I think Easter is my favorite holiday. It is not marked by any epic celebrations and it doesn’t necessarily seem spectacular. I never do anything out of this world but I always find myself in a greater reflective mood of what the period represents. This year was a bit different though. I wasn’t necessarily in a reflective mood in the days leading up to it, or even during the festivities. However, my awe of the season came on Easter Monday, when I was watching the testimony of a ex-gang member. Don’t get me mistaken, the appreciation of the significance of the celebrations should not just be confined to Easter. But Easter just offers an opportunity for even more reflection as the reason for the celebration is important for every single soul alive.
Humanity’s Inheritance
We are a fallen humanity. If you look around, you will find this fallen nature portrayed in many aspects of our lives. What is interesting about this fact, is that there is nothing that we have done to make us fallen. There isn’t a specific ‘bad thing’ that conveys our inherently corrupt nature.
All of humanity inherited this attribute as a result of Adam and Eve. ‘ Through one man sin entered the world’ (Romans 5:12). That is where all of humanity’s woes begun. Because we are all indirect descendants of Adam and Eve, we exhibit this nature as well. This inheritance has no chance of deviation.
Every seed begets its fruit. An orange seed will continually make an orange fruit. For as long as humanity still grows, everyone that is brought into this world is automatically labelled as fallen. The result of this fallen nature leads everyone to be automatically labelled as a sinner.
Expressions of our Fallen Nature
The idea that we are all granted the status of sinners is very important, because there is nothing that anyone is doing right now, that makes them a sinner. No matter how much you try by your own strength to run away from all the ‘wrong things’, you will never succeed. Every fallen man – a sinner – simply expresses variations of their inherent sinfulness. Each expressed sin is a face of humanity’s fallen nature. That is what sins are – diverse expressions of man’s fallen nature. Some people express it through self-righteousness or lying, while others express it through fornication or homosexuality. Because humans are also the problem, no one can make themselves seem any better because they have a different expression of their sinfulness. Just because you think that your little white lie is not as bad as the person who fornicates, it doesn’t make your sinful inclinations any better.
If we are all simply expressing the fallen nature of man in diverse ways, tackling the various expressions is not a very efficient solution. Such solutions are simply rooted in man’s own ability. We have discovered that there is a root cause. There is a much bigger problem at play here – the human heart. As long as we possess this corrupt flesh, we will be expressionists of this for as long as we live.
When I think about this predicament for humanity, I think it should actually be liberating for us. It is liberating because it should make us realize that there is nothing we can do by ourselves to save ourselves. There is clearly a fault at the core of our existence.
Humanity’s Solution
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
Romans 6:6
Some people might fall into despair by the imminent destruction of man and spiral into hopelessness for the human nature. That is where the relevance of Easter comes into full display. There is a way out of this conundrum. Because we cannot save ourselves, something bigger than ourselves has to be introduced for our salvation from ourselves to occur.
Jesus was the only one who could take away the sinfulness of man and give us a new heart. Through His death, He demonstrated His love towards us even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). His death was essential to take away humanity’s fallen nature. Likewise His resurrection from the grave proves that He is able to bestow unto us a new life, and remove the ramifications that come with spiritual corruption.
Easter shows us that Jesus Christ is the only one who can save us from the despair and fallen nature of humanity. He is capable of doing so because He was the perfect sacrifice that was offered to atone for our sins, once and for all (Hebrews 10:12).
Accept Humanity’s Solution
When we accept the power of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, we are affirming our inability to save ourselves from ourselves. We need this saving, because no one can deny humanity’s frailty; or the depravity within each person. Such a denial leads to individuals who will continually have problems at the core of who they are.
The Bible tells us that if we believe with our hearts that Jesus Christ is Lord, and confess with our lips that He rose from the dead, we will be saved. Those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved! So if you’re reading this and you would love to know the saving power of Jesus Christ, say this prayer with your Hands Lifted High…
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the gift of the your Son, Jesus Christ. I know I have sinned against you and have lived a life that is contrary to what You desire. Today I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins, and on the third day rose up again. Write my name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Today, I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Come and live in my heart. I receive your salvation and declare that I am born again. I declare that I am your daughter/son today. Thank you for the gift of salvation, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. ***
*** If you said this prayer, welcome to the family of the saints! Also please reach out to me on Instagram (the link is at the top of the page), or leave a comment (it isn’t published until I approve) so that I can email you.
Verses
Romans 5: 8 NLT – But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners.
Romans 5:12 NLT – When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
Hebrews 10:12 NLT – But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.