No Resurrection = No Salvation

We live in a day and age today where the name of Jesus Christ has lost weight. Most times you hear the name, you can count on it being mixed with vulgarity used more as an expression of WOW instead of carrying any weight it was truly meant to carry.

Today, I am hoping it is used correctly. Today, I'm praying that the name Jesus Christ is heard from all. Today is a day of great joy and praise; for today is the day we celebrate my Savior, Jesus Christ, because He PROVED He won the victory. I hope it is the same for you.

(1 Corinthians 15:54-57 KJV) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Easter Sunday is a big deal to me personally. It is a holiday that I celebrate with the remembrance of my Lord establishing eternal security for God's children. In other words: if Jesus can raise Himself up in three days, I am sure He will raise me up one day as well!

What would it be like if Jesus just died? Would you be okay with that? He died, promising He brought your sin onto Himself and therefore into the grave with Him... is that enough? The whole Christian faith would be a little odd after that. We would worship God, who we'd say and believe that died. Think about that for a second.

(2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Do you see what i'm getting at?

if Jesus just died, it wouldn't fill in all the gaps. We would just have to take His word that He cleansed us of sin, but even that wouldn't suffice. How could we believe in an eternal home if He couldn't raise Himself up? God, who became man and died, is going to raise us up still some day? Harder to believe in my opinion. And then you have to deal with the fact that we would worship a dead God. Which the Father and Holy Spirit would not be dead, but now we're taking our one God and dividing Him into three. Which He is three in one, but is He now two in one?

See all the questions that would sprout up if Christ didn't rise? We'd have a big issue. I would be afraid of death!

(Hebrews 2:14-15 NASB) Therefore, since the children share in [m]flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

This is why today is such a great day for Christians. Without Christ rising, I do not have full assurance in my God. But since Christ did rise, I can count on Him being able to raise me up as He has said! Christ conquered death, took sin to the grave, and rose again proving His power over death and sin even today.

(Revelation 1:17c-18 NIV) “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

It was prophesied,  He spoke about it Himself, and then He did it! The God-man came to earth to die and rise, and He made my life a beautiful picture of it! Today isn't only a day to rejoice in the resurrection of Christ, but the resurrection of life He has done in you!

Think about it: If you are a child of God today, you were once dead in sin, condemned by the law, and damned to Hell by the just and righteous wrath of God. UH-OH! Not cool!

(Romans 6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thank God for grace.

(Ephesians 1:7 NKJV) In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

God had chosen you, the Spirit came like the wind to awaken you, and Christ said "Believe in me" and died for you. The Triune God all worked together in your salvation, making you alive in Christ. As a Believer, your old man has died with Christ. He was crucified on that cross; the sinful man was left in that grave. Three days later a new man had come out. You have risen up by the power of Christ with the old man dead and gone and the new man alive and well! 

(Ephesians 2:1-5 ESV) And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved--

Oh! What a beautiful picture! Once enslaved to darkness; now enslaved to light. Once journeying to hell; now picked up and shown the way to glory. Once living for yourself; now living for the King. Get pumped! Get excited! Today we remember salvation being accomplished for sinners like you and me! Today we remember the resurrection not only of Christ's body, but the work of the resurrection done in all the saints. Praise God! 

(Romans 6 NKJV) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Today is a day of joy! Don't forget to praise God today, who made a way and gave salvation to you! And if you can't say that's you today, I pray that you fall at the mercy of God and cry out for His saving from sin. He's the only one that can save you, and everything I said above can apply to you if He saves you. If you're reading this, whether it be on Easter Sunday or days later, today is the day of salvation! Don't waste any time; I pray that these words speak to your heart.

Because Jesus rose, we have a hope in salvation. If he never rose, all hope would be lost. It's like this: Jesus died to justify, Jesus rose to sanctify, and Jesus ascended to glorify! All three of these things describe your life if you are a believer in Christ. If you are a Christian, today is a day of rejoicing! 
Happy Resurrection Day!

(John 14:6 NKJV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.