But God raised Him from the dead (Acts 13:30).

Spring is nearly synonymous with new life—trees budding, flowers blooming, baby animals cavorting in pastures. As Christians, we know that new life—resurrected life—comes only from Jesus. But must we relegate that conscious knowing to the time we think of as the “Easter season”? We shouldn’t.

One of the most powerful statements in the entire Bible is found in Acts 13:30: “But God raised Him from the dead.” It’s as if that one short sentence—just seven little words—validates everything we believe. And it should be celebrated all year long.

Think about it. Would there even be a New Year’s celebration, based on the Roman calendar, if God hadn’t raised Jesus from the dead? Of course not. Despite His good deeds and exemplary life while He walked this earth, His name would have blurred into the mishmash of others who also did nice things and then faded into obscurity. It was His resurrection from the dead that validated His existence and, in turn, inspired the dividing line of B.C. and A.D. on our calendars.

What about Thanksgiving? Would there really be anything to celebrate with gratitude if God had not raised Jesus from the dead?

And then there’s Christmas—the “Royal Birth Day,” as I like to call it. Would we still recognize and celebrate Christ’s birth if He had stayed in the grave? I think not.

“But God raised Him from the dead” is the pivotal statement of our faith, the point around which all else in Christendom—and in the world and even in eternity—revolves. Without resurrection, we have no hope. There is nothing to celebrate or anticipate. As the Apostle Paul said, when stressing the importance and absolute necessity of the Resurrection, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Our hope is not only in this life, but rather in the next. If God raised Jesus from the dead, we can rest assured that He will do the same for those of us who have accepted the Resurrected Christ as our Savior. Let’s celebrate the promise of resurrection—all year long!

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