I Corinthians 15:3-8a (NLT)
What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter) and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time… Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also…
Our faith hinges on the reality of the resurrection. Without it, there would be no validation of Jesus’ divinity. He would have been just another prophet—His words just another point of view and our faith just one more of many faiths. We would have no assurance of life after death or the possibility of forgiveness of sins. Apart from self-determination there would be no empowerment to live a truly tansformed life. If Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless (I Cor. 14:17-18). Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we have access to a very real spiritual dimension that can bring us freedom from sin. Think deeply on this truth, and realize its implications for your life.