Easter has always been an intriguing holiday for me. Not what the holiday is about — the Resurrection of Jesus Christ — but how people celebrate the day. By saying how people celebrate the day, I am not talking about bunnies and eggs; I am referring to how some will give the day reverence, yet ignore its significance the rest of the year.

What is Easter? It is the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Think of the significance of that statement. There are a handful of people raised from the dead in the annals of Scripture. In each case, God worked through someone to raise the dead. Prophets, the bones of a prophet (2 Kings 13:21), Jesus, and an Apostle all took part in rising someone from the grave, but Jesus rose Himself from the tomb. The resurrection of Christ is evidence that He is the Son of God, gives Christians everywhere hope of eternal life, and without it the entire Christian faith crumbles. The event of Easter is that important.

Just sit back and think about it for a minute. If Jesus did not walk out of the tomb what does it change?

If Jesus did not raise from the dead, He is not God. He is no different from you and I. He lived His life and died.

If Jesus did not raise from the dead, you can throw your Bible out with the trash. All four Gospels give the story of the Resurrection. If the account of the Resurrection is false, then all four gospels are now unreliable with any of their facts.

The resurrection of Christ is a topic discussed throughout the rest of the New Testament, and the teaching of the future resurrection for all believers has its foundation in the Resurrection of Jesus. If the Resurrection did not take place all hope is now lost.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the center of all Christian beliefs. As we have seen, take that one belief away then Christ was never God, the Bible is non-trustworthy, and the hope of an afterlife vanishes.

If the teaching of Christ’s Resurrection is untrue, what about the Bible’s teaching about other topics? Salvation, God’s love, forgiveness, the sanctity of life, marriage, the church, and even the values that give us right and wrong; everything the Bible teaches, without the Resurrection, at best, can only be taken with a grain of salt and skepticism; if not refuted altogether.

Okay, there is the negative, now the positive. If the Resurrection of Christ is real then Jesus is the Son of God, the Bible is the truth, and there is life after death. Now the other teachings of the Scripture become more than good advice. Those teaching are now also truth and are essential to everyday living. Christ’s Resurrection makes the Bible a book of life. It is not just an old book filled with stories and life parables; it is a book of truth and teachings that are vital to living this life and the eternal life beyond. In fact, belief in the Resurrection of Christ is essential to salvation; the words of Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Why do I find the way people celebrate Easter intriguing?

The miracle of Christ’s resurrection is not a minor miracle; it is the miracle of all time. It establishes the deity of Christ, the religious faith of billions, the moral fiber of humanity, substantiates the validity of the Scriptures, the truth of future prophecies, and many other things. If the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so vital to our everyday life as well as eternity, why then does it only make a difference in people’s life once a year?

If we believe in Christ’s resurrection should not we cherish the book that tells us of the blessed event? Should we not trust in Christ for our eternal hope? Should we not live by faith in Him every day?

If the resurrection is true, then Jesus Christ is everything; if the resurrection is a myth, then Jesus and Christianity is a fraud and should be shunned. Everything rides on the truth of the Resurrection.

Why then do people ride the fence; claiming to be Christian, but only putting an effort toward it on holidays like Easter and Christmas or the occasional Sunday when it is convenient?

Jesus Christ is not the god of our convenience. He is God, and His Resurrection proves it. We should act accordingly.

Preacher Johnson is Pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County, Indiana. Email: preacherspoint@gmail.com. Preacher Johnson is available for revivals, prophecy conferences and other speaking. Sermons and archived Preacher’s Points can be found at www.preacherspoint.wordpress.com.