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Bible verses for Easter
Central passages for Easter services, cards, and devotions — verses on the crucifixion, resurrection, and what they mean for Christian faith.
What are the best Bible verses for Easter?
Easter is the hinge of Christianity. If the resurrection did not happen, Paul says, faith is in vain. The Bible gives multiple accounts of the death and rising of Jesus, and the epistles explain what it means for the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life.
These verses are chosen for Easter morning services, greeting cards, and personal devotions. They cover the full arc of the Easter story: the cross, the empty tomb, and the transformed lives that followed.
Key passages
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
O death, where is thy sting? — Paul’s triumphant Easter cry. All the saints should not die, but all would be changed. In the gospel, many truths, before hidden in mystery, are made known.
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"
I am the resurrection, and the life — Jesus’ own Easter declaration. Here was a house where the fear of God was, and on which his blessing rested; yet it was made a house of mourning. Grace will keep sorrow from the heart, but not from the house.
"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
He is not here: for he is risen — the angel’s announcement at the tomb. Christ rose the third day after his death; that was the time he had often spoken of. On the first day of the first week God commanded the light to shine out of darkness.
"Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him."
Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. Baptism teaches the necessity of dying to sin, and being as it were buried from all ungodly and unholy pursuits, and of rising to walk with God in newness of life.
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;"
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures — the earliest creedal summary. The word resurrection, usually points out our existence beyond the grave. Of the apostle's doctrine not a trace can be found in all the teaching of philosophers.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"
A lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. This epistle is addressed to believers in general, who are strangers in every city or country where they live, and are scattered through the nations.
Main takeaways
- Easter in the Bible is about the bodily resurrection of Jesus, not a metaphor.
- The cross and the empty tomb are held together — sacrifice and victory.
- The earliest Christian confession was simply: Christ is risen.
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Reading paths
Start with the person of Jesus before trying to master the whole canon. This route keeps the reading human-scale and direct.
Further guides
Prophecies about Jesus explained
A guide to the major Old Testament passages Christians read in relation to Christ, and how the New Testament uses them.