MT2M
23-Apr-11
What do you think of when you think of Easter? It may rouse various thoughts or feelings in different people. But for Christians, to say that Easter is very significant would be an understatement. Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death. Hence, the title of this article – if you sound it out, it sounds like “empty tomb”.
The distinct claims of Christianity – that Jesus lived a physical life, died a real death and actually came back to life – have profound implications for believers. When God came to Earth and took up a human form (Jesus), He didn’t just do it for fun. He wanted us to know that He understands all the pains of life – having family issues, losing loved ones, being misunderstood by others, deserted by friends, tempted by evil and suffering to death. But He also lived a morally perfect life which is impossible for any of us to do.
To experience human life means to experience human death. Christians believe that Jesus’ cruel death by crucifixion was His payment for all their sins and moral failings which separate us from a Holy God. And by believing in this substitution, all of God’s just judgment against their sin was placed on Christ during His suffering and death. Christians believe that instead of God’s wrath, there is now God’s total forgiveness and peace in its place. Some of Jesus’ last words from the cross were “It is finished” (Jn 19.30) – punishment was fulfilled for believers. This is what is celebrated on Good Friday.
And just as Jesus predicted, on the third day after His death (the first Easter Sunday), He was resurrected to life. This demonstrated His power over mankind’s greatest fear – death. As Christians trust in Christ’s sacrifice, He says they will have eternal life, both spiritual and physical. The Christian’s spiritual life with God begins at the point of belief, while physical life is interrupted by death, but only temporarily. The Christian’s physical resurrection takes place when Jesus returns during an event called the rapture at a time unknown to us. It follows that the same power and authority Jesus exercised over His own death, He applies to those who believe that He’s able to use it for them.
So when Christians celebrate Easter, it’s not just that Jesus defeated His own death, but that He defeated it for all who trust in Him. These are some pretty weighty claims, but don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself in the Bible such as in the Gospel book of John. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11.25-26).
The distinct claims of Christianity – that Jesus lived a physical life, died a real death and actually came back to life – have profound implications for believers. When God came to Earth and took up a human form (Jesus), He didn’t just do it for fun. He wanted us to know that He understands all the pains of life – having family issues, losing loved ones, being misunderstood by others, deserted by friends, tempted by evil and suffering to death. But He also lived a morally perfect life which is impossible for any of us to do.
To experience human life means to experience human death. Christians believe that Jesus’ cruel death by crucifixion was His payment for all their sins and moral failings which separate us from a Holy God. And by believing in this substitution, all of God’s just judgment against their sin was placed on Christ during His suffering and death. Christians believe that instead of God’s wrath, there is now God’s total forgiveness and peace in its place. Some of Jesus’ last words from the cross were “It is finished” (Jn 19.30) – punishment was fulfilled for believers. This is what is celebrated on Good Friday.
And just as Jesus predicted, on the third day after His death (the first Easter Sunday), He was resurrected to life. This demonstrated His power over mankind’s greatest fear – death. As Christians trust in Christ’s sacrifice, He says they will have eternal life, both spiritual and physical. The Christian’s spiritual life with God begins at the point of belief, while physical life is interrupted by death, but only temporarily. The Christian’s physical resurrection takes place when Jesus returns during an event called the rapture at a time unknown to us. It follows that the same power and authority Jesus exercised over His own death, He applies to those who believe that He’s able to use it for them.
So when Christians celebrate Easter, it’s not just that Jesus defeated His own death, but that He defeated it for all who trust in Him. These are some pretty weighty claims, but don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself in the Bible such as in the Gospel book of John. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11.25-26).
And He (Jesus) said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders,
the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life - Lk 9.22
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. - Mt 28.5-6
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter),
and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. - 1 Cor 15.3-6
the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life - Lk 9.22
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. - Mt 28.5-6
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter),
and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. - 1 Cor 15.3-6