Easter is one of the most important celebrations in the Christian liturgical calendar, serving as the conclusion of the 40-day season of Lent. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the definitive turning point in the history of redemption, transforming the tragic, lasting consequences of the fall into a narrative of victory and restoration. This essential mystery serves to reveal God’s plan for all of humanity. This reflection explores why Christ’s resurrection was necessary for God’s restoration process of humanity and why his resurrection matters for Christians today.
The Problem Explained
In order to understand why Christ’s resurrection was necessary, we must understand the problem. According to The Heidelberg Catechism (Q&A 6) and The Belgic Confession (Art. 14), humanity was created with the specific purpose of knowing, loving, living with, praising, and glorifying the Creator. We were made in the image of God to reflect His divine glory with a perfectly created order. However, the Fall was a radical rebellion that corrupted this image and fractured the original harmony between God and humanity (Genesis 3). Sin was not merely a simple mistake, but a severe corruption of human nature itself. The Reformer Martin Luther once described this state as the loss of all inward and outward perfections, replaced by an inclination toward evil and a loathing of good works. In his Commentary on Genesis, specifically his treatment of the third chapter and the doctrine of original sin, he wrote:
It is not only the lack of a good quality in the will, nor merely the loss of man’s righteousness and ability. It is rather the loss of all his powers of body and soul, of his whole outward and inward perfections. In addition to this, it is his inclination to all that is evil, his aversion against that which is good, his antipathy against light and wisdom, his love for error and darkness, his flight from and his loathing of good works, and his seeking after that which is sinful… We are sinners because we are the sons of a sinner.
As descendants of the first parents, all of humanity inherited this broken order, as Luther notes. Reformed theology identifies this condition as total depravity. Such depravity could not be fixed because of the nature of sin, which was introduced in the Fall.
What Is the Impact of Original Sin?
Philosophical theologian John W. Cooper describes the impact of original sin as a “malicious program”—akin to a virus—that has infected the human “operating system.” Such infection leads humans to doubt, twist, reject, and disobey the Word of God. As The Belgic Confession (Art. 15) claims, such “hereditary depravity and corruption” were diffused through all parts of the human soul. The Holy Law could not fix original sin, only could help us understand the depth of sin and protect the covenant. The consequences of this ‘malicious program’ were absolute: a natural inclination toward evil, a systematic loathing of good work, a separation from God’s presence, and a total inability to cooperate in the salvation process or justify ourselves through works. Consequently, humanity suffered from its inability to recover by its own means.
On How Christ’s Resurrection Benefits Christians
The resurrection matters today because Jesus Christ acts as the only Mediator capable of bridging the infinite gap between the Creator and the creature. As the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15), Christ serves as the uncorrupted perfect image who repairs the corrupted image within us. Through His resurrection, Christ did not just offer a potential fix—He achieved a definitive triumph over the power of evil that had enslaved humanity since the Fall.
In this respect, the resurrection provides three takeaways for Christians today:
(i) The removal of the ‘malicious program’: Through the power of the resurrection, the Holy Spirit facilitates a new birth. This is the work of God alone that regenerates the human heart, moving us from a state of hiding in fear to a state of communion and reconciliation. See passages such as John 1:29, Titus 3:5, and 1 Cor. 15:21–22.
(ii) A new motivation for living: Because our redemption is a finished work of grace rather than a collaborative effort, our relationship with God is no longer based on the fear of failure. We no longer do good works to earn justification; instead, we do them as a response of gratitude for what Christ has already secured. See passages such as Rom. 6:4, Col. 3:1–4, and 1 Pet. 1:3–4.
(iii) Inclusion in the divine life: As Kathryn Tanner suggests, the resurrection is the key that introduces humanity into the very life of the Trinity. We are restored to our original purpose: to reflect God’s glory while participating in the Triune life. See passages such as Eph. 2:4–6, Rom. 6:4–5, 2 Pet. 1:4, and John 14:19–20/17:22–23.
Conclusion
The resurrection of Christ matters today because it provides the only effective solution to our inherited brokenness. It validates that the debt of sin is paid and the power of evil is overcome. Redemption is not a goal we are striving to reach, but an objective reality we already possess in the Risen Christ. Today, we do not just celebrate an empty tomb— we celebrate a restored humanity that is once again free to know, love, and glorify God. Christ has risen… He has risen, indeed!
(by Isaias D’Oleo Ochoa, Doctor of Philosophy Student)
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*All references to The Belgic Confession are taken from the English version approved by Synod 2011 of the Christian Reformed Church.
*All references to The Heidelberg Catechism are taken from the English version approved by Synod 2011 of the Christian Reformed Church.
*Luther’s quotation is taken from Martin Luther, Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 1–5. Ed. by Jaroslav Pelikan. Trans. by George V. Schick. Vol. 1 of Luther’s Works. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1958, 165–66.
*Cooper’s quote is taken from John W. Cooper, “Nature and Culture Against Scripture: Why We Don’t Like to Read the Bible,” The Calvin Forum 19 (2), 2012: 5.
*For a detailed discussion about Christ and the Trinity, see Kathryn Tanner, Christ the Key, Current Issues in Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010).