Easter is one of my favorite holidays. It reminds us of the reason we have salvation- the gospel of Jesus Christ, his death, burial, and resurrection. The word ‘gospel’ means ‘good news’. This good news of the gospel is that Jesus died, was buried, and resurrected in order to provide salvation for us. Most teach about the good news but never tell what the good news is or why it is significant. Jesus died, was buried, and resurrected on the third day, but how is that good? How is his death burial and resurrection good news?

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  ² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  ³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Jesus was our ultimate sacrifice who paid the ultimate price for our sins, but it wasn’t enough for Jesus to just die on the cross. He also had to be buried and resurrect from the dead. Through the acts of his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus bought our salvation. He purchased salvation with his own blood and made it available to all who obey him.

Philippians 2:5-11 ⁵ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  ⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  ¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Death of Jesus

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. He went to the cross perfect and sinless. He did not deserve death. He was the only person that could make atonement for our sins. In order to make atonement, the sacrifice had to be without blemish- without sin. This is why we cannot atone for our own sins. We are born into sin. Jesus was not born into sin because God was his father.

We have to identify with his death by dying to sin. We die to sin, put off the old man, by repenting of our sins and turning away from sin. We can’t kill the sinful nature. What we put to death is the control the sinful nature has over us.

Romans 6:12-14 ¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  ¹³ Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Christians are not under the control of sin. We must live an overcoming life and not allow sin to work in our lives.

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  ² God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

We die to sin when we repent. Repentance is a turn from sin; change of heart; a change of lifestyle; a change of paradigm. It is to be sorrowful for sin and to make a conscious decision to turn from sin. We must continue to kill sinful desires.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

1 Corinthians 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

We apply the death of Jesus to our lives when we repent in faith.

Burial

Jesus was buried for three days and three nights. During this time he set the captives free.

Ephesians 4:8-10 ⁸ Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  ⁹ (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  ¹⁰ He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

We identify with the burial of Jesus through baptism in his name.

Romans 6:3-5 ³ Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  ⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  ⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

We are buried with Jesus in water baptism. This is what Jesus is referring to in John chapter 3 when he’s talking about being born of the water.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Water baptism remits sin. It washes sin away. Baptism is only effective when performed in Jesus name coupled with faith.

Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Water baptism buries the sinful life we once had. Water baptism applies the burial of Jesus to our lives.

Resurrection

Jesus resurrected on the third day. Through his resurrection, he is the first born from the dead- the first to resurrect to a new life.

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Just as Jesus resurrected, we must also resurrect to a new life without sin.

Romans 6:4-5 ⁴ Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  ⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

The likeness of his resurrection is the Spiritual birth that Jesus was talking about in John chapter 3.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

We identify with his resurrection through Spirit baptism.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Through the resurrection of Jesus we can have a new life.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Jesus bought the gospel with his own blood.

Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

This is the work that Jesus was sent to do. This is what he was talking about when he said he would raise on the third day.

John 2:19-22 ¹⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.  ²⁰ Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?  ²¹ But he spake of the temple of his body.  ²² When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

The gospel is his death, burial, and resurrection. We identify with the gospel through repentance, being baptized in Jesus name, and being filled with the Holy Ghost. This gospel message is summarized by Peter.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Salvation is God’s works, not our works. There is nothing we can do to work for our salvation, but we must obey the Word of God. Jesus purchased our salvation with his own blood. Salvation is a free gift by the grace of God. All we have to do is apply it. We apply it by first believing on Jesus as the scriptures say. Then, we have faith that Jesus will save us. Next we repent of our sins with the intention of forsaking sin, be baptized in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Finally, we must live a clean and holy life putting God first, and then we must endure till the end.