Growing up in the Bible Belt, Easter has always been a special day. The majority of children wake up excitedly to hunt for eggs, marvel at the mounds of chocolates and candies in an Easter basket, and look sharp in a new outfit to wear to church. However to some people this is all Easter is. It would be remiss of me to not explain the true meaning of Easter in order to give you an opportunity to celebrate Resurrection Sunday or at a minimum give you a solid understanding of the day.
The Bad News
Nobody wants to hear bad news; however, it is the key to understanding the good news later. The bad news is that sin separates us from our Creator. Romans 3:10 states, “There is none righteous, not even one.” In case you aren’t sure if this applies to you, a little further it says in verse 23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Therefore, everyone on this earth in the past, present, and future are sinners separated from God. Unfortunately, it is impossible to be good enough to be in the presence of a holy God. “The wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). Fortunately, that is not the end of the verse nor the whole story.
Jesus’ Life & Death
Even though people are sinners, God devised a plan of salvation. He sent His Son, Jesus, to be born. He was 100% human and 100% God. This is important because it is His deity that allows Him to be sinless and holy. Jesus came to live the perfect life that only He could lead to show us how to live and teach us. As part of God’s plan, Jesus allowed Himself to be beaten, mocked, and nailed to a cross for crimes He did not commit. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished,” and gave up His spirit. Furthermore, you can read about His cruel death in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and/or John 18-19.
After His death, His followers cared for His body and laid Him in a tomb. They sealed the opening and placed armed guards around it because the officials were worried that Jesus’ followers would steal the body. Jesus had openly talked about His resurrection, and although they did not believe that Jesus would rise from the dead, the officials were concerned with the appearance of a “stolen” body.
The Good News
On the third day after Jesus’ death, He did rise just as He promised. An angel rolled away the tomb despite the constant watch of the soldiers. The tomb was empty and Jesus was alive! This act signals that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for sin. He satisfied God’s wrath against sin. And the best part for us is that He made a way for us to be made right with God by putting our faith and trust in what He did on the cross. His perfect life qualifies us to be saved. In fact, He clothes us in His righteousness. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 3:23). Thankfully, this is how the whole verse reads.
Easter is a celebration of His resurrection. Jesus lives and reigns. Christians celebrate our freedom from sin and eternal death. Ephesians 2:4 explains, “But God, being rich and mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace we have been saved), and raised us up with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” This is the Good News. This is the true meaning of Easter.
If you have any questions or want to know more about how you can be saved by grace, please don’t hesitate to contact anyone at Mike Goins Real Estate. We would love to talk more about Jesus and how you can know Him more. On Sunday, April 4th, we all wish you a “Happy Resurrection Day! Happy Easter!”