VIEWPOINT: Christ’s Resurrection Reminder: Eternal life with God or Not

In Ecclesiastes 3:2a, King Solomon speaks of physical death, “(There’s) a time to be born and a time to die.” Yes, our earthly days are numbered, “Man is like a breath; his days like a passing shadow” (Psalm 144:4) extinguished by disease, accident, violence, or a body that just wears out. But Easter – “Resurrection Day’ – reminds us that we only die physically. Our soul/spirit continues to be with God in heaven or not. “And just as it is appointed for man to die (physically) once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Easter reminds us, as it did America’s founding colonists, that Jesus Christ’s grace (unmerited favor) provides believers’ souls/spirits an earthly exit to God’s realm. Despite America’s Christian founding, Easter isn’t as culturally impactful as it once was. (We even defy God’s Cultural Mandate (Genesis 1:28) by having fewer children.) Americans don’t embrace Christ’s Resurrection like they once did because America isn’t the Christian nation it once was. But the Gospel’s Truth about Christ’s Resurrection isn’t dependent upon cultural mores.

Facts about Christ’s Resurrection are true, or they’re not. I believe they are. Apostle Paul summarized in 1Corinthians 15:3-8, “… that Christ died for our sins (by taking them upon Himself) according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve (now including Matthias). (Then)… to more than (500)… at the same time… Then… to James… all the apostles… and (lastly)… He appeared to me…” Christ summarized our eternal salvation in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Apostle Peter addressed Christ’s Resurrection in his first sermon (Acts 2:14-36), and the hearers responded, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Act 2:37-38).

Believing in the Gospel and Christ’s resurrection is often called, “having faith.” I have faith in these, but my faith isn’t “blind faith.” My faith encompasses extensive evidence that supports Christ’s resurrection, like evidence J. Warner Wallace presents in his books: Cold-Case Christianity; a Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels and Person of Interest; Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible.

Jesus Christ provides the way to eternal life in heaven. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). So why would people refuse His invitation to eternal life? They may deny an afterlife. They may be unwilling to forfeit a sinful lifestyle, one that accepts lies over truth and death over life. They’d rather glorify themselves than glorify God. For scoffers, please note Revelation 20:11-15 about judgment and the lake of fire that is the second death.