Well, if you’re a non-Christian, here’s why I would encourage you to care about Easter. It’s the exact same thing I say to friends of mine who are not Christians. We live in a day where religion is looked at as a matter of preference or opinion. People say things like, “All religions are fundamentally the same, they’re just superficially different. So choose whatever works best for you or feels right for you.” Along the way, the question of truth is totally avoided, which is a huge mistake. Belief is irresponsible and empty if it’s not based in truth.
Defining Truth
People say, “Well, truth is subjective … it’s a matter of preference or feeling … something may be true for you, but not true for me.” We say things like that, but we don’t really believe it. Think about it. We don’t want to go to the bank today and say, “I need to withdraw money from my account,” and hear the teller respond to us, “Well, I don’t feel like you have money in your account.” We would say, “I don’t care what you feel. I know I have money in my account and I want to withdraw it.” We don’t want that teller to look back at us and say, “Well, that may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.”
Based on what’s at stake, I would encourage any non-Christian to dive deep into an answer to this question, “Did Jesus rise from the dead?”
The reality is, either we have money in our account or we don’t. Regardless of what whoever feels, this is an issue of truth, and the last thing we want banks doing today is giving out money based on how they feel. Now, that’s a simple example, but there are thousands of others just like it in the details of our lives every day. So why, why when it comes to the most important questions in life, questions that deal with grand realities that affect eternity, why would we want to throw truth out the window then?
Why This Is Important At Easter
Here’s why this is so important at Easter. The question that Easter confronts all of us with is this: “Did Jesus rise from the dead?” That is a question of truth, not of preference or feeling. Either he did or he didn’t, and the true answer to that question affects all of us. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then Christians have based their entire lives on a lie. The Bible even says to non-Christians, “Pity followers of Jesus if He didn’t rise from the grave. Feel sorry for them.”
But if Jesus did rise from the dead, if he did what no one else has ever done—he conquered death—then however you respond to him determines what happens to you when you die. It determines whether or not you have eternal life.
Questions to Ask
The Canadian scientist G.B. Hardy said it best. He said, “When I looked at religion, I had two questions. One, has anybody ever conquered death? Two, if they have, did they make a way for me to conquer death? I checked the tomb of Buddha, and it was occupied. I checked the tomb of Confucius, and it was occupied. I checked the tomb of Mohammed, and it was occupied. Then I came to the tomb of Jesus, and it was empty. I said, ‘There is one who conquered death.’ And I asked the second question, ‘Did He make a way for me to do it?’ And I opened the Bible and discovered that he said, ‘Because I live, you shall live also.’”
The claim of Easter is that Jesus has conquered death and he has made the only way for you and me to have eternal life. Based on what’s at stake, I would encourage any non-Christian to dive deep into an answer to this question, “Did Jesus rise from the dead?” based on truth, not preference or feeling, knowing that the implications of this question are eternally important, not just for Christians but for non-Christians as well.
Resources
For a full explanation of the gospel and the significance of Christ’s resurrection, see the following resources:
- “The Most Astounding Claim in All History” (message by David Platt)
- “The Cross and Christian Resurrection” (message by David Platt)
- “The Gospel: What We Need” (message by David Platt)
- “The Gospel: What We Believe” (message by David Platt)
- Two Ways to Live (online gospel presentation)
- What is the Gospel? (book by Greg Gilbert)
- Who is Jesus? (book by Greg Gilbert)
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
