One may believe that the man, Jesus, died on a cross. You may even accept that the intention of His death had something to do with saving you. But literally being raised from death? Not so much. The people living in Corinth had similar problems. They were Greeks. They had ten myths in their own culture about rising from the dead; but that didn’t mean they took them literally. They could accept a “spiritual” resurrection, which push-come-to-shove, is an imaginary resurrection; but Paul sets them straight:
If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:17
It’s that important. If Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, didn’t literally die and rise from the dead, then Christianity is just widespread moralism with some false hope of life after death. But Paul himself could speak to the veracity of Jesus’ resurrection. He wouldn’t have believed it either, but he saw it with his own eyes.
Jesus’ resurrection is not a swoon and get better story either. Several other people had been raised from the dead, according to the Bible. These were not Near Death Experiences. Especially in the case of Lazarus, these were dead and getting a little ripe experiences. But in all of these occurrences, these were people whose bodies had been fixed rather than resurrected.
Resurrection has a very specific meaning. One is only resurrected when you are brought back to life on this Earth with a radically altered body, an indestructible body. Jesus is described as the firstborn or the first fruits from among the dead. This indicates that there will be more to follow. God’s plan isn’t to just “save your soul”. His plan is to save you body and soul. Jesus’ resurrection is both prophecy and proof that this isn’t out of God’s reach. In fact, it has already begun.
Giving Christ 