The words recorded in the Apostles’ Creed announce the most important event in human history: Jesus, the Messiah, has risen from the dead and is alive today. However, that was a long time ago and this is the 21st century. One might wonder why this has any significance to us today.
Paul answered this question in his letter to the Corinthians. He wrote that if we follow Jesus just because he was a good man and died for us, we are believing in vain. If we don’t believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, our faith is worthless (1 Corinthians 15:14). He goes on to explain that if Jesus was not raised from the dead, we are still in our sins and those who died believing in Christ have perished (1 Cor. 15:18). He also explains that if we believe in Christ in this life, we should be pitied above everyone (1 Cor. 15:19).
The resurrection of Christ is our bedrock of hope. Jesus rising from the dead signifies his victory over death and success in bearing our sins, putting them to death on the cross and validating our faith in him. In Christ, we are made alive and we know this because of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Sin and death are the enemies of mankind (1 Corinthians 15:26). The resurrection of Christ, therefore, is the validation of our faith, securing our position in the kingdom of God.
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