Easter is
the great day on the Christian calendar.
Yet, for many professing Christians, it will come and go, having had no
more impact than any of our secular holidays.
Whether or
not you grasp the meaning of Easter is the test of whether or not you are
really a Christian. The reality of
Easter is what makes Christianity more than a religion. If the Easter story is a myth, Christianity
has no merit.
The Apostle
Paul addressed this when he wrote his first letter to the church in Corinth: “Now
if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, ‘There
is no resurrection of the dead’? But if there is no resurrection of the
dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then
our preaching is without foundation, and so is your faith. In addition, we
are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have
testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if
in fact the dead are not raised. For if
the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith
is worthless; you are still in your sins. Therefore those who have fallen
asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have placed our hope in Christ
for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
“But now
Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have
fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection
of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also
in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ,
the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, the people of Christ. Then comes the
end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He
abolishes all rule and all authority and power. For He must
reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to
be abolished is death. For He has put everything under His feet.” (1
Corinthians 15:12-27, HCSB)
To be a Christian is not to just
intellectually “believe” the historical facts about Jesus; that He was born of
a virgin, died on a cross and was raised from the dead. It is to know
that He died for you, that He was really dead, and that He was raised from the
dead. It is to be absolutely convinced
of these truths. It is to have been
arrested by the Holy Spirit, convicted of your own depravity – you innate
attitude of selfishness and rebellion – to have seen yourself separated from
God, lost and without hope. It is to
have been drawn by the Holy Spirit to Christ.
It is to have turned in repentance from sin to Him as your only Hope. It is to have submitted to Him as your
personal Lord and Savior. It is to live
in obedience to Him, acknowledging Him as your Master. It is to have Him living in you. It is to be able to say with Paul, “I have
been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in
me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of
God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians
2:19-20)
James Stuart
Stewart (1896-1990) was a gifted Scottish preacher who taught New Testament
Language, Literature and Theology at the University of Edinburgh (New College). During World War I, he served with the Royal
Engineers on the battlefields of France.
He knew from experience that God has not promised safety from the hard
realities of life, but victory. He knew
that victories are won on dangerous battlefields. He understood that God seldom takes us out of
the storm, but that He is with us in the storm.
He knew that apart from the reality of Easter, the storms will overwhelm
us.
As a young
pastor, I read something which he wrote that burned itself into my memory. Every time I think of our Lord’s
resurrection, every time I approach Easter, I remember his words:
“This
broken, warring world is living on the wrong side of Easter Day. That is the
basic fact, and the source of all our troubles. We are back where the disciples
were, between Good Friday and the Resurrection. Like them, we are groping in
the dark. We are on the wrong side of
Easter. We are standing helpless before the towing mystery of evil’s tragic
dominion, feeling our hopeless inadequacy in the face of the grim facts of sin
and chaos and man’s ruthless inhumanity to man. We are still fighting the
spectres of the night, still searching pathetically for some man-made,
humanistic solution to our problems, struggling in the morass of fear and
impotence and confusion. And the supreme
need of the world at this moment is to start living on the other side - the
right side - of Easter. It is to know that in the Resurrection of Jesus, God
Himself has spoken, and God’s empire of righteousness and peace and joy and
liberty has been brought decisively to light.”
Before the
resurrection of Lord, His disciples were uncertain and easily frightened
men. They fled when He was
arrested. Peter denied having known
Him. They were intimidated by a hostile
world. Then something happened! They met the living Christ. They knew that He had conquered death. They were galvanized by His promises and
filled with the Holy Spirit. They were
transformed men. Sheep became
lions. They were no longer retreating. They were
engaged in a God initiated offensive drive.
They went out to turn their world upside down (Acts 17:6). What made the difference? They
were living on the right side of Easter!
As we
approach the most significant day of all, ask yourself, “Am I really a
Christian? Am I living on the right side
of Easter?”
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