So what does the empty tomb mean today?
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
The empty tomb, Christ risen, is something we can celebrate every day. Once we’ve come to the end of ourself and have cried out to God that we want Jesus! That we believe he is alive. That the blood he shed was for you and for me. Once we finally realize that as much as we may try – we cannot achieve the righteousness required for eternity with God. Once we finally take a deep breath, let go of the futile attempts at getting it right on our own and fully surrender to Christ. Then every day becomes a celebration of the new life God gives us through Christ.
What do we lose? We lose the heavy burden of never being good enough because Jesus loves us right where we are. We lose the feeling of failure that we have when we think about the mistakes we’ve made because God has forgotten them. We lose the daily search for that “something” we’re missing to make our life complete because all along, that “something” was Jesus.
What do we gain? We gain an indescribable joy that comes from the only One that truly loves us unconditionally. We gain the hope that assures us of an eternity with God, whatever our earthly experiences may be. We gain the faith that once we accept Christ as our Savior, we can look at every situation and with confidence say: “God’s got this!”
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. (Isaiah 43:25 NIV)
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8, 9 NIV)
For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. (1 Peter 1:23 NLT)
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. (Ezekiel 36:26 NLT)
But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4, 5 NLT)
This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. (Titus 1:2 NLT)