As Easter draws near, thoughts go to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its significance. His resurrection is the paramount event in the redemptive plan of God. That being the case, it is crucial that we understand some important facts about it.

            The resurrection substantiates prophecy. Hosea 6:1-2 reads, "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.” It is believed by scholars that this is the scripture to which the apostle Paul refers in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, when he wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”.

            The resurrection validates Jesus’ testimony of Himself. John 8 contains an interesting exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees and various other Jews. While in the temple courts, he told them, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." (Abraham “saw it” in types, in promises from God, and from an encounter with Jesus in Genesis 18.) Jesus then went on to call Himself “I am”. In the Greek, “I am” is a prolonged form of a primary verb: not just “I am”, but “I was” and “I have been”.  Jesus applied to himself a word that denotes the continued and unchanging existence of God. Only God Himself could overcome death, and in this, as well as many other verses, Jesus claimed deity.

            The resurrection proves God’s sufficiency in all things. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he proved his ability to one day fulfill the promise of the resurrection of believers (2 Corinthians 4:14).

            This Easter, in churches all over the world, people will hear why we can put faith in this pivotal event in history. I hope that you will celebrate the resurrection with a local body of believers near you.

Mark Nickles is a husband, father of three, and a pastor in Northeastern Oklahoma. Copyright, Mark A. Nickles.