Our Easter Feature

Easter: Easter is the time at which our culture decided to remember and celebrate God’s plan for human salvation, fulfilled in the death and coming back to life of Jesus. In history this happened at the time of the Jewish Passover festival.

A great mystery solved: In the events of this weekend Christians see that Jesus not only fulfilled scores of predictions made hundreds of years earlier, he also solved a mystery that had been pondered for a few thousand years: How would God sustain justice while also forgiving? Correctly, our wrongful choices deserve a punishment! A good judge sees that justice is served - not letting people off just because he or she personally wants to? On this weekend, God’s plan became clear.

Salvation explained: In a radical turn of events, God chose to come to earth as a human and live among us – yet did no wrongs at all. Being unjustly killed on the cross, God purposed that in the death of the innocent God-man (Jesus) the consequences of all who have done wrong would be paid. This fulfilled the requirements of justice that must exist if a good God exists. This also bought our freedom. His resurrection on the Sunday then confirmed his claims that he was indeed the man from God. The result is that forgiveness is offered to all who would come to God with humility and faith in what he has done.

Something surprising: Of note, the salvation offered cannot be earned in any way by any human effort or good work. It is entirely a gift from God. This idea of ‘grace’ is unique. Forgiveness and eternal life are given because of God’s love and kindness – not because we deserve them, nor because of any good work or religious effort that we might make. The logic is that perfection is the standard required, which is why a gift from God is needed, because none of us are capable of perfection by ourselves.

A celebration of hope: In summary, because of love the consequence for our wrongs have been paid by Jesus, and our forgiveness bought. All that remains is for us to turn with humility and faith, and to believe in what he has done through Christ Jesus. With this, both forgiveness and eternal relationship with God become ours.

This is the Christian belief. It is considered great news, and celebrated by more than 2 billion globally each year.

• "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only son…” - John 3:16

• "He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right." - (1 Peter 2:24)

• "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." - (John 1:12)