Death Could Not Hold Him
Jesus did not remain in the grave. If He had died and stayed dead, the Christian message would be empty:
"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless." — 1 Corinthians 15:17
But Scripture says:
"God raised Him up again." — Acts 2:24
Death could not hold Him. The resurrection showed that Jesus was not defeated. Death was conquered, and He is alive and reigns as Lord.
"Was delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was raised because of our justification." — Romans 4:25
His death dealt with our sins, and His resurrection showed that His saving work was victorious. Because Jesus rose, death no longer has the final word. Through His resurrection, God has given us:
"A living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." — 1 Peter 1:3
The resurrection is not only something we look back on. It changes the life of everyone who belongs to Christ.
Joined to His Death and Resurrection
Those who trust Jesus are not only forgiven; they are joined to Him. Faith in Jesus is not only believing that something happened long ago. Faith means trusting Christ and belonging to Him. This is why Scripture speaks of believers sharing in His death and resurrection:
"Our old self was crucified with Him." — Romans 6:6
"If we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him." — Romans 6:8
When we belong to Christ, His death becomes our death to sin, and His resurrection becomes our new life before God:
"Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." — Romans 6:11
Jesus did not die only to forgive our past. He rose to give us a new life — a life that loves God, turns away from sin, and follows Jesus. Paul summarized the Gospel this way:
"Christ died for our sins… He was raised on the third day." — 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
In Section 2, you can explore more fully how Jesus saves those who look to Him in faith, how His resurrection defeated death, and how those who belong to Him die and rise with Him into new life.
Continue reading: Section 2 — Why Did Jesus Die and Rise for Us? →