I Corinthians 15:16-19
“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep, in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life, only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the keystone of the Christian faith. Christianity stands or falls at this point. In other words, Christianity is ultimately based not only on ethical and religious teachings (as are other world religions), but on an historical event! The foundation of our faith is not just what Jesus taught, but what He did in history to back up His claims. You see, any self-styled religious leader can proclaim certain ethical and noble teachings, and may even dare to say, “I am the good shepherd.” Some would go even further and say, “I lay down my life for my sheep,” and then actually die for some “good cause.” But who can continue these statements as Jesus did (see John 10:14-18 and claim a physical resurrection? “I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” What a claim! The ethical teachings of Jesus are inseparable from His claims about Himself and His power over death. If Jesus Christ did not rise bodily from the dead, then He was a deceiver (not even a good man), and Christianity is a fraud and a farce; Christians are just playing around at religious games! One might wonder why this happened on the Sabbath. What is the significance of this being done on the Sabbath? It is the Sabbath that commemorates God as Creator. This same God rested on the seventh day of creation. This is Jesus Christ—the Word of God!
If Christ is not risen, our faith is worthless and we are still in our sins. Not only is our faith without foundation (v14), it is useless! What good is it? Does it give us salvation? No way! Not if the One who claimed He could take away our sins is still in a Jerusalem tomb. If payment for wrongdoing is not made, there can be no forgiving and forgetting of sins in a moral universe. If the One in whom we placed our faith as Savior never really triumphed over death, what proof do we have that the debt for our sins has been paid? Without the resurrection, the death penalty for our sins remains (see Romans 6:23). We are still held liable for our wrongdoings. We are still in our sins–guilty! If there is no resurrection, there is no redemption and no reconciliation with God.
