Vindicated!

However, in interpreting the cross and resurrection for the church, it is important to understand that the resurrection from the dead did not cancel out the crucifixion; it vindicated the crucifixion. The resurrection enabled the first disciples to understand what the death had accomplished, and the preaching of the cross by Paul is grounded in that new and revelatory connection.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 493 (emphasis original)