Christ the Lord is Risen Today

According to Paul, the basic gospel goes like this:

... Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. (1 Cor 15:3-8)

I know, I know, that's not the gospel. The "good news" is that life will get better (Luke 4:18-21). You know, the "social gospel." And that's all well and good ... as long as you're willing to pit Jesus against Paul. I'll go with Jesus and Paul. So this is Resurrection Sunday. What's the big deal, in the gospel, with the Resurrection?

According to Paul, the first major component of the gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Isaiah said, "But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one — to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53:5-6). Now, you may not like the concept that Christ died for our sins, but Paul calls it fundamental and Isaiah said it was the plan. Jesus was crucifed for our sin. That's what the Scriptures say. That's what Jesus said (Matt 20:28). That's the good news. His death took our sin. So what about the resurrection? Peter says that our "living hope" -- being born again -- is "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3). If our sin is gone because His death took it, our new life is available because His resurrection started it. We are immersed into Him in His death and raised again in new life by His resurrection (Rom 6:4-5). The gospel is both His death and His resurrection.

We celebrate, today, that unique and wonderful event where Christ, the spotless Lamb, took the penalty for our sin on Himself and died and rose again so that we might have new life. We need both. We can't set aside either. Forgiveness of sins and "born again" are the two points of the best possible news. The Lord is risen!