3.4.11.1 The significance of Jesus Christ's resurrection for salvation

The resurrection of Jesus testifies of the power of God over death. This power is intrinsic to the being of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, promises of the Old Testament were fulfilled (Luke 24: 46; Hosea 6: 2) as were the predictions made by the Son of God Himself (Mark 9: 30-31; 10: 34).

Without belief in His resurrection, faith in Jesus Christ is meaningless: "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty" (1 Corinthians 15: 14). It is only through the resurrection of Christ that the believer has a justified hope for eternal life, because the resurrection has made it possible to undo death and the resulting separation between mankind and God which was caused by Adam's fall into sin (1 Corinthians 15: 21-22).

Profession of Jesus as the Christ and belief in His resurrection are of fundamental importance for the deliverance of mankind (1 Peter 1: 3-12). This belief in the resurrection of Christ, the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep", constitutes the foundation for the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the transformation of the living at His return: "... and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15: 52).