“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” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

In this passage from the Bible, the apostle Paul explains to us the central message of the Bible. He says in this passage that there are certain things in the Bible which are of “first importance.” By this he means that there are certain things in the Bible which are more important than anything else. We read then what these things are. This passage, therefore, teaches us not only the central theme of the Bible but also what Easter is all about. It explains to us why the message of the Bible is so important and why we need to understand it carefully and to receive it with all our hearts.

1. Easter is about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in this passage, “For I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” This means that the death of Christ is the most important event in the history of the world, it is of first importance. Whenever we read the Bible, we need to remember that it is all founded upon the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to remember that the whole of the Old Testament is leading up to the coming of Christ and to His death. We need to understand that when the writers of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote their books they were all leading to this one event, the death of Christ. Right from the first chapter, each gospel is leading us to the cross of Calvary. We need to understand that the letters that the apostles wrote are all founded on the death of Christ. It is His death that gave them their message. The death of Jesus Christ is of first importance.

Also in this passage, the Bible tells us that the death of Christ was according to the Scriptures. This means that the whole of the Old Testament speaks about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ as the great event in world history. It was an event that was prophesied in the Old Testament in many different ways and over many centuries. This is the event that God was talking about when He said to Satan, “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15). This was the event that God had in mind when He commanded the Israelites to sacrifice animals in the temple. The Law of Moses prepared the way for the coming of Christ and for His death.

The reason why the death of the Lord Jesus is such an important event is because it is the means by which we human beings are saved from our sin. The Bible says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). This was the purpose for which Christ came: to save sinners from the guilt and the uncleanness of their sin. His death and His resurrection are the way for us to be saved and to enter heaven; without the death and resurrection of Christ there is no salvation at all for anyone. This is the way that God has opened for us to be saved and it is the way by which we must come to Him if we are to be saved.

If you are not saved then you need to know that you will remain unsaved until you come to Christ and put your faith in Him. You will remain unsaved until you trust in Him and His death and His resurrection. You must ask God to take away your sins through the death of Christ, you must pray to God for forgiveness through the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. That is the only way you can have forgiveness for your sins: through the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary.

2. Easter is about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in this passage, “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” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

Just as the death of the Lord Jesus is at the foundation of the message of the Bible, so also is the resurrection part of that foundation: Paul taught the people in Corinth about both the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ because these are the foundation stones of our message.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that God accepted His sacrifice on behalf of sinners. On the cross of Calvary, the Lord Jesus offered to God His life for the lives of sinners and His blood for the cleansing of sinners. This is what the Lord Jesus was doing on the cross; He was doing what the priests in the Old Testament used to do when they slaughtered an animal. These priests offered up a life to God so that the people of Israel might live and not be judged; and they offered up blood so that the people could be cleansed from their uncleanness.

This is what the Lord Jesus did on the cross of Calvary for sinners everywhere: He offered His life for their sins and He offered His blood for their cleansing. And we know that God the Father accepted His sacrifice because He raised Christ from the dead. By raising Him from the dead God the Father was saying that all who trust in Christ for their salvation will be saved from their sins and be assured of a place in heaven. The resurrection of Christ shows us that Christ really is able to save completely those who come to God through Him (Heb. 7:25).

The resurrection of Christ also means that He is the only way of salvation for all sinners everywhere. When God the Father raised Christ from the dead, He was in effect saying, “Only those who come to me through Christ will be saved. He is the one upon whom I have placed my seal of approval.” There are many times when the ruler of a country has approved of a certain person, and if anyone wants to see that ruler he has to go through the person whom the ruler has approved. If he does not go through that person, then he cannot see the ruler, no matter how hard he tries. Christ is the one whom God has appointed to be the Saviour of the world. We know this because Christ is the only one whom God has resurrected. The resurrection of Christ was not like the raising of Lazarus. Lazarus was not given a new body that never died; a few years after Lazarus was raised back to life, he died: he is not alive today in a resurrection body.

The meaning of Easter for us today.

For us today, Easter means two things. It means in the first place, that there is a way for us to be saved from our sins. We human beings are all sinners. We were born sinners and we have lived lives of sin. But we do not have to die in our sins. God has opened a way for us to be saved from our sins. You may be a very terrible sinner who has lived a totally sinful life and has never attended church a single day or done anything good at any time. But this does not mean that there is no hope for you. The message of Easter is a message of hope. It is a message that tells us that God has opened a way for all sinners to come to Him and be saved. You do not need to remain in your sin, you can be saved.

In the second place, Easter means that all who come to Christ in repentance and faith are guaranteed salvation. If you come to Christ today and resolve to flee your sins and trust in Him alone you are assured of eternal salvation. If you come to Him today and pray to Him for the forgiveness of all your sins and for eternal life in heaven, He will hear you and answer you. This is the message of Easter. It is the message of eternal hope; it is the message that in Christ we have a guarantee of salvation and of eternal life.

This, then, is the meaning of Easter: it is the death and resurrection of Christ and the message of hope to all who are seeking salvation.