A quick thought: If the Resurrection is real, then “Jesus lives” is a political statement.

William Stringfellow once wrote this: “The essential and consistent task of Christians is to expose the transience of death’s power in the world.” Indeed, the power of death is far-reaching in the kingdoms of the world, for it is from death and the fear of death that the State ultimately derives its influence. Governments are founded on violence, which has as its ultimate manifestation death itself. To deny the power of death (as Jesus did!) is to challenge, in effect, the underlying principle of the State. Thus, to say that Jesus lives is to make a statement with drastic real-world political ramifications.

If death is the final expression of violence and destruction, resurrection surely is the final expression of non-violence and transformation. Thus, the basis of Christian ethics (nonviolence/transformation/overcoming-evil-with-good) is contained in the narrative of Jesus himself, rather than in any set of abstract philosophical-ethical propositions.

Related: Creeds and Ethics – Towards a Narrative Christology