A post on the Easter message

I cannot pass up the opportunity on this Easter to repeat the message that C.F.W. Walther, The American Luther, presented to not only to American Christianity, but to all Christianity of the world.  I recently posted it as Part 8 of my series "Walther as Theologian – Justification".

As the Lord was bringing me back to my old faith, the faith that was taught me from my youth in confirmation classes, it was precisely this main message of Easter that grounded me in my faith now.  I quote from Pieper's essay on Walther and Easter:

Many, even among preachers, do not rightly know what to do with the resurrection of Christ. They read that Christ raised Himself and then again that the Father raised Him, and they do not know how to harmonize this. They suppose at one time that Christ arose in order to prove His deity and at another that He was raised in order that the possibility and certainty of our resurrection might be established. True as both these assertions are, yet neither one is the chief matter. Christ would not have died and risen again only to prove His deity; and the possibility of our resurrection had indeed already been proven by the resurrection of others before Christ; the chief matter remains that God through Christ declared: Christ has now paid for the sins of the whole world, it is therefore free from its guilt; now the entire world can raise the shout of victory, for its freedom from sin and its righteousness is won. Furthermore: when God raised His son from the dead He did not forgive Him His own sin but that of all mankind which He had taken upon Him; He did not justify Christ from His own guilt but from our guilt which He had allowed to be imputed unto Him. Thus the whole world has been justified through the resurrection of Christ.

What?  You mean that Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ, is not chiefly a matter of any of these:

• chocolate Easter bunnies, Easter breakfast meal, or Easter eggs,
• the possibility and certainty of our resurrection,
• to prove Christ's deity,
• that the Father forgave Jesus own sin
• that the Father justified Christ from His own guilt

So what is the chief matter of Easter, the one thing that all Christians can truly be happy about?  ... can give a shout of victory?  It is this:

• Christ has now paid for the sins of the whole world
• the world is therefore free from its guilt
• freedom from sin
• righteousness is won

In other words, the gates of heaven have been flung wide open because:

...the whole world has been justified through the resurrection of Christ.

Happy, Joyous Easter!... in Christ!