Several years ago, I participated in an apologetic discussion at RTS Washington that was held during Easter week. My responsibility was to address the issue of the truth of the resurrection. The audience consisted mostly of believers, some harboring private and not-so-private doubts, a few avowed atheists, and at least two curious Muslims. The conversation began as one might expect, with questions about the reliability of scripture, the plausibility of miracles, and the role of faith in how Christians approach such topics. However, it didn't take long for the discussion to move more broadly afield. What started off as a conversation about the truth of Christ’s resurrection developed into a conversation about the impact of the resurrection on the life of the church. Afterward, one of my Muslim friends who was there commented, "I truly had no idea how central the resurrection of Christ is to your beliefs. This is not a small thing, this is the whole thing!" He wasn't wrong. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a historical milestone of the Christian faith; it is the cornerstone of Christian theology with profound implications for how we live our daily lives as believers. As a result, the question of the resurrection extends beyond mere historical evidence—it shapes our understanding of God, the nature of faith, and our mission as followers of Christ. As Christians, our daily calling is deeply rooted in the reality that Christ lived, died, and rose again. In fact, Christian baptism The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a historical milestone of the Christian faith; it is the cornerstone of Christian theology with profound implications for how we live our daily lives as believers.
itself is described by the Apostle Paul as a public expression of our unity with Christ, both in his death and in his resurrection (Rom 6:1-14). The practical result for us is that our faith has rendered us citizens of Christ's resurrection people, spiritual participants in the new heavens and new earth that awaits us at Christ's return (2 Cor 5:17). Of all people on earth, Christians perhaps have a unique sense of internal tension within them. After all, every Christian has what the apostle Paul calls a "body of death" (Rom 7:25), yet every Christian is filled with the life-giving Spirit (John 6:63; Rom 8:2). Paul goes so far as to say that he himself is dead, and all that is left is the risen Christ who lives within him (Gal 2:20). What a strange calling we have to inhabit a world that is under the curse of sin with our eyes set forward on the time when our Creator will come again to re-create heaven and the earth, freeing them from the burden of sin and granting us imperishable bodies (1 Cor 15:35-59). Every day, we feel the effects of sin and death in the form of our temptations, frustrations, and fatigue. Still, we also know that we are breathing the fresh air of the new heavens and earth because of our union with the risen Christ, who sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. The death and resurrection of Christ had already become the primary event in redemptive history, the culmination of God's justice and grace, and the turning point for world history. There are no more formative events in the Christian life, and our life calling is an outworking of its implications.
1 Corinthians 15, cited above, is perhaps the earliest mention of Christ's resurrection in the New Testament. It is of apologetic interest that the truth of the resurrection was already received and confessed by the church in Corinth long before the first gospel was written. The passage shows us how the resurrection had already formed the outlook in the early church. The resurrection was more than a mighty act of God, more than a miracle meant to surprise and shock an audience. The death and resurrection of Christ had already become the primary event in redemptive history, the culmination of God's justice and grace, and the turning point for world history. There are no more formative events in the Christian life, and our life calling is an outworking of its implications.
