The Resurrection

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture because it illustrates the distinction between Christianity and other religions. The cross is essential to orthodoxy, but the resurrection is our hope. It is the reason we can glory in the cross. The resurrection is the final answer to all of the schemes of Satan. The resurrection is the substance of our faith and the subject of our preaching because it is the final victory of the cross of Good Friday.