As we enter Easter week, it’s valuable to consider the rich theology that surrounds this crucial event in the history of humanity, the focal point of the Christian faith upon which all our hope is mantled. Sola Media has curated five resources from across our publications and productions to help you dwell on the mystery of the gospel: Christ’s atoning death and resurrection.
Good Friday
This Modern Reformation article by Brannon Ellis, The Other Sixth Day: Good Friday, shows the parallels between Creation Week and Holy Week, and the shocking—even scandalous—way God addresses the problem of human sin and our need for salvation. “Such a twist in the story is almost beyond belief, and certainly beyond reason,” writes Ellis. “We had no reason or right to expect the mockery we made of the sixth day of creation to be answered by God’s plan to make a mockery of himself on the sixth day of Holy Week.”
The Divine Sacrifice
“Did God Die on the Cross?” is a commonly asked question, which Pastor Adriel Sanchez answers in this Core Christianity episode from 2022. Was Jesus crucified only in his human nature? Can God be put to death? And how does this relate to our need for redemption from our offense against an infinite God? It’s worth thinking through the complexities of the Trinitarian atonement!
You can listen to Adriel answer more commonly asked questions about Christian life, faith, and practice on Core Christianity’s updated YouTube channel.
Crucifixion and the King
“The crown of thorns should entirely upend what we value in this life,” writes Jonathan Landry Cruse, in this Core Christianity article, This Easter, Consider What the Crown of Thorns Means for You. This article will challenge you to think about the suffering and crucifixion of Christ with praise rather than pity, and be moved to love even more this great king!
A Real Resurrection
Maybe the most difficult claim for Christians to defend has been the resurrection of Christ from the dead. And yet, it is this claim that is so central to our faith—without it, Paul tells us, we are most of all to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:12–19).
In this Modern Reformation article, The Resurrection in a Secular World, Alan Noble describes how modern secularism has seeped into even the Christian understanding of the resurrection. “The secularism I’m trying to describe here isn’t usually a conscious choice or even a comprehensive worldview,” he writes. “It’s more like a reflex—unconscious, habitual, and natural—and as a result, it affects all of us alive in the West today, in some way or another.” Noble challenges Christians to embrace the reality and historicity of the resurrection, and to proclaim it as good news to those we know!
White Horse Inn hosts Kim Riddlebarger, Michael Horton, and Rod Rosenbladt discuss similar issues that surround the Easter conversation in their 1991 episode: Reason & the Resurrection.
One for the Kids!
Teaching our children about the true significance of Easter—between enjoying all the fuss over bunnies and chocolate eggs—is essential for their spiritual growth. Why did Christ come, and why did he have to die? What does that mean for us today? Sola Media’s Tell Me A Story kids podcast is here to help! Season One tells the whole story of “The Tale of Two Adams,” from creation to the second coming as described in Revelation. This episode, “The Greatest Sacrifice: Christ and the Cross,” tells the climactic events of Christ’s earthly work, his death, and his resurrection. At the end, Pastor Adriel Sanchez offers a short devotional to help kids and their families think through the events of the cross.
BONUS MATERIAL
If you want to dive deeper into the theology of Easter week, don’t miss these:
- Modern Reformation’s complete 2018 “The Crucifixion” edition
- White Horse Inn’s 2008 episode, “Crossless Christianity” with hosts Ken Jones, Kim Riddlebarger, Michael Horton, and Rod Rosenbladt
