Was the resurrection of Jesus necessary for salvation?

The resurrection of Jesus is the most iconic event that separates Christianity from every other religion or belief. It also shows the central figure of the religion as having decidedly human characteristics and suffering death, something no other deity experiences. The resurrection was used by Peter as the final proof that Jesus was the Son of God and this is seen in his sermon in Jerusalem in Acts 2. Here he claimed that Jesus was accredited by God to the Israelites and that it was also God’s purpose that Jesus be put to death so that all who believe would be justified and receive the Holy Spirit. This is repeated numerous times, as in Acts 4:12 and Acts 13:39. Paul later addressed this independently in Rom 4:29, 5:9-10.

But most pointedly, it is also restated in Rom 10:9, where Paul straightforwardly identifies that this resurrection is the focal point that the believers must accept to be saved:’ If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’ There was no other way that someone could be reanimated without the intervention of God in any of his three persons that make up his Triune nature. In order for Jesus to have the complete validation and credibility as the Son, he was brought back to life by God, as a means of exhibiting God’s glory as well as showing the transformed, glorified person of Christ Jesus. This change is also set for our bodies when we are resurrected as well, whether through our physical death or eschatologically. There are many verses that address this change, 1 Cor 15:49, 15:52, and 1 John 3:2 to name only a few. These verses all show what God intends of us when we are received in Heaven.

In order to further reinforce the uniqueness of Jesus, the resurrection also served as notice of the humanness of Jesus. Showing his humanity also projected God’s plan to show us what his plan was for us after we die and are glorified in heaven. Jesus’ resurrection directly shows the type of relationship that Jesus has with God and by extension what relationship we will have with God as well. This can be seen in Rev 3:21, ‘The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne.’ This also put Jesus up as the ideal human and model that everyone should strive to imitate.

The resurrection also provides the symbolic representation of the changed nature of our old selves and the rebirth of our new selves (2 Cor 5:17), perhaps even the symbolic representation of the death of the old covenant and the birth of the new covenant. Most importantly, the resurrection showed that Jesus had the power over death and sin. This established his claim to being the Messiah and it also showed that God’s messianic power working in him and through him. This power snatched Jesus from death and the victory of Satan was nullified. Satan’s tools of death and sin were rendered impotent and through the resurrected Jesus, Satan’s power over believers will also be terminated. This is seen in 1 Cor 6:14, ‘By his power God raised the Lord from the dead and he will raise us also.’ which specifically identifies that it is God’s divine power that did so but also points to the fact that his divine power will also raise us up as well.