We are rapidly approaching the most wonderful time of the year! No, it’s not December already. Even though we love Christmas, if we allow the Scriptures to guide our thinking, Easter should be the most celebrated season of the year for us.
I certainly don’t mean to downplay the significance of Christ’s birth. Two of the four gospels give significant attention to Christ’s coming, including the events immediately preceding and following the first Christmas. We are right to celebrate Christmas.
At the same time, all four gospels devote even more time to the events of Christ’s passion week, from the Triumphal Entry to Resurrection Sunday. Mark’s Gospel has even been characterized as “a Passion narrative with an extended introduction.” The book of Acts contains no explicit mention of Christ’s birth while teeming with references to the resurrection (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40, just to name a few). The epistles do contain a few references to the birth of Christ (Gal 4:4; Phil 2:7; Rev 12:4-5, 13), yet the resurrection can be found in almost every book.
Again, the birth of Christ is a glorious fulfillment of OT prophecy indicating the significance of His person and coming work. But the NT itself clearly lays greater emphasis on the resurrection.
To be sure, without the resurrection, Christ’s birth would mean virtually nothing. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still dead in your sins.”
But why is that the case? Why is our faith futile without the resurrection? Why would we be dead in our sins if Christ remained dead in the tomb?
In addition to our typical Holy Week gatherings (Maundy Thursday - March 28; Good Friday - March 29), for the next four Sundays we’ll be bringing a sermon series devoted answering this question. We’ll be considering various passages teaching that every component of our salvation relies in some way on Christ’s having been raised.
Our regeneration—our being born again—is connected to the resurrection:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” 1 Peter 1:3
Our justification—our being acquitted of sin and declared righteous—is connected to the resurrection: [Christ] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25
Our sanctification—our being transformed into Christ’s image in our character and conduct—is connected to the resurrection: We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4
Our glorification—our being raised imperishable at Christ’s return—is connected to the resurrection: But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20–21
From our initial coming to life in Christ to our greeting Christ in the clouds, the whole of our salvation rests on the reality of Christ’s being raised from the dead.
May this series help us to rightly understand the doctrinal significance of the resurrection, to appreciate the empty tomb, to prize what His resurrection means to our past, present, and eternal future, and to regard this season as the most wonderful time of the year!
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