The church historian Jaroslav Pelikan has said that “if Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen—nothing else matters.”
This is my favorite quotation about Easter. All of human history revolves around whether Jesus Christ, the God-man, rose from the dead. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we are still in our sins and the point of life is to pursue pleasure after which we die and rot. This is Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 15. Life is meaningless apart from the resurrection. If Jesus did in fact rise from the dead, then nothing else matters. Our entire life and allegiance should be focused on Christ.
Since this is the pivotal moment of human history, then its truthfulness is of utmost importance. Did Jesus walk out of his tomb 1,987 years ago? Or, was he crucified, buried, and decomposed? Christian apologist Lee Strobel gives four compelling reasons to believe in the resurrection.
Billions have believed the miracle of Easter throughout the last two millennia. And for good reason. The evidence is trustworthy that Jesus Christ, who died for sinners, was raised to life three days later. The question for this Easter is simply this: how will this change the way you live?
If Christ is risen, nothing else matters!
Brian J. Arnold
President