“God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:32)
Easter Sunday is the one day of the year that memorializes the resurrection of Jesus. But it isn’t the kind of day that just comes and goes. In fact, if you’re a Christian, you can and should celebrate Easter every day of the year.
Jesus’ resurrection is important for three reasons. First – and I believe most importantly – His resurrection is absolutely necessary for salvation. The Apostle Paul said at Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” We must believe in our hearts that God, and God alone raised Jesus from the dead on that first Easter Sunday. Paul doesn’t mince any words here. If you don’t believe it, then you’re not saved.
But there’s something else that is important about Jesus’ resurrection. It’s important for our faith. In fact, it is one of the cornerstones on which our whole faith rests. Think about how the Apostle Paul characterized it in a letter he once wrote to the Church at Corinth: “If Christ is not risen,” he said, “your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians 15:17) Just a few words later, Paul put that doubt into perspective: “Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” (1 Corinthians 15:18) Paul’s point here is pretty clear. Jesus’ resurrection must be true for us to have any hope for eternal life.
Finally, the resurrection of Jesus is important for us if we are to ever have any sense of victory over Satan. I once wrote in another devotion that Jesus went to hell and back for us. In fact, Revelation 1:18 records that that Jesus snatched the keys to hell from Satan. The victory that Christ won for us assures us that death, the ultimate goal of the devil, is not final.
Jesus’ resurrection is fundamental for our salvation, our faith, and any victory that we ever hope to have over Satan. But why is our own resurrection so important? The Bible promises that we can look forward to the day when we, too, because of the finished work of Christ, will rise out of our graves and enjoy the victory that Jesus won for us. That spiritual truth is played out in the life of Job, who experienced some of the worst trials that life could bring and proclaimed: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27)
Job’s hope found its way in the chorus of a very famous hymn, one of my favorites.
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see.
When I look upon His face, the one who saved me by His grace.
When He takes me by the hand and leads me through the Promised Land.
What a day, glorious day that will be!
One day, life will come full circle. In the beginning, it was perfect – so perfect that God took a day off to enjoy it. But Satan ruined all that and brought sin into the world. However, God didn’t give up on us. He gave us His son, who died for our sins and was raised three days later so that we might have life through Him. In the end, life will again be perfect. Indeed, what a glorious day that will be!
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