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Shawn Wasson

Dr. Shawn Wasson is senior pastor of Bethany Baptist Church.

Easter brings newness to life

We will sing, shout and preach about the empty tomb this Easter Sunday. Jesus is alive. Death did not stop him, the grave could not hold him, and through his resurrection power we may have the gift of eternal life. Do you believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead? That is the essence of the gospel--the story of Jesus.

However, I think something may be missing. Have we forgotten why Jesus died on the cross? We watch documentaries that paint him as a failed political leader. They see his death as an unfortunate consequence. If you listen closely, they also deny the bodily resurrection. It is like someone saying a deceased loved one lives on in our hearts, memories, and imaginations. The resurrection of Jesus is a fact, not a euphemism.

We believe Jesus rose as he said he would. But do you know why he died? He died to make atonement for our sin. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed. We are taught that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. That means sin is a big deal and leads to death.

Jesus was willing to take my sin, shame and guilt upon himself and die so that I may live. In Exodus, we read about the 10 plagues as Moses was negotiating with Pharaoh for the release of the Hebrew people. The final plague was death of the firstborn. Those who had blood painted over their door posts, from a sacrificial lamb, were spared from this fate. Like the Passover lamb, Jesus's blood is placed over us, and we are spared from God's wrath against sin.

I realize that some people have a problem with the notion of God punishing sin. Perhaps they do not think there should be consequences for people who do unspeakable evil to others. However, the Bible teaches that God is a God of justice. Sin will be punished.

In many Christian circles, I hear people say flippantly, "We are all sinners," and "No one can judge, because we are all messed up." There is truth in that, but we can have victory over sin because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. Sin leads to destructive consequences, and it is unloving to condone sin.

To make people comfortable with their sin is not doing them a favor since they are destroying themselves. This is not love for the sinner, but love for oneself. We are more concerned that people like us than we are about where they will spend eternity.

I will never forget a time when my uncle disciplined me. I was in my early teens, and I was riding a bike in front of his house. He lived off a highway and the speed limit was 55 mph. A car was coming, certain that I had time, I crossed in front of the driver back into my uncle's property. The car honked and whizzed by. My uncle was livid. He swatted me and raised his voice. I later realized he did this because he loved me, and I had almost gotten myself killed in front of him.

Maybe preachers shouting at sinners has gone out of style, but we all need to be told to repent of our sin and trust in Jesus. Like I misunderstood my uncle's love for me, many do not understand the Christian message about loving sinners and hating sin. I have repented of riding bicycles in the path of speeding automobiles. Like my uncle, I do not want the people I love to do anything that might get themselves killed.

Romans 6:1-4 asks, "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

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