthew 27:62-66). But no human effort could stop the power of God that raised Christ from the dead.
Many witnesses saw the risen Christ. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8,
“He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
When Paul wrote this letter, many of these eyewitnesses were still alive, and some of them, perhaps even the centurion and soldiers who had guarded the tomb, could still confirm what they had seen.
In addition to his dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, Paul had abundant evidence for the resurrection. That is why he boldly presented this truth to the Corinthians, saying,
“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised” (1 Corinthians 15:14-15).
Paul went on to explain the devastating consequences of denying the resurrection:
“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).
Without the resurrection, the gospel would be powerless, our faith would be meaningless, and there would be no hope beyond the grave.
But the resurrection did happen, and its power was displayed mightily throughout the early church. On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood before the crowd and proclaimed the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, saying,
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
The response was immediate and powerful. Scripture records,
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:41).
Baptism became the public sign of identification with the death and resurrection of Christ. If Jesus’ body had still been in the tomb, who would have believed Peter’s message? Yet the early believers were willing to stake their lives on the reality of the resurrection.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, His disciples continued to preach everywhere. Mark 16:19-20 tells us,
“After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”
The risen Christ worked with them, empowering their mission and confirming their message with miracles and wonders.
The power of the resurrected Lord remains the same today. He has commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations, to heal the sick, to restore wandering believers, and to lead this generation out of spiritual darkness into His marvelous light. Just as He did in the days of the Early Church, Jesus calls us to proclaim His resurrection to all nations.
Thus, let us enter fully into the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For us, every day is Resurrection Day. Every day is Easter Sunday.
Prayer. Lord Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. Help me to experience the power of Your resurrection in every circumstance. Give me the strength to live a single-minded life for You, a wholehearted life for the gospel, and to walk continually in faith as Your witness. Let me enjoy the blessing of Your presence throughout this day and every day. In Your mighty name, Amen.