µTheology: The Resurrection

(µTheology = micro-theology, meaning small theology for you Arts and Humanities majors.)

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Over on the Biologos forum, someone posted:

I would like to ask, why is it fundamental for a Christian to believe in the resurrection of Christ? And can one be a Christian without this belief?

Of course, really smart theologians have written magnificent tomes on this subject. But the forum platform demands a µresponse. So I wrote this:

I’ll give my opinions: 

Q:  [W]hy is it fundamental for a Christian to believe in the resurrection of Christ? 

A:  It is fundamental because it is the ultimate demonstration that Christ’s finished work defeated death. An empty tomb would have been insufficient. The women who first went to the tomb simply thought the body had been moved. That is what everyone would have presumed. 

Q:  And can one be a Christian without this belief? 

A:  No.