By Craig Beeman
As Easter approaches, it is a good time to consider the question, “What would your life would be like if Jesus had not been raised from the dead?
What if Jesus had just performed miracles, talked a lot about the kingdom of God and spoken about how much His Heavenly Father loves us?
Sure, He still would have been praised for these things by those who followed Him, and he would have been held in awe by them until the day He died. After that there would still be fond memories of a man who was a good man. There would be memories of His childhood and some of the things He said.
But, eventually some of the things He said and did would be forgotten, even by His most devout followers.
The truth is, at some point in time the memories that did exist would be in the minds of those who knew Him best and no one else.
That would be the end of His story.
Two thousand years later, you and I would have not been impacted by His death — an ordinary type of death, then and now, not unlike anyone else’s in time.
Maybe, just maybe, some of what He “supposedly” did would have been passed down through time. There are always some who hold on to beliefs they can only have through faith or through stubborn ignorance.
The fact is, even if Jesus performed miracles, talked a lot about the Kingdom of God, and spoke about how much His Heavenly Father loves us, none of that would matter if His remains were still in a grave.
None of what Jesus did, what He may have done or even possibly did, matters if it does not impact us today.
A life without the resurrection, means no hope of Heaven. Without the resurrection, we still would be waiting on the Messiah to come. No resurrection — no eternal forgiveness of sin.
Can you picture that?
We would have to truly confess our sins daily — moment by moment — and hope that we were O.K. with God when our time came.
A dodgy way to live — living without knowing God will let you into Heaven when you die!
I can’t imagine having to live thinking that I only “might” go to Heaven. I need assurance.
I am so thankful that God made the way for us to have forgiveness of sins through Christ’s death on the cross.
I am so thankful that when He was placed in the borrowed tomb He did not stay there.
In the resurrection is the promise of new life.
In the resurrection is the assured hope of salvation.
In the resurrection is the guarantee that there is an eternal life beyond this world.
In the resurrection there is the blessed hope that a place is reserved for those who believe on His name.
I hope you have plans for attending an Easter Sunday service somewhere — to experience a time of worship with family wherever they may be.
But, if you’re in Winnsboro, there’s no better place to worship than with our family at First Baptist Church.
Craig Beeman is pastor of First Baptist Church in Winnsboro and chairman of the Baptist Message board of trustees. His column originally was published in the April 6 edition of the church’s newsletter carried in the Baptist Message as a special insert for the congregation’s subscribers.
