The Bishop of Lagos West Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), The Rt. Rev. James Odedeji, has described the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from dead as the foundation of the Christian faith and the cornerstone of their hope.

Odedeji disclosed this in his Easter Homily, last Sunday, while preaching on theme: “The Empty Tomb And Its Implications,” at Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral (AVMCC), Ikeja, Lagos.

The Bishop described Easter as the most important day in Christiandom, adding that the Bible recorded that the stone was rolled away, a proof that the tomb was empty. He noted that the emptiness of the tomb proved that Christ’s resurrection was real.

According to him, if Christ had not risen our preaching and faith would have been useless and empty.

The cleric who quoted John 20:1-18, urged Christians to hinge their faith and trust on Jesus Christ and His resurrection, adding that everything about their lives revolved on Christ’s resurrection, including forgiveness, future, purpose and prayers. He stated that the reality of the Christian existence depended on the empty tomb.

“The empty tomb, brothers and sisters, is our victory. It is God’s signed receipt, and document that the price for sin has been fully paid. So, it is the proof that love is stronger than hate. Light is stronger than darkness and light is stronger than death,” Odedeji said.

According to him, Mary Magdalene and other disciples witnessed the empty tomb.

Aside that, Odedeji noted that Jesus appeared to the disciples, including Thomas, the doubter.

Calling on Christians to have unwavering faith and also believe God’s authority, Odedeji said, “we work only by faith and not by sight. Faith is our starting point to travel with God.”

Without faith we should forget God. Those who will enjoy the fullness of God are those who demonstrate faith.”

Enumerating six things to illustrate that the tomb was empty, he said Jesus called his own by name; the empty tomb changed the Christian relationship with God forever and Jesus appeared to the 11 disciples in the Upper Room, among others.

On the benefits of the empty tomb, Odedeji disclosed that “the empty tomb demonstrated God’s divine power; God’s final authority in every situation and amid hopelessness God can still show up and, therefore, it is not over for a child of God.”