If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

— 1 Corinthians 15:17

When our street was closed for a utility repair, there was only a sign that said, “Road Closed.” There was no explanation. We soon learned that a sewer line had broken, and the repair would only take a day—but the sign did not say any of that.

As we saw yesterday in the book of Mark, the angel at the tomb announced that Jesus had risen, but there was no explanation of what that meant. “He has risen” is a declaration, not an explanation. Mark 16:6 simply records the angel’s ­announcement.

Thankfully, the Bible includes many other passages that help to explain this announcement, and the church and believers continue to work out the implications of that message for our daily living today.

For example, 1 Corinthians 15 fills several pages with a discussion of the resurrection, including the point that “if Christ has not been raised . . . you are still in your sins.”

And to put this positively, this means that because Christ has been raised, your sins have been forgiven, washed away, gone forever! This is the good news that Jesus came to bring and to make real in the lives of all who believe in him.

This declaration is true: Christ lives, and our sins are gone! Jesus arose for me and for you! Thanks be to God!

Dear God, even if I don’t fully understand how Jesus’ resurrection means that my sins are removed, help me to trust in you—and to see how powerful your love is for me. In Jesus, Amen.