Hold Your Ground Where His Cross Was Planted—Truth Was Nailed There

As we journey through Passion Week and draw near to Easter Sunday, the climax of the Church calendar, we are invited to reflect not only on the historical events of Jesus' death and resurrection but also on their theological and existential significance. Passion Week, culminating in Easter, reveals the depth and breadth of God’s redemptive story. At the heart of this divine drama are two foundational truths that form the very core of Christianity: the Lordship of Jesus and his resurrection. These truths are non-negotiable. No matter how much pluralism, secularism, or religious syncretism may press upon us to dilute or reinterpret them, we must affirm their centrality without compromise.

The first uncompromisable truth is the identity of Jesus as Lord. The Greek term κύριος (kyrios), translated “Lord,” was not used lightly in the ancient world. It conveyed supreme authority and, in the Jewish context, was often associated with Yahweh, the personal name of God in the Old Testament. For Jesus’ disciples to call him “Lord” was a profound theological statement, identifying him with the God of Israel. This title is not honorary—it is essential. If Jesus is not Lord, he cannot be Savior. A merely human figure, however righteous, could not redeem humanity.

It is no small matter, then, that even the demons recognized Jesus as the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24), while many of the religious leaders of the day rejected him. Throughout his ministry—his teachings, miracles, authority to forgive sins, and fulfillment of prophecy—Jesus revealed that he was not merely a prophet or moral teacher but the incarnate Son of God. His life was the fulfillment of God’s promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets. Jesus is the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Son, and the covenant-fulfilling King.

To affirm Jesus as Lord is to confess his divine nature, his sovereign rule, and his saving power. It is a confession that demands our allegiance and shapes our entire existence.: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name... that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9–11, NIV).

The second non-negotiable truth is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While the cross addresses the problem of sin, the resurrection proclaims the power of life. If Jesus had not been raised, our faith would be futile and we would still be in our sins (1 Cor. 15:17). But Christ is risen, and this truth changes everything.

God, who is spirit and immortal, cannot die. Thus, for God to offer himself as an atoning sacrifice, the incarnation was necessary. Jesus, the eternal Son, took on human flesh to make possible both the death and the resurrection of God. Some object to the idea of divine incarnation, arguing that divinity and humanity cannot coexist. But such objections are rooted more in Greek dualism. God created humanity in his image—not only for fellowship but perhaps also to prepare the way for the incarnation. From the beginning, God’s plan was to enter into human history through a fully divine, fully human Savior.

Many non-Christians, including secular thinkers, are willing to acknowledge Jesus’ death as a historical fact. But the resurrection remains a stumbling block. Yet it is precisely in the resurrection that the gospel’s power is revealed. It is the divine vindication of Jesus’ identity and the assurance of eternal life for those who believe.

The resurrection not only confirms Jesus as the Son of God (Rom. 1:4), but it also inaugurates the new creation. Through it, believers receive the promise of their own resurrection and restoration: “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22, NIV). The resurrection is not a symbolic metaphor—it is a historical, bodily event that declares the final defeat of death and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. Eternal happiness is the goal of his grand narrative.

We live in an age marked by religious relativism, secular skepticism, and the pressure to embrace pluralism as a virtue. In such a context, the Christian confession that Jesus is Lord and Jesus is risen is seen as intolerant, outdated, or even offensive. Some seek to align Christianity with other religions, suggesting that Islam and Christianity share the same God, or that Hinduism can absorb Christian teachings. Others relegate Christian claims to the realm of personal myth or private belief.

But these core truths cannot be reduced to preferences or relativized by culture. Truth is, by nature, exclusive. It liberates. It pierces through the knowledge of every age. The claim that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) does not leave room for relativism. To compromise on the lordship and resurrection of Jesus is to abandon the gospel itself. If we give up one, we lose both. If Jesus is not Lord, he cannot rise from the dead. If he did not rise from the dead, he is not Lord. Then, we have no salvation and no hope. Therefore, two are inseparable.

To stand on these truths is not to be unkind—it is to be faithful. Truth does not exclude love; it empowers it. It is the truth that sets people free (John 8:32). The church must resist the temptation to conform to the spirit of the age and instead conform to the pattern of Christ. Jesus was not crucified because he compromised but because he proclaimed and embodied the truth. As his followers, we are called to do no less.

This Easter, as we remember the cross and celebrate the empty tomb, we are invited to renew our confession and recommit our lives. Jesus, the crucified and risen Lord, calls us to embody his truth in a world that often rejects it. We are not merely spectators of the resurrection—we are witnesses. Our lives must testify to the lordship of Christ and the power of his resurrection.

This witness may invite criticism or even suffering. Yet we do not stand alone. We stand with the crucified Savior who overcame the grave. We stand in the power of the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. And we stand in the hope of a coming kingdom where every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In a culture of compromise, let us be people of conviction. In a world of half-truths, let us be people of the gospel. May we live and proclaim, without hesitation, the saving truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection—until he comes again in glory. Hold your ground where his cross was planted—truth was nailed there, love poured out there, and life began there.