Easter may be technically over for this year, but we should never get over Easter. As believers, we view this special day as a time to celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead. But if we resign the resurrection to something we acknowledge only once a year, we run the risk of missing out on hope and truth that can guide us every day of our lives.
So, why should we think about the resurrection all year long?
OUR HOPE OF SALVATION
First, we need to examine why the resurrection is so important. Why is it not enough to say we believe a man named Jesus of Nazareth came, lived a superb life, said some amazing things, and even had what many believed were divine abilities? Why is that not Christianity?
Mental assent to the existence of a good man named Jesus is not enough because one must believe in His death, burial, and resurrection to be saved. The resurrection of Jesus completes the work of atonement. If Jesus had only died, He would have been one of many men and women who have died for a cause. I am grateful anytime a human being pays the ultimate price and dies for someone else—be that on a battlefield, in civil service, or even to save their own child. It is a supreme act of love. But if Jesus’ story ends with death, then He is not the Son of God.
OUR FUTURE RESURRECTION
Another reason His resurrection is essential is that it is the basis for our future resurrection. Scripture teaches not only about the full, bodily resurrection of Jesus, but it also teaches that, because of the bodily resurrection of Jesus, all believers will one day experience the reunification of body and spirit when Christ returns.
Acknowledging these truths matters. We will not be recreated into angelic beings or reincarnated into some other being. We will be resurrected - fully known as we were known, fully flesh and bone, and fully free from the curse of sin, disease, and death. But the only hope of having life after death is found in placing our hope in a God who has life after death. If He had not kicked down the door of death, then we would not have a pathway to walk through into eternity. But because Jesus walked out of His grave, we don't have to live in fear of our own.
The Apostle Paul penned some pretty strong, even taunting words for death concerning the return of Christ and our future resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:54-56: "When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." The victory over sin and death is His! Our victory in Him is sure.
OUR COMFORT IN SEPARATION
These truths speak hope into the pain of burying someone we love. We, like the rest of the world, experience great sorrow in these losses. God has given us the ability for great love, and because death is an irreversible separation, we grieve as we long to have our lost loved ones with us. But our hope as Christians is that when someone we love dies in Christ, our separation - while it can be sudden and feel severe - is only temporary. We hurt with the hope that the moment our loved one passes, they are in the presence of Jesus. And the same bodily resurrection He experienced is promised for us and those who have died before us. One day, we will see our risen and victorious King, and we will see our loved ones again. We are able to hurt with hope because of the resurrection of Christ.
OUR PEACE IN AFFLICTION
Finally, His resurrection not only points us to a future hope, but it also meets us where we are today. Things will go wrong in our lives. We will experience issues like fender benders, messed up spreadsheets, and stomach viruses. We will face circumstances like bills we cannot pay and headlines that keep getting worse. When we feel anxious, impatient, or even find ourselves acting selfish and sinful in the midst of these difficulties, we can stop and remember that this is not all there is. We are not home yet, and we have a guarantee in Christ that there will be a day when we will never know pain and sorrow or suffering again.
When we remember that day, it will cause us to make different decisions today. We can choose to live like Paul calls us to in 1 Corinthians 15:58, "... steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." Let's hold fast to the hope we have, live from the hope we have, and share the hope we have - not just once a year but every day of our lives.