The Cross and The Resurrection . . .
These are the two great pillars which our Christian faith is built upon. This is the very essence of the Gospel – and gospel simply means “good news.” In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, the apostle Paul gives us a brief and powerful summary of the gospel: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein I stand. By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto, unless ye believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the Gospel.
On March 31, Christians all around the world will celebrate the truth that we serve and worship a living Savior. While we celebrate the empty tomb, we must never lose sight of what happened on that Friday, the crucifixion of Jesus. There on the cross, Jesus, the sinless and perfect Son of God, took upon Himself the sins of the world for all people and for all time and paid that sin debt in full with His precious blood.
The burial of Christ confirms His death, because only dead people are buried. His burial is also a picture from the Old Testament (Leviticus 14:49-53, 16:6-10) that our sins have been taken away and our forgiveness is through Him His resurrection authenticates that He was and is the Son of God who came to be the Savior of the world (Romans 1:4). By His resurrection, He has forever conquered the power of the grave and utterly destroyed death (Revelation 1:18 and I Corinthians 15:55-57).
Just think about the impact of the Gospel: Our sin debt has been paid, we are cleansed of our sin, forgiveness is readily available, and death holds no power over us. Jesus said (John 14:19), “Because I live, ye shall live also.” Wow! Hallelujah! What a Savior!
I am praying that you have a blessed Easter and worship our wonderful Savior and King, not just on Easter alone, but every day.
Bro. Wendell
1 Corinthians 15:1-4