The Story of Easter: Christ’s Resurrection

Christ is the reason for the season as His birth is why we celebrate Christmas but He is also the reason for the season for the Easter holiday as the Resurrection of Christ is the most important event in human history. The reason why we celebrate the death of Christ is significant for all people and for different reasons: “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified” (John 12:23).

First and foremost, the Resurrection of Christ defeated the grave and conquered death by allowing for all who accepted Christ to possess eternal salvation and no, this salvation is not based on any set conditions other than accepting and believing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Christ’s resurrection put an end to the old covenant of the Old Testament regime and created a new covenant with Christ: “Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

The New Covenant is between man and God but what separates it from the Old Covenant is that we are no longer under the Mosaic Law and live under grace given to us by Christ. Although we are guilty, we do not have to feel guilty because Christ bared the price of death that we deserve. Matthew 15:17 tells us that Christ came to fulfill the Mosaic Law and to establish the New Covenant between God and His people: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

Second, Christ’s resurrection also validated Christ’s deity by proving that Christ is who He said He claimed to be. Christ is worthy of glorifying and honoring because of all the things He did while on Earth but also, because of His resurrection. If Christ was not the Messiah as He claimed, He would be no different than an ordinary man of morality but the resurrection separated Him from all others: ”Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

Third, while we live here below, we will be persecuted for our belief in Christ, we can rest in the assurance that we will live with Christ when our lives are over or, if Christ returns first, we will meet Him: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Matthew 5:10-12 tells us “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

As important as Christ’s crucifixion was, it would have meant nothing if the resurrection had not occurred. Because of the resurrection, we do not have to worry about our fate as long as we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. A relationship with Christ is the most important relationship anyone can have as this relationship saves us from eternal death and grants us eternal salvation with Christ regardless of how the world sees us which is the best gift any man can receive and the reason why we celebrate Easter

And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”

–John 12:23