The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

I would now like to share with you the heart of the Christian faith: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the Orthodox Church, the Resurrection is the greatest feast of the year and the foundation of everything we believe.

Christ truly rose from the dead. On the third day after His crucifixion, the tomb was found empty. The angel told the women: “He is not here; for He has risen, as He said” (Matthew 28:6). The Apostles were witnesses to this, and they proclaimed it boldly: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses” (Acts 2:32).

Without the Resurrection, our faith is empty. Saint Paul wrote: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). The Resurrection proves that Jesus is truly the Son of God, that His death defeated sin, and that His life is stronger than death.

The Resurrection gives us new life. Through baptism, we share in Christ’s Resurrection. Paul teaches: “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead ... we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). This means the Resurrection is not only about the future, but already changes how we live today.

The Resurrection is the promise of our own rising. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Just as Christ rose, we too will rise at the last day. Paul tells us: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

The Resurrection is victory over death. In Christ, death is no longer the end, but the doorway to eternal life. Paul triumphantly declares: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54–55).

The Resurrection is our hope and joy. Because of Christ’s Resurrection, we do not grieve like those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14). We know that one day we will be with Him forever in His Kingdom, where sorrow and death will be no more (Revelation 21:4).

The Resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. It is the victory of Christ, the source of our new life now, and the promise of eternal life to come.

With love in Christ,
Fr. Charles

Next Letter: The Holy Spirit