Easter is coming up a lot faster than most of us have anticipated. For many of us, we may think about Easter bunnies and colorful eggs that cover our front yards. But what is the meaning of Easter from the Bible, and why do Christians celebrate this holiday?

More than 2,000 years ago, on Resurrection Sunday, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ overcame the grave. He lived a perfect and blameless life and paid the penalty for our sins by dying for them on the cross.

But the story doesn’t end there. Christ overcomes death. Because of his victory over the grave, we have the opportunity to experience eternal life with him if we come into a saving relationship with him.

So what is Easter? And why do Christians place such a high importance on this holiday?

“Easter or Resurrection Sunday is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the tomb on the third day after his crucifixion. Easter is the fulfilled prophecy of the Messiah who would be persecuted, die for our sins, and rise on the third day (Isaiah 53). Remembering the resurrection of Jesus is a way to renew daily hope that we have the victory over sin. According to the New Testament, Easter is three days after the death of Jesus on the cross. Easter follows a period of fasting called Lent, in which many churches set aside time for repentance and remembrance. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion. The 40 day period was established by Pope Gregory 1 using the 40-day pattern of Israel, Moses, Elijah and Jesus' time in the wilderness.” —Susan E. Richardson

We celebrate Easter because not only did our Lord conquer death, but without the Resurrection, we have no foundation for our faith.

1 Corinthians 15:13-15 says, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.”

In other words, Christianity has no point if the Resurrection didn’t happen. Christians would’ve been martyred for nothing and placed their faith in false hope.

Thankfully, the Resurrection did occur, and for those reasons, we have immense hope and assurance.