The Heart of Easter

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:1-9)

Almost without exception when visiting a church here in Liberia, if a time for testimonies is given someone will stand up and give a dramatic recounting of the struggle he or she went through to get out of bed and to church that day. The listening audience gives full attention, often shouting a loud "Amen!" when the the testimony is over. 

For years I could not figure out why such testimonies received so much attention. Then I had my "duh!" moment. In these churches, many of which were started by faithful missionaries who gave what they thought was a clear presentation of the gospel, people were trusting in church attendance to give them grace with God. It was a logical assumption. After all, since it seems clear from the Bible God is for church attendance, it must have saving value. Equally logical is the assumption being kind, giving to the poor, performing good deeds and generally living a moral life will secure favor with God. Surely, since no one can be perfect, God rewards a good stab at holy living with eternal life. 

Two thousand years ago another group of people also trusted in a variety of things for their eternal salvation. God had, through various prophets, given the Old Testament and its laws to those who comprised the little country of Israel. Additionally, God had revealed His nature and character through prophets. He clearly stated He was holy and so many of these Jews, in their effort to be holy as well, tried to live lives of perfect outward obedience to the Laws of Moses. What many did not understand was the whole legal system—complete with animal sacrifices and rituals—rather than saving them, proved they could never be holy in their own strength. It was put in place to prepare Israel for the day the gospel, planned by God before creation, would play out before their very eyes. 

And that is exactly what happened on Passover some two thousand years ago. On their Jewish Holy Day commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egyptian slavery and celebrated by the sacrifice of a perfect lamb, God's Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, was sacrificed on a cross for the sins of the world. It was beyond horrific that the perfect should be sacrificed for the imperfect, the just for the unjust, the unblemished for the impossibly broken. 

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But He didn't stay in the grave. Christ rose from the dead! And by conquering death He proved He was exactly who He'd claimed He was. God. ("I and My Father are one" John 10:30.) The baby of the Christmas story became the Christ of the cross and then the conquerer over death. And it is in Christ and what He did on the cross I must put my entire trust.  If I think I can add good works to make me "worthy," it shows how little I understand the holiness of God, the magnitude of what Jesus did on the cross, and the seriousness of my sin. By God's grace I must accept no syncretism, no legalism, and no mixture of law and grace. 

In Christ alone my hope is found. In Christ alone.