Celebrating Easter

Dear editor:

Easter Sunday is the most holy Sun-

day for millions of Christians all around the world. Why? Because it is the annual Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Yes — I said celebrating — for it is a joyful and thankful time for all true Christians!

In this greatly troubled and uncertain time that we are all living in, life in this world is obviously not a very secure thing for us. We all desperately need something that we can truly count on to be absolutely secure. That’s what the true meaning of Easter is all about!

But, you may ask — did Jesus really rise from the dead?

“Arguably the most important (Biblical) defense of the resurrection in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 15, reminds believers of the truth of the resurrection of Jesus and its benefits for those who belong to Christ. The resurrection of Jesus grounds our faith, undergirds our mission, and establishes our hope in the life to come.” (Quotes from “Explore the Bible: Adult Personal Study Guide,” Spring 2018, LifeWay Christian Resources.)

“Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed — it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; and it is this Good News that saves you if you still firmly believe it, unless of course you never really believed it in the first place.

“I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said he would, and that he was buried, and that three days afterward he arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold. He was seen by Peter and later by the rest of ‘the Twelve.’ After that he was seen by more than five hundred Christian brothers at one time” (1 Corinthians 15:1-6).

“And if he is still dead, then all our preaching is useless and your trust in God is empty, worthless, hopeless” (verse 14).

“And if being a Christian is of value to us only now in this life, we are the most miserable of creatures” (verse 19).

“But the fact is that Christ did actually rise from the dead and has become the first of millions who will come back to life again someday” (verse 20).

“Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again” (verses 21, 22).

“The resurrection of Christ is the center of the Christian faith. Because Christ rose from the dead as he promised, we know that what he said is true — he is God” (NIV Study Bible Commentary 1 Corinthians 15:13-18). Lloyd Hoffman Hot Springs