Raised

1 Corinthians 15:17 (NASB)

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

The essence of Christianity is the resurrection of the dead and forgiveness of sins for those of us who believe. Had there been no resurrection, the entire Christian faith would be just another hoax and worthless. The fact that Christ was raised from the dead by God's sovereign power is the bedrock of the Christian religion and faith. All of Christ's miracles and the holy, sinless life would have been in vain had God the Father not raised His only Son from the grave. Had Christ not been raised by God's omnipotence, He would have been just another dead prophet who did good things and lived a good life but just ended up dead like all the other historical teachers. It is hard for believers to believe the gospel and resurrection narratives when we have not lived in biblical times. It may even be harder for us to think that a dead man walked out of the grave. This is precisely why God gave us one indisputable deposit guaranteeing our salvation and resurrection, the blessed Holy Spirit in us.