What Has The Cross And Resurrection Got To Do With You? 

You and I and were not there when Jesus was nailed to a Roman cross. We did not participate, connive, nor were we complicit in his death. We certainly had no hand in His resurrection - No man did. Unlike His death, which had human involvement, His resurrection was totally and completely orchestrated by Father God in heaven.  

It is true that we did not participate in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but these two events have eternal implications for every human being on the face of the earth. Irrespective of your religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, political or philosophical world view, every human being is affected by and will be judged by their attitude to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

I don’t think many will argue with me when I say the human nature is evil. We don’t have to train a toddler to be disobedient, they just do it. I remember warning my son at age three not to touch the fireplace in our living room, but he was always attracted to it. I was always careful to prevent him getting burnt, until one day he beat me to it. He touched it and got burnt. I didn’t have to warn him again tough, which is good. My point is, even at a tender age humans know how to disobey, test the rules, and cross the line between right and wrong. The older they get, the worse it becomes. We all have a propensity to do evil, and we are born with it.

It is that evil, that wickedness in us that necessitated the death of Jesus on the cross. Let’s work through the reasons the Bible gave for the death and resurrection of Jesus. First and foremost, the Bible says, we are all sinners. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..” (Romans 3:23). As a result of our sins, God became angry with us. You may ask why? It’s because He as our maker, made us for good, but we’ve turned bad. It’s like a car manufacturer unhappy with a major fault in a batch of cars deciding to recall the batch. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (Romans 1:18).

Now, notice that God’s wrath is revealed first because of people’s “godlessness”, which means we don’t want to know God or have anything thing to do with God. It is that godlessness that leads to wickedness. Nothing good comes out of a godless life. In contrast, godly lives produce godliness. Everything good comes out from a godly life. There is no good without God.

However, because of God’s great love, He made a way for us to be reconciled with Him: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). So, Jesus died to reconcile us back to God. He died so that you may have eternal life.

Jesus’ death on a cross satisfied God’s wrath. In dying, He paid the price of our sins, so we don’t have to pay it anymore. He took our place, so we can gain His freedom.  The way to receive God’s salvation and acceptance is to believe in Jesus, accept Him as Lord over your life and submit to Him on a daily basis. “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). That can be you this Easter.

The Bible story did not end there. Many people are afraid of death. Death seems to strike humanity with a finality that we can only helplessly and powerlessly anticipate. One we don’t have an answer for. A reality we can’t evade or prevent. A reality science has no cure for. But the good news is that Jesus has an answer for the death problem. He defeated death. On that first Easter morning He rose again. Hallelujah! The angels announced to the women who came to the tomb and found it empty, “He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:6).

The resurrection of Jesus and His promise to bring to life all those who trust in Him is the central hope of Christianity: “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (John 11:25-26, ESV). Do you believe this?

The joy of Easter is the joy of hope in faithful anticipation of the resurrection. You can have that hope too when you give your life to Jesus. So, what has the cross and resurrection got to do with you, – EVERYTHING!