BIBLE 101: EASTER PEOPLE

EASTER PEOPLE

by Pastor Dave McCarty (davem@lordoflife.org)

Greetings, Easter People! It’s fabulous that we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ at the same time of

Bible 101 year when everything outside is springing to new life. Springing to new life is what God gives us Easter People through the faithfulness of Jesus whose sacrifice takes on the past, present, and future sin of the world. That is followed by God overcoming death and raising Jesus to life which allows us to be confidently comforted that we too will be raised from the dead. In Romans 6:4-5, the Bible says it well, “Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” That quote is from the Apostle Paul, an Old Testament scholar who knew how important history was to what we’ve come to know as the Easter event. • Have you ever thought of how we historically became “Easter People?” • Have you ever wondered how the Old Testament points toward Easter? I think it’s important to understand that our entire Old and New Testaments point toward Easter because the entire Bible points toward God’s love for humanity. This all started when God created humanity: Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:27), who were tempted and sinned (Genesis 3). That’s followed by Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, and the Tower of Babel (Genesis 4-11). God’s “Easter plan” began when God made a promise to an old couple named Abraham and Sarah that they would have a huge family and someone in that family would save the world (Genesis 22:18). Abraham and Sarah’s family consists of a group of well-known people: Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Moses, Miriam, Aaron, Ruth, Esther, David, Solomon, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and more. All of these were impressive people but none of them were good enough to save the world. Then came Jesus. Jesus came to earth as one man to pay the price of sin that began with one man, Adam (Genesis 3 and Romans 5). Jesus was there in the beginning which is hard for us to comprehend, and was hard for those around him to fathom too, especially when Jesus told them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58 and Exodus 3:14 for the divine “I am” origination). Jesus came to fulfill the promise that God made to Abraham and Sarah that through one of their descendants God would save world, and Jesus was their Great, Great, Great, Great . . . Grandson (Matthew 1:1-16 for the complete geneology).

For 2,000 years, from Abraham to Jesus, people had tried to get it right on their own and couldn’t (see 1 and 2 Chronicles). Likewise, for the past 2,000 years we have tried to get it right on our own and couldn’t (see the evening news). History has shown that only God was able to pay the price for the past and future sin of the world, which is why God gave a human self as a sacrifice for God’s own creation (Easter People), and why God is the only one who is able to make things right. We have every reason to celebrate being Easter People! How do I know? Well . . . as the song says, “The Bible tells me so.” I encourage you to dig deeper—get involved in a Bible study or small group with others at Lord of Life (lordoflife.org/discipleshiponline). But most of all, believe “For God so loved the world that God gave God’s only Son, so that everyone who believes in Jesus may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Amen.