Why is the resurrection of Jesus so pivotal to the Christian faith?

1 Corinthians 15:12-20Tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

Jesus’ resurrection is pivotal for the Christian faith because it proves that what he said about himself and salvation is true. If Jesus were just a human being who lived an exemplary life, taught well, and had followers, then his death would have ended it, except for great memories. And because Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh, he would have been a liar or mentally challenged. He certainly could not have been our Savior. But as Paul declares, Christ has, in fact, been raised from the dead, so we can hope for this life and the next.

Romans 8:11The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we have new life through God’s Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14Now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

Because of the Resurrection, we have hope, knowing that we, too, will be raised to new life.

1 Peter 1:3-4All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

Because of the Resurrection, we know that our “priceless inheritance” is secure—eternal life with our Savior. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross accomplished God’s plan—our sins are forgiven and we will live forever with Jesus in heaven. Christianity, at its heart, is not just another moral or religious code but resurrection and new life.