I Corinthians 15:13-22 (NIV) (focus v. 20) But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…
The Resurrection validates Christ’s identity. It was God’s giant exclamation point to the whole world that Jesus was, indeed, the Son of God. Jesus does have power to take away sins. Every aspect of our faith in Jesus is rooted, connected, catalyzed, and proved through the events we remember during Easter. The Resurrection proves that there is life after death and that Jesus was, in fact, who He said He was. It validates the supernatural character and deity of Jesus; and it validates all the “I AM” statements that He made about Himself. It also gives us a new portrait of Jesus: from the “Suffering Savior” to the “Risen Lord” (Revelation 1:12). When you meditate on this new portrait of Jesus, you begin to understand why death fled from Him at Lazarus’ tomb, why sickness was healed when the woman touched His robe, why children adored Him, why common folks were drawn to Him, why fishermen left everything to follow Him, and why on Easter Sunday Christians throughout the world awaken to a worldwide celebration. He is risen, indeed!