Knowing that I am a faithful Christian, people often ask me this time of year why I don’t celebrate Easter. And I’m not talking about the Easter Bunny and eggs; I’m talking about the religious holiday of Easter. You might even be wondering why I haven’t written any blogs over the topic of Easter.
So why do I not celebrate Easter? The most basic reason is that there is no authority in the New Testament for Christians to uphold one day of the year to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. The New Testament was written over a period of many years after Christ’s resurrection; however, there is no record of the apostles or the other early Christians celebrating Easter.
Another reason I do not celebrate the religious holiday of Easter is that each Lord’s Day should be a remembrance of Christ’s death and resurrection. When we come together to pray, sing, partake the Lord’s Supper, listen to the gospel being preached, and give to the Lord’s church we can do so because of Christ’s death and resurrection.
In Ephesians 1:19-23 Paul writes, “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his (God’s) power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
I do not want to come across as one who does not believe that Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection are important: Christ’s obedience to the Father is the ultimate blessing from above! Romans 5:8 states: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It is imperative to recognize the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ’s sacrifice covers our sins through our obedience and His resurrection shows God’s power over death. I think that 2nd Corinthians 5:14-15 is an appropriate conclusion: “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died: and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”