Contents
First Principles
Missions
by
in light of the
Matthew Barrett
Resurrection of Christ
W
ould missions change if the resurrection of Christ never happened? Would how we share the gospel with an unbeliever look any different if the resurrection of Christ never took place? I fear that many Christians share the gospel in such a way that it would not make a difference whether or not Christ rose from the dead. Worse still, many Christians are uncertain how the resurrection of Christ actually makes a difference in our salvation and in our witness to a lost world. For the apostle Paul, however, the resurrection was absolutely central to both our salvation and our witness to unbelievers. Notice what Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, says are the consequences if Christ has not been raised: our preaching is in vain, our faith is futile, we are still in our sins, we are misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead, those who have died as believers have perished, and we are pathetic, to be pitied for believing and placing all our hope in a lie. In short, we have no message of salvation to offer to unbelievers dead in their trespasses and sins. Consider briefly how the resurrection impacts our salvation. First, if Christ has not risen from the dead then there is no hope that unbelievers will be born again. According to Peter, God has “caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3; cf. Eph 2:5-6; Col 3:1). The
same God who raised Christ from the grave has also raised us from spiritual death to spiritual life. Second, our justification is grounded in Christ’s resurrection. Christ paid the penalty for our sin on the cross and therefore the Father found him not guilty but righteous in his sight, a declaration that applies to us when we trust in Christ for salvation. As Wayne Grudem explains, Christ’s resurrection was the final verification that he had earned our justification. Therefore, Paul can say Jesus was “delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Rom 5:25; cf. Phil 2:8-9). Third, Paul is clear that the reason we can “walk in newness of life” is because Christ was raised from the dead (Rom 6:4). And not only our sanctification, but our future, bodily resurrection is grounded in Christ’s resurrection. Christ is the firstfruits so that at his second coming those who belong to Christ will rise (1 Cor 15:20; 6:14). In the early church, confessing the resurrection of Christ for many was a death sentence. Christians were persecuted and martyred because they believed Jesus to be the risen King of kings and Lord of lords. How might our testimony to a lost world look different if the resurrection of Christ became central in our Christian testimony? www.credomag.com | 65