Understanding Easter

On Easter Sunday, “many Christians [around the world] will commemorate the resurrection of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”1 Why is this important? Because Christians understand that this is the event in history where atonement for sin was made possible because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.

Jesus (the “last Adam”) paid the penalty of sin and death for those who put their faith and trust in him. This penalty was brought into the world by the first Adam. As Romans 5:12 records,

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

And we are reminded of this again in the book of 1 Corinthians, where Paul (inspired by the Holy Spirit) says,

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. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20–22)

Jesus died and physically rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion.

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. (Colossians 1:18)

“The Apostle Paul (who saw the risen Christ) states it is important that Jesus truly did rise again”2 when he said,

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile. . . . we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:17, 19)

“After Jesus rose from the dead, He met with His disciples . . . [and] commanded them to tell others about the Creator who came to save the world from the Curse of sin.”3

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19–20)

“Then, He returned to heaven to prepare a place for those who believe in Him,”4 as explained in John 14.

Resurrection Deniers

Of course, many have denied that Jesus actually rose again by saying perhaps he simply fainted on the cross and revived later on in the tomb where he was laid. Some say Jesus died, but that the disciples stole his body from the tomb and lied about his resurrection. Others say that perhaps some other faction, such as the Romans or Jewish leaders, stole the body. And of course, Christian apologists have presented many comprehensive, logical, and robust refutations of all these scenarios.

For example, if Jesus just fainted on the cross and later revived, how did he manage to unwrap himself from the grave clothes, push aside the stone blocking the tomb, and manage to get past the soldiers posted outside? How could a man that had been beaten beyond recognition (as Matthew 27:26–30 records and Isaiah 52:14 prophetically states), crucified, and pierced with a spear, do this?

Similarly, how could the disciples have stolen Jesus’ body out from under the nose of a trained regiment of hardened, well-armed professional soldiers who’d been assigned to guard the tomb under penalty of death? And why would the disciples have continued to lie about an event they knew to be untrue even when it meant their own deaths?

What possible benefit could either the Roman or the Jewish leaders have gained by stealing Jesus’ body, furthering the belief in his resurrection and triggering the greatest movement in rebellion against their power? This scenario is especially unbelievable, since producing his body would have definitively disproven all the Christians claiming him as the risen Savior once and for all!

By What Authority Do We Know for Certain?

But how can we be sure about our risen Lord? Why can Christians be so confident that what we are celebrating is true? Well, first and foremost, it’s because we take God at his Word. As the Psalmist says,

The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. (Psalm 119:160 NKJV)

We know that the resurrection is true because “God is not man, that he should lie” (Numbers 23:19). God is all-knowing; he’s the most reliable eyewitness of all because he’s been there from the beginning, is omnipresent, and is the Creator of all things.5 And God’s Word says,

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)

Another Authority?

I am always astonished that I continue to meet Christians who do not hold to a consistent view of the Genesis account of origins—for example, doubting that the days in Genesis were real days and buying into evolutionary ideas over the plain reading of Scripture.

“Just as we accept that Christ rose bodily from the dead [after three literal days] because of the clear Words of Scripture,”6 why not understand that God created the earth in six normal-length days? The truth is nestled not only in the clear words of Scripture in Genesis, but within a passage at the height of Old Testament historical readings as well:

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 20:11)

Almost always, Christians who do not view Genesis 1–11 as a literal, historical account will tout “science” as the reason why, but “just as science cannot prove that Jesus rose from the dead, it also cannot prove that God created everything in six days.”7

The fact is, “science can’t prove any event from history, because it is limited in dealings about the past,”8 which are not observed and non-repeatable. “Historical events are known to be true because of reliable eyewitness accounts. Similarly, there are reliable eyewitness accounts that Jesus’ tomb was empty after three days.”9 So what is the disconnect?

A Disconnected View of Scripture

To most secular people in the world today, the word Easter invokes thoughts of bunnies, chocolate eggs, and family fun, rather than thinking of the arrest, crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Christ.

And that is because (especially in the de-Christianized West) many people don’t believe in the historical nature of the entire Bible, thinking the accounts within it are untrustworthy. Why? Because of the same reason many Christians don’t take Genesis as history—because of “science.”

