Special Witnesses of the Resurrected Savior

This semester I'm taking a religion class online, so from time to time I'll post about a gospel topic we're studying. 

This week I chose to study Special Witnesses of the Resurrected Savior. There are many examples and stories in the scriptures of when the resurrected Christ appeared to people who became witnesses of him. In Acts 26:12-18 Christ appears to Saul, to make Saul a minister and witness of Him. Moroni also saw Christ and became a witness of Him (Ether 12:39). Another example is in D&C 76:22-24, when Christ appears to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. In all three of these examples Christ spoke to them, and they saw him face-to-face.

Before Christ's Ascension, he promised His followers that they would receive power through the Holy Ghost, and that they would be witnesses of Him. We, too, are given the power of the Holy Ghost and should be witnesses of Christ. We can be witnesses of Him in many ways, even in just the way we live our lives. Our actions should reflect our belief in the Savior, and in our Father in Heaven; in our service to others, our interactions with those around us. The Savior called apostles to be witnesses of Him, and there are prophets and apostles today called, ordained, and divinely appointed. They are given the power of the Holy Ghost to testify of Christ and as members of His church, we should do our best to testify of Him as well.

One thing that I hadn't really thought of before is why the resurrection was (and is today) so central to the teachings of the apostles, or witnesses of the Savior. If Christ had not been resurrected, then he could not have been the Savior and nothing he taught could have been true. Essentially, those witnesses would have been bearing false witness. What the apostles taught after His death and resurrection was based on if He was what he claimed to be, and if what he said was true. If it wasn't for His resurrection, their (and our) faith would be for nothing. He taught a gospel of salvation. He suffered for our sins so that the gospel could be fulfilled, and we could all be saved. He died and was resurrected so that after we die, we too can be resurrected. Because of what He did for us, we will be held accountable at the last day.