By Jordan M. Tew, Executive Director • Baptist Publishing House
Easter is the pinnacle of days for followers of Jesus Christ. It is on this day that we celebrate the fact that Jesus has risen from the dead and provided salvation. It is a day of victory, excitement, worship and reflection. Here are a few things Easter celebrates and confirms:
• God judges sin. The very reason Jesus endured such pain and suffering on the cross was not simply because the Jews cried “crucify Him,” but because the wrath of God upon our sin had to be satisfied in order for us to be forgiven and saved. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (I Peter 3:18).
• God is love. The Scriptures clearly reveal the primary motivation for the cross — the love of God. For reasons I cannot humanly understand, God loves sinners (including me). He has every right to punish us all and send us to the Hell we deserve, yet He has shown us incredible love by sending His own Son to die in our place. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
• Our salvation is secure. The incredible price God paid for our salvation covers sin completely. There is no other sacrifice that can be made to atone for our sin. There is no “Plan B” to offer salvation. The sacrifice of Jesus was fully sufficient to provide eternal salvation to each believer. Therefore, we can rest in Christ knowing the payment for our sin has been made and God will never forsake us. “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God… and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” (Heb. 10:12; 17-18).
• God’s plans come to pass. The whole Bible reveals how God worked out His plan of salvation. The first mention of God’s plan of salvation is in Gen. 3:15 when God promised that One would come who would crush the serpent’s head. This is, of course, a reference to how Christ would one day crush Satan’s head by dying on the cross and rising again. Throughout the whole Bible, we see how God worked out every detail to bring His salvation promises to pass. The Scriptures clearly reveal how God’s salvation unfolded throughout history. Our salvation should remind us that God keeps His promises and is always faithful. “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3-4).
• We should share this. Salvation is the greatest gift. The gospel of Jesus is the only way to be saved. Therefore, we should desire to share this gift with others. Why have so many believers lost their gospel excitement? Where has the desire to tell others about the wonderful gift of salvation gone? Have we grown cold or cynical? We should remember Christ’s commands given in the Great Commission. The gospel, by definition, is “good news.” Let us confess our sin of gospel silence and begin sharing the good news with the world around us. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
May God richly bless you as you consider His amazing gift of salvation, not just at Easter, but every day!
