Easter

What if Jesus was never raised from the dead? What if He was born of a virgin, had a ministry of teaching about the Kingdom of God with such authority to amaze the crowds, healed people of their diseases, calmed the storm, cast out demons, was betrayed and handed over for crucifixion to pay for our sins - everything the same, except no resurrection? What would be different about Christianity? Besides, isn't it His death that paid for our sin?

First, we would have no victory over death. Jesus defeated death not by dying on the cross, but by rising on the third day. If death held Jesus in its grip forever, then death would have more power than He does. We could not say that He has victory over death and offers us that same victory if He never went through death and ended up walking away from it.

Second, Jesus would not be able to ascend to the throne and reign forever if He never made it out of the grave. He would not be preparing a place for us, because He wouldn't be there to prepare it, and we wouldn't be joining Him there, anyway.

Third, if Jesus was not raised from the dead, then we would have no hope of being raised from the dead, too. He says that He is the resurrection and the life, and that if we believe in Him, we will live even if we die. However, if He doesn't live after going through death, then what hope do we have? What good would it be if He paid for our sin, but never paved the way for resurrection so that we could enjoy the eternal benefits of having our sin forgiven?

Fourth, the resurrection of Christ is the confirmation that He is in fact fully divine. If the tomb could hold Him, then we would all naturally assume that He was just a man. But if He has more power than death, then we have all the evidence we need to conclude that He is none other than the Son of God, equal with God, of the same essence and substance as God, and yet a distinct person from the Father. The resurrection sets Jesus apart from Muhammed and Buddha and the Dalai Lama.

The resurrection is essential to Christian doctrine. It's not just a happy ending to the sad story of His passion. Jesus is not the Messiah without the resurrection.

Happy Resurrection Day!