Christ's resurrection is the central foundation of the Gospel—the power that declares Him the Son of God and the basis of all Christian hope and salvation.
Les Feldick teaches that the resurrection is not just a miracle of returning to life; it is the very heart of Christianity. It proves Christ's victory over sin, death, Satan, and hell, and it is the power by which believers are saved and will one day be raised to eternal life. Without the resurrection, salvation and the Christian faith would collapse.
1 Corinthians 15:20 — The key resurrection passage Les teaches from in these clips.
Romans 1:4 — Shows the resurrection declares Christ as the Son of God with power.
Romans 1:4 states that Jesus Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." This verse directly ties the resurrection to Christ's identity and divine power. 1 Corinthians 15:20 speaks of Christ as the "firstfruits of them that slept," indicating that His resurrection is the guarantee and beginning of the resurrection of all believers. Paul, as Les points out, makes it clear from this chapter that resurrection is the central theme of the gospel. Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins," revealing that the same power of resurrection that raised Christ is applied to believers in salvation.
Les Feldick teaches that the resurrection is what makes Christianity unique. No other religion on the planet has resurrection as the very basis of its beliefs. He stresses that the word resurrection does not refer to someone who has died and been brought back to life, such as the widow's son or Lazarus—those people later died again. Resurrection means rising into an eternal life in which death never occurs again, and Christ was the first to experience it. Les emphasizes that the resurrection stands at the heart of the gospel. He says that our gospel is not based on Christ's earthly ministry, miracles, signs, or healings, but on the fact that He died, paid the sin debt, defeated death and hell and Satan, and rose victoriously from the dead. Because He arose, His life can be our life. He also makes a strong connection between resurrection and salvation. If someone can believe in Christ's death but has a problem with His resurrection, Les says they have a problem getting into glory—because all of salvation rests on the fact that God raised Him from the dead. The resurrection is the epitome, the high point of everything God has accomplished, and if there is no resurrection, everything falls apart.
Les Feldick makes a clear distinction between resurrection and simply being brought back to life. He points to the widow's son and Lazarus in Christ's earthly ministry: they were raised from the dead but eventually died again. Biblical resurrection, by contrast, is rising to a life that never ends. Christ was the first to experience this kind of resurrection—He rose never to die again. This distinction is crucial to understanding the unique hope of Christianity.
Les teaches that the resurrection stands at the heart of the gospel. He has encountered people who believe in Christ's death but struggle with His resurrection, and he says that if you haven't got the power of the resurrection as the basis of your salvation, you have none. He puts it plainly: unless you can believe the resurrection, you have no salvation and you will have a problem getting into glory.
Because Christ rose from the dead, believers have the hope of resurrection power. Les explains that this power first works in salvation—just as Ephesians 2:1 says, God quickens those who are dead in trespasses and sins. This same power will also raise believers to a new, eternal life. Christ's victory over death assures believers that their resurrection will be final, and they can look forward to being caught up to meet the Lord rather than worrying about the cemetery.
Les Feldick says that if there is no resurrection, everything else falls apart—it disappears like a cloud on a hot summer day. He calls the resurrection the epitome, the high point of everything that God has accomplished. Without it, the Christian faith loses its foundation and its hope.
Christ’s resurrection demonstrates that He rose from the dead with power and victory. It is part of the finished work of the cross that must be believed: Christ died for sin, His blood was shed so that believers could be declared as though they had never sinned, and He rose victorious from death. This resurrection is significant because faith in that completed work brings more than improvement during one’s earthly lifetime. Those who believe are justified by His blood and saved from wrath through Him, not because of anything they have done. God guarantees eternal life to those who believe. That life is not limited to the years a person has in this world, but continues forever and ever in God’s presence. The resurrection therefore stands with Christ’s death and shed blood as essential to the believer’s assurance. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission, but through Christ’s finished work, including His resurrection in power and victory, a person can be regarded in God’s eyes as having never sinned and can look forward to eternal life.
Christ’s resurrection is essential because without it, faith would be empty and people would remain in their sins. If Christ had stayed in the tomb, there would be no basis for hope, salvation, or eternal life. Those who had believed the gospel and had died would also be doomed, because eternal life cannot exist apart from resurrection power. The resurrection confirms that Christ truly died. He took on human flesh, shed His blood, and was buried for three days and three nights as proof that His death was real. He was not merely unconscious or somehow revived; He was literally and physically dead. God then raised Him from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures. This resurrection is part of the threefold gospel and is connected with receiving God’s grace and mercy through simple faith. It also answers the attitude that life ends completely at death and that people should simply live for physical pleasure. Hope in Christ cannot be limited to this present life. If it were only for this life, believers would be most miserable. The resurrection therefore establishes the reality of eternal life and gives believers a hope that extends beyond death.
Christ the Firstfruits: Resurrection Explained Verse by Verse
Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
Resurrection Is Unique to Christianity
Les explains that no other religion has resurrection as the basis of its beliefs, and that resurrection is not the same as being brought back to life—it is the hope of eternal existence.
Resurrection Declares Christ the Son of God
Les says the power of God that raised Christ from the dead declares Him to be the only begotten Son of God, and that the resurrection stands at the heart of the gospel.
Resurrection Power Brings Salvation
Les connects the resurrection to salvation, quoting Romans 1:4 and referencing Ephesians 2:1 to show that believers are made alive by resurrection power.
Salvation and Hope Rest on the Resurrection
Les states that believers are saved by Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and that because He arose, His life can be our life.
Resurrection Is the Foundation of Our Gospel
Les explains that resurrection was not part of the Kingdom Gospel but is the very foundation of where believers are today, and that without believing the resurrection there is no salvation.
Without Resurrection Everything Falls Apart
Les emphasizes that resurrection is the high point of God's work, and if there is no resurrection, everything else falls apart.
Resurrection Is the Bulwark of Our Faith
Les describes the resurrection as the bulwark of our faith, showing Christ's victory over sin, death, Satan, and hell, and His ability to impart the blessed hope of resurrection to believers.
1 Corinthians 15:20: But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Christ's resurrection is the firstfruits—the guarantee of resurrection for all believers.
Romans 1:4: And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
The resurrection declares Christ's divine sonship and power.
Ephesians 2:1: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
The same resurrection power that raised Christ makes believers alive from spiritual death.
No. Les says that if you have a problem with the resurrection, you have a problem getting into glory, because all of salvation rests on God raising Christ from the dead. Unless you can believe the resurrection, you have no salvation.
According to Les, Christ arose victoriously over sin, death, Satan, and hell. This victory allows Him to impart to believers the blessed hope of resurrection and eternal life.
People like Lazarus and the widow's son were brought back to life but later died again. Resurrection is rising to eternal life in which death never occurs again. Christ was the first to experience this kind of resurrection, and it is the hope of every believer.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "Justified by Faith" Really Mean? Romans 5