The Hope of Easter

In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, and with images of war flashing across television screens, the world has plenty of despair to go around and not a lot of hope to spare. Life is pretty tough for many people, much of the time – and then eventually all humans die. This is the reality of the human experience in a nutshell. But in the Christian gospel the world is offered true, enduring hope. It is the hope of forgiveness—of a restored relationship with God. It is also the hope of life beyond the grave in a far better world. Do you know this type of hope today? This hope is available to everyone, and it is connected to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In 2017, the British Broadcasting Corporation commissioned a survey on religious beliefs in the UK. Strikingly, the survey found that fully a quarter of those who identified as Christians did not believe in the resurrection.i This begs some important questions. Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ an optional element of the Christian faith or is it central and indispensable? Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ a reality—an undeniable truth—or is it a mere myth? During the Apostle Paul’s lifetime, people in Corinth were denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul makes it crystal clear that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical reality. He writes, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (vv. 54-55). And he points out that the resurrection is the core of Christianity—without which the entire edifice of Christianity collapses into a pile of rubble

Paul makes two important points about the resurrection. First, he explains that Christians are without hope in the absence of the resurrection. He points out that “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (v. 14) Furthermore, if Christ has not been raised, “we are then found to be false witnesses about God” (v. 15), “your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (v. 17), and “those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost” (v. 18). He concludes that “if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (v. 19) Put simply, without Christ’s resurrection, we are following a lifeless leader – trusting in a failed Saviour – even worshipping a dead deity. We should then simply “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (v. 32)

But Paul swiftly turns to his second claim—namely, that “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead” (v. 20). This deals with the problem of sin that began with Adam and that resulted in death. As Paul puts it, “since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man” (v. 21) The resurrection of Easter Sunday is the great vindication of the work of Jesus at the cross. Jesus died precisely to atone for our sins. The resurrection is a glorious confirmation that Christ’s payment for our sins through His work at Calvary has been acceptable to the Lord. The payment has been received – and the account cleared.

Clearly, the reality of Christ’s resurrection is cause for great hope! The resurrection extends to all Christ-followers. As Paul explains, “as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (v. 22). In this sense, Christ is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (v. 20). Christ is risen! Share this good news with someone today.