“The angel said to the woman, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He is risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.'”
Matthew 28:5-6
I was recently reflecting on our church’s Easter service, and it caused me to wonder how people who are not Christians might respond to the gospel message of Easter Sunday. In particular, how do they receive or understand the Easter message if Easter Sunday is likely the only time they visit a church, in person or on-line? As a lifelong Christian, I understand the Easter message very well because I have been brought up in the Christian faith. But do these non-Christians have the basic foundation to understand it?
The Christian faith can be summarized into the following set of belief statements:
1. God created the heavens, the earth, and man (in His image) and they were perfect
2. Because of Adam & Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, man was corrupted by sin
3. Man cannot escape his sinful condition by his own efforts
4. Jesus, as God’s Son, sacrificed His perfect life on a cross to pay the price for our sin
5. The resurrection of Jesus defeated death for us so we would not die but have eternal life
6. We can receive this eternal life by simply putting our faith in Jesus and what He did for us
These are the essentials of the Christian faith. However, the Easter message often only contains the last three statements about his crucifixion, death and resurrection. The first three statements are usually left out and perhaps assumed to be generally understood. But for those who have not been exposed to Christianity that is probably not true. Without the foundation of the first three statements the last three might not make sense. So the significance and the enormity of what happened on that first Easter 2,000 years ago may be lost on those who do not know or accept the first three statements.
Consequently, if the Easter message is heard without an understanding of why Jesus did what He did, it is not as likely to gain acceptance. It’s like the story of Philip and the Eunuch from Acts 8:26-40. The Eunuch needed Philip to explain to him the passage from Isaiah that he was reading. He needed the context and the foundation of it in order to understand it. Philip gave that to him so that he could believe the good news!
I think there are basically four reasons why non-Christians find it hard to believe or accept the Easter message if that’s all they hear.
First, they do not accept it because they reject the idea of a sovereign God. Some Americans don’t believe God exists. Many others believe that even if God exists, they don’t think He is sovereign or relevant to their lives. Most of them choose to believe in science and in the big bang theory of creation over the Biblical account. Still others will argue that if God is so good, why is there suffering and pain caused by the world He created? If these issues aren’t addressed then people won’t, or can’t, believe in a sovereign God. And if they don’t believe God exists, is sovereign, or is relevant, then they are unlikely to believe in Jesus or His resurrection.
Second, some people reject Christianity because they don’t believe that they are corrupted by sin. Many people believe that they are good people at heart. There’s even a country song out now by Luke Bryan that says he believes “most people are good.” If you or I asked a group of people if they thought people were basically good, most of them would say yes, including many Christians. But this is in direct contradiction with Scripture that says “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 8:23) and “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1st John 1:9) It is difficult for some people to accept the fact that they might not be a good person. As a result, many people won’t accept that they are sinful by nature and thus they do not need to be made good, or righteous.
Third, some people reject Christianity because they think that they can fix their faults and shortcomings themselves. So, even if they accept that God exists and that they are sinful, they don’t think they need God or Jesus to help them overcome their sins and failures. They believe that if they just try harder and put forth greater effort they can change their behavior. But the truth is, we cannot fix ourselves by our own power (Ephesians 2:8-9). The only way to resolve our sinful nature is to take on the spiritual nature (Galatians 5:16), which means to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to change. Many people can’t accept that they need help from somewhere else to solve their sin problem, and so they reject the need for a savior.
But there is also a fourth and more rational reason why non-Christians reject the Easter message. Even if they manage to get past these first three hurdles, some of them reject the idea that Jesus’ death on the cross somehow took away their sin and made a way for them to live eternally. To me, this is the most reasoned objection, because it is so utterly fantastic to believe! How is it possible that one man’s death could take away the sin of everyone who has ever lived, died or has yet to be born? And yet, Jesus did just that! God’s Word tells us that “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” (Colossians 1:21-22) Why do I know and believe this to be true? Because I also believe and accept that God is sovereign, I am a sinner and I need a savior!
For me, the bottom line of the Easter message means that if I put my faith in Jesus I will not die. This life of mine is not all there is. It is my present reality and I do enjoy it. But my faith in Christ is predicated on my belief in a sovereign God, my acceptance that I am sinful by nature, and my trust in Christ as my Savior from sin and death. I do not want to spend one day, in this world or the next, without my God or my Savior Jesus! His promise to never leave me or forsake me sustains me in this life (Hebrews 13:5). But the promise of eternal life, given to me through Jesus’ death and resurrection, gives me the hope of spending eternity with Him (John 3:16)! Being separated from God after our earthly death is called hell. And indeed that’s where those who reject God or fail to believe or put their faith in Jesus will end up (John 3:18).
It is hard to understand why people would choose hell by rejecting God and Jesus. But perhaps they wouldn’t if they knew and accepted that God is sovereign, they have a sinful nature, and they need a savior. And that’s where you and I come in. We are God’s chosen instruments to share God’s Truth as well as this good news of Easter. We can’t just tell them the end of the story and expect people to believe it without knowing why it was necessary. We must build a foundation on the truth of God, our sin condition, and our need for a savior. That creates the fertile ground for the seed of faith in Jesus to be planted in others. This not only produces hope in the life to come but also a changed life in the world they live in now.
May our sovereign God give us the words and wisdom to bring others to Him through Jesus, the Truth, the Cross, and a new life in Christ!