Listen to one news source and you will be presented with one picture of what is happening. However, alternative sources will call that first picture a blatant lie. We are surrounded by fake news and the accelerating power of AI. Given that life is so uncertain, so dependent on events beyond our control, is it possible to be truly certain of anything?
Easter reminds us that at the very centre of Christianity are two historical events: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Paul was summarising Christianity to the Church in Corinth he wrote:
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).
The vast majority of people today know that Jesus of Nazareth died on a cross. They see crosses on jewellery or outside religious buildings. But why did He have to die? It wasn’t as a martyr for a cause, or even just a demonstration of perfect love, although it was that. Jesus Christ died to pay the price that a holy God demands for our sin. However, that is not the end of the story. Throughout the life of Jesus, He predicted that He would die, but also that He would rise from the dead:
“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16:21).
Without the events which we celebrate at Easter there is no Christianity. Paul was very honest about this: “if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Both the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are necessary. His death paid the price for sin; His resurrection proved that He was who He claimed to be, the Son of God. His resurrection also means that those who trust in Jesus Christ can be certain of eternal life. The Lord Jesus said:
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25,26).
There is so much in our lives that is uncertain, but we can be completely certain when it comes to Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection mean that if you believe in Him and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour, you will be forgiven of all of your sin. You can then be certain of eternal life and, when this life with all its uncertainty is over, of a place with Him in heaven.
