This is one of the questions the pithy answer often does not satisfy: Death solved the problem of our sin, and Jesus’ resurrection solved the problem of our death so that we might enjoy unbroken, holy friendship with God and each other. Therefore, I provided a video deep dive that shares the answer that satisfies me.
What follows is a synopsis of what I share in the video.
The first step in understanding resurrection and death is recognizing that Jesus reveals God's will for us to become fully human, perfected in the good God desires.
Jesus reveals that holy friendship with God and all creatures constitutes the fullness of our humanity.
The problem is that we don't currently bear the authentic humanity revealed by Jesus, which impedes our holy friendship with God and each other.
In his first letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul describes examples of how our communion with God and each other is impeded, indicating a problem with God's plan for us.
Like the people of Corinth, we cannot live in proper relation with each other or God and need to be rescued by God.
The story of our life with God is positive. Still, it includes a salvific aspect: we must be delivered from the obstacle to our unbroken communion with God.
The focus should be on what happened in history: Resurrection.
The question is not why Jesus died but why he was resurrected. Resurrection is God's answer to the problem of death.
Jesus died because he was fully human, and humans die. Resurrection is the whole point. Resurrection is how God chose to solve the death problem, but it is only a partial solution.
Sin is turning away from our Creator, rejecting holy friendship with God and each other, and debasing ourselves.
Our minds are divided, driven by lust for power and material things, and attacked by deceptive and evil forces.
We are created in the image of God to create the good, but sin causes us to destroy the good.
Death is God's judgment on our sin: it renders us unworthy of unbroken life with God and each other.
Sometimes, we do create the good that God wills, but death destroys that good along with the evil we create.
Jesus's resurrection means he is alive in the present, and our resurrection has already begun.
The cross did not have the last word; resurrection is God's solution to sin and death, both here and now and after we die.
Jesus died to inaugurate our resurrection, which is God's solution to our death and sin.
Our resurrection is "now, but not yet," allowing God to heal our divided minds and receive peace, choosing holy friendship with God and each other in the present.
Campbell, Douglas A. Pauline Dogmatics: The Triumph of God’s Love. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2020.
Share this post