Every spring the world pauses—some briefly, some deeply—to acknowledge what many call “Easter.” For Christians, especially those of us striving simply to be New Testament Christians, the focus is not on a holiday but on a historical reality that reshaped all of nature itself: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The New Testament never commands an annual observance of the resurrection. Instead, it calls us to live as people shaped by it every day and to proclaim it every first day of the week as we gather around the Lord’s table (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:26). Yet this season does give us an opportunity to remind our neighbors—and ourselves—why the empty tomb stands at the center of our faith.

Paul states it plainly: “I delivered to you as of first importance… that Christ died for our sins… that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Without the resurrection, the gospel collapses. Our preaching would be empty, our faith futile, and we would still be in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:14–17). But because Jesus rose, everything changes.
When God raised Jesus from the dead, He was not merely reversing a tragedy—He was enthroning a King. Paul says Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). The empty tomb is God’s public announcement that Jesus is Lord of all, and that His words, His promises, and His sacrifice stand forever.
Peter writes that God has “begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Our hope is not wishful thinking. It is anchored in a historical event. Because He lives, we know death does not have the final word. Because He lives, we know our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Because He lives, we know we will live also (John 14:19).
The resurrection is not only something we believe—it is something we enter. Paul reminds us that in baptism we are “buried with Him… raised with Him… to walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3–4). Every Christian has experienced a personal resurrection, a moment when God brought us from death to life. Easter weekend may come once a year, but resurrection living is the daily calling of every disciple.
While we do not observe Easter as a religious holy day, we welcome any opportunity to talk about Jesus. If friends or neighbors are thinking about the cross and the empty tomb, let’s meet them there. Let’s open the Scriptures. Let’s tell the story. Let’s point to the Savior who conquered death and still transforms lives.
The world may celebrate a holiday, but the church celebrates a risen Lord—every Lord’s Day, and every day we walk in His light.