5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,” (Luke 24:5–6, NKJV)
The resurrection of Jesus is the keystone of the gospel; without it, Christians have no faith, no forgiveness, and no hope (1 Cor. 15:17-19). Yes, He is risen! At the same time, one must admit the New Testament does not speak of, describe or command an “Easter” celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. No churches in the Bible had Easter services. There is no Easter holiday found there. The religious holiday called Easter developed as men moved away from following the apostles’ teaching, and added their traditions and decrees to the Scriptures. The Council of Nicea (325 AD), called by Emperor Constantine, decreed celebrating the resurrection of Christ (the “Christian Passover”) should be on a Sunday; it was the 7th century before the Catholic Church decreed rules assigning its annual date. Yet, all the while, God’s word continued to say nothing about such a religious holiday. God’s word does, however, say that God does not accept the traditions of men as true worship (Matt. 15:7-9; Col. 2:20-23). Christians honor Christ’s resurrection weekly, by our worship on the Lord’s Day – the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10).
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