In our society Christmas is a more significant celebration than Easter. With Christmas, stores close so that workers can celebrate with family and friends. For students, winter break is centered on Christmas. And then there is the tradition of gift-giving and the economic impact that comes with it, not so with Easter.
Yet I would argue that Easter is just as important, if not more important, than Christmas. Both are important. Christmas celebrates the amazing event when the Creator of the universe entered into His creation and became man. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, grew to manhood, and lived a sinless life. He did all of this to one day die on the cross to save us from our sins. As the famous Christmas carol says, “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see. Hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man with men to dwell. Jesus, our Immanuel.”
Yet with Easter, we celebrate the equally miraculous event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. After dying on the cross on Good Friday, Jesus Christ exited the tomb alive once again. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most significant truths of Christianity because the ramifications of the event are so great.
Let me give you three reasons why Jesus’s resurrection is so significant.
1. For one, Jesus’ resurrection shows that Jesus is who He says He is—the Son of God who is the Savior of the World. Romans 1:4 (ESV) says that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Jesus made many provocative claims about his identity and abilities. He claimed to be the Messiah (John 4:26), the Son of God (Matthew 16:16-17), and even God in the flesh (John 8:58). Jesus claimed to be able to forgive sins (Mark 2:10) and to be the only way to heaven (John 14:6). And Jesus claimed that failure to believe in Him would confirm our present sin-separation from God eternally (John 8:24).
For someone to make such claims—claims that only God can rightly make—and then be rewarded with resurrection speaks volumes. By raising Jesus from the dead, God the Father testified that Jesus really is the One He claims to be.
2. The resurrection of Jesus Christ also shows that God the Father accepted Jesus’ life as a sacrifice for our sins. First Corinthians 15:17 (ESV) says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; and you are still in your sins.” The implication is that, since Christ has been raised, our faith is not futile, and we are indeed forgiven of our sins.
Humanity’s most significant problem is sin. To sin is to offend the All-powerful, Holy Creator of the universe. Sin is rebellion against God. The consequences of sin are enormous. Not only is sin the source of humanity’s problems now, but sin alienates us from God (Isaiah 59:2) and earns punishment (Romans 6:23a). And if we continue in our sinful attitudes and ways, our sins will condemn us to hell.
Yet Jesus came down from heaven to remedy this horrible condition. He offered His life on the cross as a sacrifice, offered to God the Father, to save us from our sins. As Jesus said in Mark 10:45 (ESV), “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
By raising Jesus from the dead, God the Father showed that He accepts Jesus’ sacrifice for sins. And if Christ did rise, we have true forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
3. Lastly, the resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantees that we will also rise from the dead just like Jesus. Because Jesus conquered death, resurrection is promised to those who put their faith in Him. As Romans 8:11 (ESV) says, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
Before Jesus rose, death was an undefeated enemy. The grave swallowed up everyone and refused to let them go. But now that Jesus has defeated death for us, we too will share in that victory. In Christ, death no longer needs to terrify us. Jesus came to free us from the fear of death through the knowledge that we, too, will one day rise to eternal life (Hebrews 2:15).
Faithful Christians throughout the ages have been able to walk with a peace that has given them great confidence. Many Christians have confidently starred in the face of death and stood firm. Even when faced with the threat of lions or with being burned alive, they confidently held firm their commitment to Christ. This ability came from the fact that they possessed something that their opponents didn’t have—the promised resurrection that was secured for them by Jesus’ resurrection. Death is merely a speed bump that we must cross to enter eternal life.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is of supreme importance. Without it, the crucifixion of Jesus wouldn’t have the same meaning. The resurrection gives us invaluable hope!
1 Corinthians 15:20 (ESV)
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
