April Showers and Questions about Easter

It is a rainy Saturday in the Ozarks of SWMO. Fortunately, the rains held off until last night's baseball game was completed and I was back home. With the light winds from the northwest and the back deck shielded from most of the rain, it made a wonderful sleeping area. Light steady rain, occasional rolling thunder, temps in the mid 60s (17c) -- yeah, I slept quite well!

I don't know if today's games (day/night double header) will be played or postponed, but I think I'll pass on the afternoon game. Cold and wet is no way to enjoy baseball.

There are things to do around the house on a rainy day, and I'll probably get some of them done. I'll also enjoy a movie on TV and do some reading. I haven't been very good at writing and posting this month, so it seems like a good day to do that, too. I was going to post some Passion Week thoughts on Thursday, but had other things to do that morning.

Questions I have about the death and resurrection:

Did Jesus die for our sins?
While this is the common belief of most Christians today, the idea of substitutional atonement is debated and nuanced among many different Christian faiths. 

Did Jesus live just to die for us?
Or did Jesus live to teach us how to live and die because he became human?
Was his death sacrificial or was it just another rebel of Rome being crucified?

One of the things that Jesus said from the cross was, "It is finished."
That was just before he died.

If all of what Jesus came to accomplish was finished on the cross, was the resurrection a necessary part of the Christian belief?
Is it necessary to believe in the resurrection of Jesus to be saved?
Is it necessary to believe in the resurrection of Jesus to be a follower of Jesus?

I know! I know!
It's this kind of heresy and questioning that has separated me from my former life as an evangelist, but apparently my faith is too weak to just accept things without having my questions addressed. I don't even need answers. Reasonable explanations will suffice. 

For what it's worth, I am a follower of Jesus.
After decades of trying to understand life from a human perspective, I am only now trying to learn about life from a spirit perspective.
There are many challenges in changing this perspective, but that's a post for another day.

John