The resurrection is the most important belief for Christians.  This is because it proved that Jesus was who he said He was – God – and so that His open promise of Salvation (which was completely undeserved and incredible) was valid.  I the Bible, Jesus foretold his death and resurrection on many occasions, and then it happened.  This shows that Jesus was omniscient like God and had command of life and death, again like God.  If the resurrection hadn’t happened we would have no way to know that Jesus’ death was enough of a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world or that eternal life would be possible for a human being.  As St Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15 “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost…”  This shows that the only hope Christians have for eternal life in heaven depends on the resurrection and is the reason why most Christians will agree with this argument.

On the other hand, there are other important beliefs, such as those affirmed in the Nicene Creed.  For example, Christians believe in the Incarnation and that Jesus was both fully man and fully God. Unless Jesus was God incarnate His death would not have had the power to atone for the sins of the world, reverse the Fall and open the way to Paradise once more. Even if Jesus had been resurrected, without the incarnation this could have been a miracle in the same tradition as Elijah ascending directly into heaven.  Nevertheless, while it is true that the incarnation is an important belief, the incarnation was not really proven until the Resurrection.  There is little consistent evidence for the incarnation in the Gospels before the resurrection; without it Jesus could have been lying or mistaken when he said “the father and I are one” and similar things.  After all, Jesus also spoke to God as a separate person, such as in the Garden of Gethsemane, and God spoke to and of Jesus as a separate person, such as at the Baptism.  This suggests that Jesus was God’s son in the sense of being the Messiah, not necessarily God incarnate. 

In conclusion, the resurrection is the most important Christian belief.  This is because it demonstrates the truth and possibility of all other central Christian beliefs, ranging from the Incarnation and Nature of God through to Salvation and Eternal Life.