Lots of people say Jesus was “wise” or “good” or someone to be admired and choose His sayings as “life quotes.”
Timothy Keller bluntly stated that Jesus is not significant if he did not keep his promise to conquer death: “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
What’s So Important about Christ’s Resurrection?
Many Christians highlight the crucifixion of Jesus as if it were with only event that was meaningful, and even more Christians glorify the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Yet, without the resurrection of Christ, we would have nothing to celebrate about the crucifixion or the birth of Christ. Another criminal disposed of, another child born, another prophet, another wise man—their lives impact only those they know. Only Christ’s resurrection affects all off human history. His resurrection and its effect is both profound and meaningful to the universe.
CS Lewis said of the impact of His resurrection, that Christ was the “pioneer of life.” That “He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so.” and “This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened. What the apostles thought they had seen was… the first movement of a great wheel beginning to turn in the direction opposite to that which all men hitherto had observed.”