Christ is Risen!

NT Wright, in one of the final chapters of The Resurrection of the Son of God concludes:

"The historical datum now before us is a widely held, consistently shaped and highly influential belief: that Jesus of Nazareth was bodily raised from the dead. This belief was held by virtually all the early Christians for whom we have evidence. It was at the centre of their characteristic praxis, narrative, symbol and belief; it was the basis of their recognition of Jesus as Messiah and lord, their insistence that the creator god had inaugurated the long-awaited new age, and above all their hope for their future bodily resurrection. The question we now face is obvious: what caused this belief in the resurrection of Jesus?" (Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, pg 685

The answer to that question is obvious. Christ is risen! He is the first-fruits of the final resurrection, the Savior and Lord of all believers, and the inauguration of the New Heavens and the New Earth. He is the risen Messiah. And we know this for certain because 1) The Word of God declares it 2) The Holy Spirit assures us of it 3) General Revelation (in this case, the historical discipline) strongly testifies to point 1 and 2 (as NT Wright thoroughly demonstrates in his work).

As we all celebrate today, let's remember that the special emphasis which we often place on this day, ought to spill over to every Lord's day, and through that, to every day of our lives.