April 10th, 2026
by Chris Smith
by Chris Smith
Understanding the Resurrection
We live in a world that desperately seeks meaning, purpose, and unconditional love. Yet so often, we search in all the wrong places. The truth is, the most significant moment in all of human history has already occurred, and it changes everything about how we can live today and face tomorrow.
Starting with an Uncomfortable Truth
Before we can fully grasp the magnitude of what happened on that first Easter morning, we must face an uncomfortable reality. Romans 3:23 doesn't mince words: "For everyone has sinned. We all fall short of God's glorious standard."
This isn't a popular message in our achievement-oriented culture. We don't like being told we're failures who can't fix ourselves. We prefer the illusion that with enough effort, discipline, or good intentions, we can earn our way to perfection. But if that were possible, the events we celebrate at Easter would have been unnecessary.
The truth is liberating once we accept it: we all need rescue. Every single one of us has fallen short. None of us can bridge the gap between our imperfection and God's holiness through our own efforts. This isn't meant to discourage us—it's meant to prepare us for the incredible Good News that follows.
Yet God...
Those two words change everything. "Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins." Romans 3:24
Here's the revolutionary truth: we are made right with God not by what we do, but by what He has done for us and our acceptance of it. God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood.
This is why Easter matters more than any holiday, any celebration, any achievement in human history. It represents the engagement of the living God with His people, bridging the gap that sin created between the Creator and His creation.
The Weight of What Happened
The Gospels record the brutal details. Jesus was beaten within inches of His life, His back ripped open exposing blood and bone. He was mocked, spat upon, and nailed to a cross. Soldiers gambled for His clothes while He hung dying.
People passing by shouted, "If you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!"
But here's the profound irony: the one thing that held Jesus on that cross was His desire to save them. He didn't come to save Himself—He came to save us.
At noon, darkness fell across the land for three hours. Something supernatural was happening. Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In that moment, all the sin of all mankind of all time was upon Jesus. The Father, in His perfection, had to turn away. For the first time, Jesus stood alone—separated from the Father because of our sin.
Then Jesus gave His life. He didn't have it taken—He gave it willingly. At that moment, the curtain in the temple sanctuary tore from top to bottom, not from man to God, but from God to man. The separation from God was ended. The earth shook. Rocks split. Tombs opened, and the dead walked into Jerusalem as witnesses to something beyond ordinary reality.
Even a Roman soldier, who moments before had been gambling and mocking, declared, "This man was truly the Son of God."
The Morning That Changed Everything
Early Sunday morning, women came to the tomb. An angel, with a face shining like lightning and clothing white as snow, rolled aside the stone and sat on it. The guards fainted in fear.
The angel's message was simple but earth-shattering: "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn't here. He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen." Matthew 28:5-6
Jesus appeared to the women, then to His disciples, then to hundreds of people. This wasn't myth or legend—it was witnessed history. The resurrection is the most momentous occasion in all of history, not just for Christians, but for all mankind.
What This Means for Us
The resurrection means the defeat of sin and its power over us. When we accept what Jesus has done, sin no longer has mastery over our lives. We're on a journey from bondage into freedom.
It means the defeat of death and the fear of what comes after this life. We need not fear death ever again. Through Christ, we've been given victory over the grave.
It means the defeat of condemnation and the end of futile religious efforts. We cannot save ourselves, but we can walk in His victory.
Most significantly, it means the possibility of knowing God—not through religious attendance or ritual, but through genuine relationship. Salvation is knowing God because Jesus bridged that gap.
Everyone Who Believes
John 3:16-17 captures the heart of why this happened: "For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him."
Everyone who believes. Not the perfect. Not the religious elite. Not those who have it all together. Everyone!
Colossians 1 tells us that Christ "has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His dear Son." He is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created. Everything was created through Him and for Him.
This is who came for you. This is who died on that cross. This is who rose from the grave.
An Urgent Message
The world desperately needs to know real love—not fleeting emotion or temporary attraction, but sacrificial love that gives everything. They need to encounter the God who loves them enough to die for them.
Every day is a gift. The next Easter isn't promised. This isn't meant to create fear but urgency. People need to understand what lies on the other side of leaving this world. Without this truth, they will pay their own price for sin.
If you've never accepted what Jesus did, or if you've walked away, His incredible patience waits. Simply acknowledge that you are a sinner who cannot save yourself. Receive His forgiveness as you confess your sins. Accept His lordship, knowing He is good, trustworthy, and will never lead you wrong.
The resurrection isn't just a historical event to remember once a year. It's the foundation of a transformed life, the source of unshakable hope, and the reason we can face tomorrow without fear. Because of Easter, everything has changed.
