This is the subject which the apostles kept preaching.  They were so impressed by what they had witnessed.  They could not restrain themselves.  Furthermore Paul says that without this article of faith your Christianity is useless.  And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.  (1 Corinthians 15:14) And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! (1 Corinthians 15:17).

We need to be sure what we are meant to understand by the resurrection of our Lord.  It is represented as the bodily coming to life after death of Christ, in history.  The seeing and feeling of nail prints in the hands of the risen Lord was about something bodily.  The many witnesses of 1 Corinthians 15 assume a real historical event.  This is no mere continuing spiritual influence such as is preached by some.  Nor was there the appearance of a ghost or the experience of hysteria as others suppose.

Does this matter? It does.  The doctrine which might create in us an uncertainty is actually intended to give to us CERTAINTY.  Sometimes Christians argue that the evidence for the resurrection proves that Jesus must be divine.  That is not the explicit emphasis of the Bible.  It is not a bad conclusion to draw, but the Biblical writers spell out a different series of conclusions.  They say this event in history makes us CERTAIN of:

1.  Our RIGHT-STANDING with God

Romans 4:25: who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised because of our justification.  We understand that Jesus died for our sins that we might be forgiven, but what has the raising of Jesus to do with our justification - our right-standing with God? Well, it is like this.  Jesus died to suffer the punishment of men across the ages.  What a lot of punishment there must be.  How long will it take to bear it? What if He were still dead and being punished? Perhaps my sin has not been dealt with yet.  But, no! He is risen.  He is no longer being punished.  The punishment is finished.  So I can be certain of my right-standing with God.

2.  Our RESURRECTION on the last day.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22: But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.  Jesus has pioneered the way which will be followed by every one who believes in Him.  If He has been raised from the dead, then you will be raised too.  Jesus had a spiritual body whatever that may mean, and so will we have.  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.  (1 Corinthians 15:44)

3.  Our RE-CREATION today (or regeneration)

Ephesians 2:4-6: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  Our resurrection is in a glorious future, but there is a foretaste today, a sort of down payment.  When we become Christians we a spiritually raised from the dead.  We have to wait for the bodily resurrection, but we do not have to wait to sit in heavenly places.  Are you sitting in heavenly places? This is not asked to make you feel guilty.  This is the promise of the Bible to you.  The same power of God which raised Christ is powerful in the life of believers.