In just a few short weeks, people around the world, certainly not everyone, will pause to celebrate Easter. On April 17th, 2022, Christians will celebrate the most important day in human history, the Lord’s Day of redemption. Two thousand years ago, witnesses watched as Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, was taken prisoner by the Romans, crucified, pronounced dead, and buried. Three days later, witnesses found an empty tomb! His shed blood had paid the sin debt for all of humanity, and the empty tomb testified He had conquered the curse of death. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the real reason for celebrating Easter.
This event is, inescapably, tied to a Holy God who loved the world (You and me) so much that He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sin. Whoever believes in Him is promised everlasting life (John 3:16 ). Of course, He died for all, but this is personal. Christ hung on a cross, shed His blood, and died for you. On the third day, He was raised from the dead as a testimony that He defeated sin and death. On the third day, the empty tomb testified He defeated sin and death.
You might ask, why did He need to die for me? The Bible says everyone has sinned against a Holy God. (Romans 3:23). All have disobeyed Him. Later, God’s Word indicates, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). So, the answer is that Jesus died to pay your sin debt in order that you might have eternal life with Him.
In Genesis 3, we learn Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They disobeyed God even though they knew the consequence for eating the fruit would mean a death sentence. Satan convinced Adam and Eve to disobey God’s command, and they ate the forbidden fruit. Death contaminated the world by this one act, and all Creation was disrupted. (Romans 8:21-23)
The truth is God knew you before the foundation of the earth. Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, He knew everything about you. Before He breathed the breath of life into you, He had plans and a purpose for you. He planned that we would enjoy eternal life with Him. That was His plan until sin entered the world through disobedience.
So, before you (the world) could enjoy abundant life with Him, something had to be done about the death sentence that came as a penalty for sin. God, through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ solved our sin problem. We can celebrate deliverance from our alienation from God because the death and resurrection of Jesus restore our relationship with the Father (Romans 4:25). Those who believe what God has said and done for them are guaranteed eternal life with Him. How about you? Will this Truth be a reason for you to celebrate Easter this year?