The state-run school systems in the Western world have taught that science has disproven the accounts in the Bible relating to the physical universe, such as geology, biology, astronomy, and anthropology.

Scientists have supposedly shown there was no global flood, creatures evolved over millions of years, the big bang formed the universe, and humans are simply evolved animals—the descendants of apelike ancestors—not created in the image of God.

However, it wasn’t observational science that conflicted with Scripture; it was the fictional historical narrative—the story of evolution—pushed by naturalistic thinkers that disagreed with the Bible. And so, facts that we observe (dinosaur bones, rock layers, supposed “missing links,” etc.) that have been interpreted as supporting that imagined history are now touted as scientific proof that corroborates their story.

People have become more consistent over time, thinking if someone can’t trust the Bible where it touches on “tangible” subjects dealing with geology, biology, astronomy, etc., then why trust its message of morality and salvation based on the real history in the Bible?

People have become more consistent over time, thinking if someone can’t trust the Bible where it touches on “tangible” subjects dealing with geology, biology, astronomy, etc., then why trust its message of morality and salvation based on the real history in the Bible?

And it seems many Christians have bought into this way of thinking to some degree, allowing secular scientific interpretations to guide how they view Scripture. It’s like a sliding scale of “biblical believability” that many hold to—almost as if it’s a matter of just how much belief one must maintain to still be considered a Christian.

But again, science denies virgin births, water turning into wine, and lepers being supernaturally cured. Science also says ax-heads don’t float and donkeys don’t talk. So why do many Christians believe certain parts of the Bible but not others? Why do many believe Jesus walked on water and came back to life but not that God created the earth in six literal days or that there truly was a global flood?

Jesus emphasized belief in both the tangible and the spiritual when he said,

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? (John 3:12)

Much of what’s discussed in the history in Genesis (such as a single man and woman being the father and mother of all people, and a worldwide flood devastating the earth) had a huge impact on the “earthly things” we can examine and study (such as human DNA containing mutations and sedimentary rock layers with fossils [dead things] inside of them).

And the revelation in Scripture regarding “heavenly things,” such as the origin of sin and death (Romans 5:12) being linked to “earthly things” like fossils (dead things), is also clearly seen.

The fossil record could not have been laid down before Adam sinned (during the six days of creation) because Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death. . . .”

Death entered the world because of sin—so there would be no dead bodies or bones of animals or people before sin. Not only does Noah’s flood make for a far better explanation of the fossil record because of the physical evidence that corroborates it (the earthly things), but because it means death occurred after the fall—not before—which confirms the biblical understanding of why and when death happened and why Jesus came to pay for it (the heavenly things).

The message of salvation and morality can’t be separated from the history in Scripture concerning geology, biology, astronomy, etc., and neither can the message of the future be separated from the history.

So, the message of salvation and morality can’t be separated from the history in Scripture concerning geology, biology, astronomy, etc., and neither can the message of the future be separated from the history.

Past, Present, and Future

God’s Word says he created a “very good” world with no death and suffering in the beginning and that sin and death were the results of the fall. It also says that at the consummation of all things, the restored heavens and earth will reflect that very good creation. As Revelation 21:4 says,

Death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

The “big picture” of Scripture is clear. God created a very good world with no death and suffering. That world was marred by sin when the first man, Adam, rebelled against God and was punished for his transgression. Jesus came to pay the penalty for sin for those who put their faith and trust in him. And God will one day restore the world with a sinless new heaven and new earth where death (the last enemy) will be no more.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)

Understanding Easter

Unfortunately, much of the church has adopted a history of millions of years and/or an evolutionary understanding of Genesis that undermines the gospel message concerning the purpose of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

Easter has been disconnected from the history in the Bible like so many other events (especially those surrounding the “earthly things”). In many people’s minds, the Easter message has been relegated to the position of an interesting “story” with no real meaning.

We need to remind people of why they are sinners: because they’re descendants of Adam. And without God, we would all be separated from him for eternity.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

However, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

We must remember that the Son of God stepped into the real history communicated in the Bible, beginning in Genesis, to become one of us and pay the penalty for sin.

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

This is the message of Easter: Because of what Christ did on the cross, there is now a way back to our Creator against whom we rebelled. The message that man can be redeemed is a message with real meaning based on real history that connects to this real world.

For if many died through one man’s trespass [Adam], much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:15–21)