We rejoice in Christβs resurrection and the life we have in Him. However, it is troubling to find that there are teachings out there that say that all you need to believe to be saved is that Christ died for your sins. Some say that faith in Christβs resurrection isnβt necessary to be saved because our salvation is based solely on Christβs payment for our sins at the Cross, and theyβll intentionally leave out the Resurrection. However, this is not Pauline. The gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24)Β includesΒ the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul stresses in his letters the importance of believing that Christ is risen from the dead. Note the following verses:
βAnd therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnessβ¦But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him thatΒ raised up Jesus our Lord from the deadβ (Rom. 4:22,24).
βThat if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart thatΒ God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be savedβ (Rom. 10:9).
βFor I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; AndΒ that He was buried,Β and that He rose again the third dayΒ according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3,4).
Unbelievers must trust that Christ is risen in order to be saved, so believers need to stress Christβs deathΒ andΒ resurrection when they share the gospel of grace. When Paul writes about our spiritual baptism with Christ, we are not only identified with His death, but also His burialΒ and resurrectionΒ (Rom. 6:3,4). According to Colossians 2:10, we βare complete in Him,β because we have been identified with Christβs death, burial,Β and resurrectionΒ (Col. 2:11,12) the moment weΒ believedΒ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Christ died for our sins andβ¦ He rose again the third day. Donβt leave out the resurrection! Itβs crucial to our faith and salvation. We have Godβs Word on it. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:17, βIf Christ be not raised, your faith is vain [empty]; ye are yet in your sins.β But because βChrist is risen from the dead,β those βin Christ shall all be made aliveβ (1 Cor. 15:20,22). That should cause us to want to shout for joy! source
[β¦] He had come to die for the sins of the world and would not now turn away from the sufferings involved. But this hour of suffering and shame was also an hour of glory, for there the Son of God paid a debt which would have sunk a world to hell. This is why, at this same time, in the very shadow of the cross, He said: [β¦]