The Significance of Resurrection Sunday aka Easter Sunday

From the fall of Adam, what separates man from God is sin. Sin is the very nature of man from the fall, even if he does something good, it is only to help him put himself in a position to do something wicked ultimately. From the fall of Adam, man by nature is a sinner because he loves to sin, whether it is to entertain covetous thoughts of what belongs to his neighbour or to lust after a woman who is not his or to enjoy things he has stolen or may be bearing false witness to further his own interests.

Gen 3 (the account of the fall of Adam)
2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

If you read the account of the fall of Adam mentioned in the above verse, you will understand what is the root cause of sin. From the fall, man has forsaken God’s law and become a law to himself. It’s not like Adam did not know right from wrong before the fall, because Eve clearly tells Satan that God has told them not to eat from the tree but Satan has already fallen and wants some more company to join him where he is going. So, he tempts Eve to forsake God’s law and become a law to herself, so she’ll be like God having a righteousness of her own. However, the truth is there is no God apart from God and no true righteousness apart from God’s law, which is God’s own nature and character. So, as righteousness is the fruit of those who act according to the Law of God, sin the fruit of those who are a Law to themselves because fallen man is not God, and his every self-serving thought & action that tries to affirm he is god is nothing but sin.

Mat 26:28 (Jesus says)
for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Heb 9:22
And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

If we look at all the instructions in the Old Testament that dealt with animal sacrifice, we see that the animal had to be without blemish. Now, when we read about the Jesus in the New Testament, we are told and He was tempted and yet remained without sin. Also consider this, that there is none worthy in the sight of God, not humans or angels but God Himself. So, it makes complete sense that Jesus had to be the Son of God incarnate to be that holy, unblemished & worthy lamb who was slain as he bore the sins of all of God’s people on the cross.

James 1:16
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Mat 1:21
She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

If I were to describe the Gospel in a single sentence, it is this… that God’s law is perfect and so sin (transgressing His Law) had to justly dealt with, but God is also love by nature, perfect love, and so He sent His Son to take our place and be that unblemished sacrifice for the sins of all God’s people. The Bible says, the wages of sin is death and salvation is God saving us from Himself. The Good News is, the Son of God took upon Himself the complete nature of man by being born in the womb of the virgin. So Jesus was therefore the unblemished Lamb of God unstained by Adam’s disobedience aka original sin. This Jesus, took upon Himself, the sin of all God’s people and suffered death by crucifixion. So, His Resurrection i.e. His victory over death, is victory over sin for all who believe in Him.

1 Cor 15
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

When you read the 1Cor 15:51-53 in the context of Ezek 37:9-14, we come to understand that it isn’t talking about the rapture but about the first resurrection i.e. people coming to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ aka being born from above (John 3:3). So as true believer, we are a new creation in Christ (2Cor 5:17), we now have an appreciation for God’s word, which we did not have before we were saved as indicated in 1Cor 15:52 & Psalm 19:8.

Mat 26:64
Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

If you care to read Mat 26:64 in the context of the chapter, you will be moved to tears. Here is Jesus being falsely tried on charges of blasphemy, and my Lord seals His own fate with the truth, before a syndicate of vipers who want to kill him (John 3:20). Any man would lie his way through, even Peter who said He would go to death with Jesus (Mat 26:36), failed to acknowledge he even knew the Lord in this dark fearsome trail (Luke 22:54-62), but my Lord was no coward. He spoke the truth about who He really is, before wicked people who were just looking for an opportunity to take His life, because the Light He is, pierced the darkness their hearts reveled in.

John 10:18
No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Phil 2:8
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

My Lord could have called legions of angels and put an end to all mankind in an instant but as He said in John 4:34, His food is to the will of His Father. The Bible says in Phil 2:8, that Jesus was obedient to the point of death. In His death, my Lord bore the sins of all God’s people and suffered the deserving justice we deserved both hear on the earth and in hell where He went after He died. Being fully man, He died and being fully God He rose from the dead, victorious over sin for all who believe in Him. This is the significance of Resurrection Sunday, aka Easter. This is the new Sabbath, because like the Son of God rested on the 7^th day after creation (Col 1:16), the Son of God rested on the 3^rd day (1Cor 15:4), which is Sunday after accomplishing redemption for all God’s people.