Like Christmas, Easter is just beginning on Easter day. There are 49 days until Pentecost and this season is called EasterTIDE because the significance and benefits of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection continue to rise up in our hearts and minds. Like the tide coming in that lifts everything in its wake, so Jesus’ resurrection has power to lift up and restore life, to everyone and in every way.
For a long time, I have been focused on the study and teaching of truth on the basis of universal human experience and on the Bible. Yet it seems like I’m only beginning to unpack the content of God’s grace toward us. For example, it was only a year ago that I began to notice how the gospel is spoken of only in terms of forgiveness and faith. “Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins, therefore God forgives if you have faith.” That is true but is the tip of the iceberg (image below just in case you haven’t seen it).
Yes, Jesus suffered all the condemnation of the law against our sin. But Jesus also did all that the law requires that we fail to do. All that He did right He credits to us; all that we do wrong, God charged against Him. What’s more, “faith,” “belief,” and “trust” all have to do with God’s work to bring us to honesty about dependence.
There are only two religions; you save you or God saves you. The gospel, or good news, is that God has and continues to save us; from before creation, every day, and forever. God bless you and yours and our whole world this EasterTIDE.