The resurrection of Jesus is more than a victory over death: it reveals God’s plan to transform human beings so that they can enjoy eternal fellowship with Him.
“Easter is a celebration of God’s omnipotence,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider said as he began the divine service on Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026, in Metz, France. He was referring to the Bible text from 2 Corinthians 4: 14 on which the sermon was based. “… knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.”
The resurrection: a sign of divine power
By raising Jesus from the dead, God confirmed that …
- … “Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, whom He had sent to earth” and “that His message was true”.
- … “He was almighty.” Neither political nor military nor religious power, nor society, nor the guards, nor the stone sealing the tomb—“nothing could prevent the resurrection of Jesus Christ”.
- … “the resurrection was a divine revelation”, which makes clear what salvation consists of. God does not merely want to deliver us from suffering and death, but to bring about a radical transformation. “I want to give you a new nature, the divine nature, which is capable of living in eternal fellowship with God in His kingdom.”
From fear to boldness
Jesus appeared to the disciples as the Risen One, which caused a profound transformation in them. At first they had been fearful, weak, and had locked themselves in a room, but “when the Holy Spirit had come upon them”, they set out and began to preach the resurrection, proclaiming Jesus Christ, His salvation, and His message. The opposition they faced was still the same—politics, the military, religion, society—but the power of the Risen One lived within the disciples.
This belief in the resurrection also gave the early Christians, who no longer actually personally knew Jesus, incredible strength, the Chief Apostle said. “Starting with Apostle Paul”—persecuted, beaten, weak, sick, frail—“but what power!” It was his faith in the resurrection that enabled him to spread the gospel throughout the Mediterranean region. According to Paul, the church in Corinth was made up of ordinary people: those with little education and few possessions. “But what energy!” exclaimed the Chief Apostle, “They proclaimed Christ, the resurrection, and the message of the gospel.”
Strengthened by the resurrection
“And today?” Chief Apostle Schneider asked. Two thousand years later, that same resurrection power is still at work. However weak and imperfect today’s Apostles and the Church may seem, “no one can prevent God from taking the next step: the first resurrection”.
Faith in the resurrection “gives us strength, makes us strong, and gives us an energy that the world cannot comprehend”. Because it gives us
- certainty: “I know where I’m going.” God’s plan is known, and we trust in Him.
- serenity: “Even when everything seems to be going wrong today, I know that Jesus loves me” and wants salvation for everyone.
- hope: The glory that God has in store is so great and magnificent that “no one will ever again think of the suffering they endured on this earth”.
- motivation: “He motivates us to take action.” We must rid ourselves of everything that takes us away from Christ.
- unity: Despite all our diversity and differences, belief in the resurrection gives us the strength and power to overcome divisions. “That is what unites us.” And the stronger that belief is, the stronger the unity.
The same reward for all
In his letters, Paul provides references to the first resurrection. “He explains that the dead and the living will be raised at the same time,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider explained. For when they die, the dead do not go to heaven to be with Jesus, but into the beyond.
Furthermore, Paul says, “I will be raised with you, and we will appear together before Christ.” He does not want any distinctions to be made, but wants “nothing other than what Jesus gives to the other believers in the church”. God wants to give the same to the first and the last, for no one can earn grace and salvation.
God is righteous. He “gives everyone the strength they need to do what He asks of them.” To the sick, the strength to bear their cross; to the ministers, the strength to fulfil their calling. He demands that everyone make the most of what He has given them. “And He will give everyone the same reward that Jesus earned, and that none of us can earn.”
Yes or no at the marriage supper
“There is no first class or second class at the marriage supper. It is a case of yes or no,” the Chief Apostle stressed, referring to the false modesty of some who are content “with the very last seat on the very last chair in the wedding hall”. He said, “God expects us to believe in the resurrection and to do everything we can to prove our love for the Lord and our desire to be with Him.”
When the Lord comes, “we will meet the Risen One and see Jesus as He really is”. This encounter “will transform us profoundly. We will have a new body, a new nature, new power, and new strength.” This is how “we will return to earth and proclaim Christ’s message to all people, both here on earth and in the beyond.”
“All those who believe in the resurrection will experience it and be able to serve Christ for all eternity,” the Chief Apostle affirmed in conclusion. “This is your future.”
Photo: ENA France
