The Significance of The Resurrection

In his great Epistle to the Romans, Paul introduces himself immediately as “a bondslave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,” to proclaim God’s good news about Christ.

Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” is essentially about the Lord Jesus Christ. He was always talking about Christ. His epistles are filled with Christ. Christ, in his message, was everything. This is in striking contrast to much of our modern preaching and evangelism, which is not Christ-centered, but man-centered. Sadly, today’s preaching most often concerns “what you can get from God” or “who you could be in your ministry in the church”

The gospel Paul proclaimed was God’s good news about Christ and His power and glory in defeating Satan, overcoming death, paying for sin and nailing the Law to His cross.

This is why the Apostle calls his message “the good news of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4). To enter experientially into the truth of this good news is the greatest blessing one can possibly experience.

In Verse 4 of his introduction to the Roman Epistle, the Apostle declares that Christ was powerfully declared to be the Son of God as confirmed by “by the (His) resurrection from the dead.” Christ was seen of over 500 people after His resurrection (1Cor 15:6). Christ's resurrection is the assurance of the believer's resurrection in the Rapture.

The resurrection of Christ had been both prophesied and proclaimed as a historical fact before Paul. But it was to Paul that God committed the special message of good news concerning the resurrection. In Paul’s God-given message, Christ was raised from the dead to demonstrate that as God the Son He had paid the full penalty for sins that would have sunk a world to hell. Thus the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, his son in the faith:

“Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David [this is how Christ had formerly been known] was raised from the dead according to my gospel, wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even unto bonds” (II Tim. 2:7-9).

Read the Epistles of Paul and see how salvation by grace through faith always hinges upon the finished work of Christ alone for our redemption. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”