Christian Basics No 4: What about the Resurrection? (Paul Hardingham continues this year-long series on the very foundations of our Christian faith.) (Material taken from Parish Pump, web site for Church Magazines) ‘Easter is not primarily a comfort, but a challenge. Its message is either the supreme fact in history or else a gigantic hoax.’ (CS Lewis). As we celebrate another Easter, what is the significance of Jesus’ resurrection for us? As Paul writes, ‘if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins’. (1 Cor 15:17). What does the New Testament affirm about the resurrection? It affirms that Jesus’ death on the cross was not a defeat but a victory over sin, death and Satan, in which we share. ‘But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him’ (Acts 2:24). It points to our own bodily resurrection after death, ‘The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable’ (1 Cor 15: 42). It guarantees the forgiveness of our sins, ‘if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins’ (1 Cor 15:17). It ensures that we can know the reality of His risen life today, ‘just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life’ (Rom 6:4). The story is told of Russia under the Communist regime. A member of the Communist Party addressed a packed audience at length, seeking to discredit the resurrection of Christ. At the end an Orthodox priest rose and asked if he might reply. He was warned that he only had five minutes. ‘Five seconds is all I need!’ He turned to the audience and gave the traditional Easter greeting: ‘Christ is risen!’ Back with a deafening roar came the traditional reply: ‘He is risen indeed!’ 18
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