Today is Easter, so I thought I’d take a moment to write about it. I understand that not everyone who reads this blog is a Christian, and that’s actually the reason I write this post. I think a lot of people misunderstand what Christianity is. Is it a bunch of rules, regulations, and Republicans? Is it the clean-cut people we see on TV on Sunday mornings, or is it Quinn Fabray’s hypocritical dad on Glee? I have to apologize that I know that Glee reference, not because of my faith, but because of how lame it makes me. I use Bible references below to show that I’m not the one making this up.
I’d like to take this opportunity to point out that by no means is the purpose of this post to “force my beliefs” on you. It’s just to explain the point of Easter, and I’m also pretty sure I can’t really force my beliefs on you. If that is a fear of yours though, here’s my advice. Stop reading now, and read my blog tomorrow when I present my beliefs on how I need a new car.
So in order to understand why Christ would come to Earth to die (and have Mel Gibson make such a graphic movie about it), we must first understand the concept of sin. A lot of people get really turned off by the mere mention of sin. They think if you talk about it, you’re automatically being judgmental, or they associate sin with hardened criminals, like Lindsay Lohan. Sin is really anything we’ve done wrong in our lives (Romans 3:23). It can range from lying to murder to public urination. I must admit though, if you are urinating in public, I will have a hard time not judging you. The reality is no one is perfect (Romans 3:11), except of course Tina Fey who can do know wrong in my mind. Baby Mama wasn’t bad, you just didn’t get it. Anyway, if you have ever done anything wrong in your life, then there is sin (James 2:10).
So the sin in our lives separates us from God, because God is perfect (Isaiah 59:2). It’s this separation that’s the problem, and it’s bigger then just some flames and a long-tailed, goatee-sporting, dancing guy with a pitchfork. We were created to have relationship with God. We were meant to spend eternity with him (1 Timothy 2:3-4). That’s why so many of us have a longing for fulfillment that just can’t be satisfied. We try to fill it with all sorts of things like drugs, money, or Beanie Babies. Trust me, I had an aunt heavily addicted to the BB’s, and I can’t even begin to explain where she is now. All of these things are temporary. Drugs wear off, money goes away, and thank heavens, the Beanie Baby fad died off. There is a punishment for our sin and it’s eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). Though I can’t fully explain what that looks like, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it sucks.
Because of our sin there is nothing we can do to connect back to God. Good deeds, money, or religion can’t do it. With that statement you are probably all very encouraged, and many of you are wondering what any of this has to do with Easter. Jesus Christ, The Son of Man, God himself came to earth as a man (John 1:14). He is perfect because he is God, but he was in the flesh as a man. What was the point of that? When Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday, he who lived a sinless life making him the perfect sacrifice, took all of the sins of mankind onto himself (Hebrews 9:12-15)). When he died on the cross, he took the punishment that was meant for all of us (1st Peter 3:18). With him, our sin died.
Easter is the day we celebrate Christ rising from the dead. The resurrection is so important because it shows Christ’s victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:17). Some of you may be thinking that this sounds a lot like The Matrix. First, where do you think they got the idea? Also, I’m willing to bet that Christ was more lively then Keanu Reeves, and the special effects were probably way better.
Easter celebrates the fact that we can be reconnected to God through Christ’s sacrifice, and live a new life with God, the one we were meant to, through his resurrection. This is available to everyone, but you have to accept it. If you believe that Christ died for your sins, and you want to be forgiven, all you have to do is confess your sin and believe in your heart that Christ is Lord (Romans 10:9). Nothing you’ve done can hold you back, nothing you do can bring you closer. Christ died for all sin, and only through him is forgiveness (Ephesians 2:8-9)
I know this is more serious than most of the posts I write. If this bothers you, come back tomorrow when I talk about my dog August. I just wanted to share this, because I know it’s important. Happy Easter.
Dave
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