A central doctrine of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the culmination of the plan of salvation that God created for humanity, something that theologian Prisca Lessa commented on the importance of this event as something that should be remembered not only during Easter.
In an article published by her on the 6th, Lessa listed several points on the theme of the resurrection, among which we will highlight three below, namely the neglect of teaching, the centrality of the Christian faith and the spiritual impact of Easter.
Negligence
For the theologian, “although in our days, we Christians have full conviction about the doctrine of resurrection, this doctrine has been quite neglected, both in teaching and in preaching.”
This is because, for Lessa, we have become accustomed to dealing with the resurrection in a punctual way, instead of emphasizing the theme as a permanent teaching in the churches. Thus, says the theologian, the subject “has become a doctrine that is increasingly distant from our reality; a fact that we believe in, but that we can hardly apply in our daily lives.”
centrality
The duty to teach the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not only during Easter, lies in the fact that this event is the central foundation of Christianity. This means that without him the Christian faith would be meaningless.
Lessa cites 1 Corinthians 15:17-20 to support her explanation. “[…] If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. What is more, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ is confined to this life only, we are the most unhappy of all men. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
The apostle Paul’s words, explains Lessa, “are set in a context where some of the Corinthians were questioning the doctrine of the resurrection.”
“Faced with such questions, Paul responded firmly, showing how the rejection of this important doctrine compromised all the hope of the gospel, not only in the present life, but also in the future”, says the theologian. “This doctrine fills absolutely every aspect of the Christian life, not just at Easter. “
spiritual meaning
Lessa, finally, says in his article in Let’s Return to the Gospel that the historical event of the resurrection produced the greatest impact of all for humanity, which is the victory over death, with Christ being the first to rise from the dead.
“If Christ had not been raised, then the resurrection of the dead would be nothing but a false promise; if Christ was not resurrected, neither will we be resurrected”, says the author.
“Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus, he is risen and this reality is a consolation for our souls, previously afflicted and enslaved by sin. Our debt was settled in him and by him. The resurrection is the public witness that Christ is King, but also that we have been forgiven, accepted and made alive in him. The resurrection testifies to the forgiveness of our sins and our acceptance before the Father,” he concludes.