3. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4. and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
17. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18. Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (1Cor15:3-4, 17-18)
On the cross Jesus said ,”it is finished“, meaning all that God had purposed fulfill through the death of Christ on the had been accomplished! Through the Cross sin was dealt with, satan was judged, redemption , forgiveness, reconciliation and justification were provided, victory overall was achieved! Death was dealt a death blow and life and immortality was brought to light, all the promises of God were made yes and Amen and so on …. God accomplished all things through the death of His Son on the Cross and when Christ was dying He declared, “it is finished”!
But the scripture says in 1Cor15:17-18 that if Christ who died on the Cross had not risen , then, our faith is futile; we are still in our sins!
Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. Meaning that the Resurrection of Christ was very important because without it the Cross is nullified! The Resurrection validates the Cross.
Thats why the message which the Early church apostles preached was the Resurrection!
Satan was the first to fight the Resurrection for after the death of Christ and burial , the pharisees put soldiers at the tomb so that no one takes Christ’s body from the grave and say that He had risen, because He had promised to rise before His death. Now when Christ rose and the soldiers testified to the pharisees that Christ had risen, the pharisees gave money to them to tell the govt authorities that his disciples had stolen Him away while they slept!!!
When the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples , they began to go everywhere proclaiming that Christ had risen and God confirmed their preaching with signs and wonders and granted repentance to those who believed!
The Gospel we preach is this : Christ died on the Cross and on the third day He rose from the dead, He is alive and He live in me and you. Amen.