Starting with an Uncomfortable Truth
Before we can fully grasp the magnitude of what happened on that first Easter morning, we must face an uncomfortable reality. Romans 3:23 doesn't mince words: "For everyone has sinned. We all fall short of God's glorious standard."
This isn't a popular message in our achievement-oriented culture. We don't like being told we're failures who can't fix ourselves. We prefer the illusion that with enough effort, discipline, or good intentions, we can earn our way to perfection. But if that were possible, the events we celebrate at Easter would have been unnecessary.
The truth is liberating once we accept it: we all need rescue. Every single one of us has fallen short. None of us can bridge the gap between our imperfection and God's holiness through our own efforts. This isn't meant to discourage us—it's meant to prepare us for the incredible Good News that follows.
Yet God...
Those two words change everything. "Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins." Romans 3:24
Here's the revolutionary truth: we are made right with God not by what we do, but by what He has done for us and our acceptance of it. God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood.
This is why Easter matters more than any holiday, any celebration, any achievement in human history. It represents the engagement of the living God with His people, bridging the gap that sin created between the Creator and His creation.
The Weight of What Happened
The Gospels record the brutal details. Jesus was beaten within inches of His life, His back ripped open exposing blood and bone. He was mocked, spat upon, and nailed to a cross. Soldiers gambled for His clothes while He hung dying.
People passing by shouted, "If you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!"
But here's the profound irony: the one thing that held Jesus on that cross was His desire to save them. He didn't come to save Himself—He came to save us.
At noon, darkness fell across the land for three hours. Something supernatural was happening. Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In that moment, all the sin of all mankind of all time was upon Jesus. The Father, in His perfection, had to turn away. For the first time, Jesus stood alone—separated from the Father because of our sin.
Then Jesus gave His life. He didn't have it taken—He gave it willingly. At that moment, the curtain in the temple sanctuary tore from top to bottom, not from man to God, but from God to man. The separation from God was ended. The earth shook. Rocks split. Tombs opened, and the dead walked into Jerusalem as witnesses to something beyond ordinary reality.
Even a Roman soldier, who moments before had been gambling and mocking, declared, "This man was truly the Son of God."
The Morning That Changed Everything
Early Sunday morning, women came to the tomb. An angel, with a face shining like lightning and clothing white as snow, rolled aside the stone and sat on it. The guards fainted in fear.
The angel's message was simple but earth-shattering: "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn't here. He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen." Matthew 28:5-6
Jesus appeared to the women, then to His disciples, then to hundreds of people. This wasn't myth or legend—it was witnessed history. The resurrection is the most momentous occasion in all of history, not just for Christians, but for all mankind.
What This Means for Us
The resurrection means the defeat of sin and its power over us. When we accept what Jesus has done, sin no longer has mastery over our lives. We're on a journey from bondage into freedom.
It means the defeat of death and the fear of what comes after this life. We need not fear death ever again. Through Christ, we've been given victory over the grave.
It means the defeat of condemnation and the end of futile religious efforts. We cannot save ourselves, but we can walk in His victory.
Most significantly, it means the possibility of knowing God—not through religious attendance or ritual, but through genuine relationship. Salvation is knowing God because Jesus bridged that gap.
Everyone Who Believes
John 3:16-17 captures the heart of why this happened: "For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him."
Everyone who believes. Not the perfect. Not the religious elite. Not those who have it all together. Everyone!
Colossians 1 tells us that Christ "has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His dear Son." He is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created. Everything was created through Him and for Him.
This is who came for you. This is who died on that cross. This is who rose from the grave.
An Urgent Message
The world desperately needs to know real love—not fleeting emotion or temporary attraction, but sacrificial love that gives everything. They need to encounter the God who loves them enough to die for them.
Every day is a gift. The next Easter isn't promised. This isn't meant to create fear but urgency. People need to understand what lies on the other side of leaving this world. Without this truth, they will pay their own price for sin.
If you've never accepted what Jesus did, or if you've walked away, His incredible patience waits. Simply acknowledge that you are a sinner who cannot save yourself. Receive His forgiveness as you confess your sins. Accept His lordship, knowing He is good, trustworthy, and will never lead you wrong.
The resurrection isn't just a historical event to remember once a year. It's the foundation of a transformed life, the source of unshakable hope, and the reason we can face tomorrow without fear. Because of Easter, everything has changed.
Posted in Devotions, Discipleship, Encouragement, Perspectives
Posted in resurrection, eternity, Easter, Jesus, Salvation, Sin
Posted in resurrection, eternity, Easter, Jesus, Salvation, Sin
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