The Resurrection Is Important Because it Means You Aren't Stupid

Paul is unequivocal about why the resurrection is vital in the history of the universe. 1 Corinthians 15:14:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

I was at a party a few years ago and got into a conversation with a guy about the importance of religion. He was a nominal Episcopal (or, better said, "watered-down water") and while he wasn't an active participant in his faith--in fact, he didn't know if he believed in God anymore--he thought that religion was a good thing for the world. I listened to him wax theological/sociological for a while and then said, "Well, I think that it would be better if you became a porn star." After letting him sit bewildered (and kind of creeped out) for a while, I paraphrased for him 1 Cor. 15:14. I told him that you might as well live out your wildest, most Epicurean fantasies here on earth, because if Jesus isn't alive, then there is no reason to have faith in him. Who cares if religion is helpful? If there is no Jesus, there is no God, and then what does "helpful" mean anyway, I said? He showed up at church the next Sunday.

Paul's statement is powerful because it forces you to believe or not believe. The heresies today are much more destructive than the heresies in the early days of Christianity. Even if guys like Pelagius and Arius were completely off base and heretical, at least they were trying to make truth claims about Jesus. Today people marginalize him. They say, "He is a great guy and I dig some of his teachings, but I don't think he did miracles or rose from the dead." That sort of reasoning is so devoid of rationality that it is nearly impossible to interact with. C.S. Lewis called it "foolish." The truth claims of the Bible are so bold and obvious (really, prima facie) that one would have to tear huge sections from the scriptures to actually make Jesus just a good teacher (thanks Thomas Jefferson and Jesus Seminar). You must either believe or disbelieve. You must come up against the truth presented in the scriptures and either turn to Jesus or deny him altogether.

But if Jesus has been raised from the dead, and if we dedicate our lives to him, then we have eternal hope. If he has not been raised and we dedicate our lives to him, then we are all insanely stupid.