He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; and He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and He will come again with glory to judge the living and
the dead; His kingdom shall have no end. —from the Nicene Creed
It is, without question, the single most important reality of all human history.
Yet had you been a follower of Jesus and witnessed the agony of His crucifixion, no words could have fathomed your anguish before that historic morning.
Because after Christ’s brutal death, it looked to many like all hope was now gone.
The body of the One who claimed to be the Messiah — the light of the world — lay lifeless in a tomb. The hope of a new world snuffed out brutally on a cross made for criminals. No words could begin to express the despair and hopelessness felt by His followers.
Yet a remarkable thing happened that Sunday morning. Something that would not only change the lives of Christ’s disciples. But something that would change the lives of the multiplied billions who have inhabited planet Earth.
Because as faithful female followers approached the tomb, there was a violent earthquake. An angel appeared and rolled back the immense stone that had sealed the tomb.
The angel’s appearance was like lightning. His clothes were as white as snow.
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for
Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen,
just as he said.” (Matthew 28:5–6)
What was behind that triumphant transformation was the very power of Christ Himself. It was about death being swallowed up in victory. And despair being demolished by the greatest hope anyone could ever imagine.
Through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead,
Christ returned fallen humanity to the life of Eden — to the
experience of union with God now and forever.
Moreover, as history demonstrates, the resurrection power of our Lord not only leapt the walls of the Holy Land where it was first unleashed. Some twenty centuries later, it has spread throughout the entire world where it continues to be an ever-present threat to darkness, discouragement, and despair wherever it is found.
For through resurrection the sting of death has been swallowed up in victory. Isaiah’s prophecy is pregnant with the promise of new birth: “Your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise. Let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy — your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead” (Isaiah 26:19).
If Christ had not Himself been resurrected, the promise that He will resurrect dry bones in scattered graves would be as empty as the tomb guaranteeing its fulfillment.
What awaits us in the life ahead? An unimaginable intoxicating reality!
Imagine forever exploring the depths of God’s love, wisdom, and holiness. Imagine forever growing in our capacities to fathom His immensity, His immutability, His incomprehensibility, and His ineffability. Imagine that we all “with unveiled faces” will forever “contemplate the Lord’s glory,” as we are “transformed into his image with ever increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Imagine!
Admittedly, our finite minds are incapable of grasping the glory that awaits us. But we can imagine the most beautiful scenes we have ever witnessed on Earth and then magnifying them many times over. That might just give us the tiniest of hints of the beauty that lies ahead for the “fellowship of the twice born.”
It will come as no surprise that much of CRI’s work directly relates to both a defense and an explication of resurrection.
By God’s grace, for 65 years we have been steadfast not only in inviting people to experience the resurrected Christ, but in equipping Christians at home and abroad to be joyful and fruitful ambassadors of our risen Lord.
In the hope that you’ll join us in both celebrating and sharing Christ’s resurrection power this Easter through all of CRI’s 24/7 outreaches, please see the resources linked here.
For all that your generosity means to those we serve, and for all that your partnership means to me personally, I’m deeply grateful.
May your Pascha be blessed with a joyful realization that as His children, His resurrection is the certain reality that you too will be resurrected — immortal, imperishable, incorruptible. For “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
…because Truth Matters, Life Matters More,
President
P.S. How important is Easter? St. Paul said it best. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:17–19).
Thank you for your continued partnership as we earnestly honor the commandments of Christ — for time and for eternity.