Christ's resurrection is so powerful and it does so many things for us who believe. Sadly, many Christians fail to see the power that the resurrection brings and thus live a defeated Christian life. We have to live in the power of the risen Christ!
The Bible tells us that our relationship with Christ has power, but many don't experience it. 2 Timothy 3:5 tells us that some have "a form of godliness but denying its power." Such people deceive themselves, thinking that they're in Christ, but in fact they're not.
1 John 3:8-9 tells us that "He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."
Simply put, if we are in Christ, we will truly see the power of Christ working in us: a power to say "no" to sin and "yes" to godliness (see Titus 2:11-12). This is His resurrection power at work.
So what does the resurrection of Christ do for us and to us? Here are but a few.
1) It gives us proof that we have a living hope
Our faith hangs on the resurrection of Christ. We can't be Christian unless we believe in the risen Lord Jesus. He is the God who died and rose from the grave, the God who did not struggle with living again. While other religions have so-called "gods" that appear wise, mighty and strong, only Christ is the one who defeated sin and death.
The Bible tells us that death can only come to those under the effects of sin. Christ lived a sinless life, and so the grave could not hold Him down. He simply went out of the grave, just like that.
1 Corinthians 15:17-19 tells us,
"And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable."
2) It assures us of freedom from sin
The same passage above tells us that if Christ is not risen, then those who believe in Him are freed from sin. But since He is alive, we are forgiven and freed from it.
3) It assures us of a victorious life
Christ's resurrection assures us of a victorious, abundant life. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 tells us,
"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."
What kind of life is that? It's a life that's far better than the life we used to live:
"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:4-11)
