THE EMPTY TOMB AND THE OPEN HEART
There is a false choice that tempts thoughtful Christians in every generation: we are told we must choose between right belief and right spirit—between the empty tomb and the open heart. Some cling fiercely to the resurrection yet bruise everyone around them. Others embody gentleness and mercy but quietly loosen their grip on the supernatural claims of the gospel. And watching this tension unfold, many of us instinctively say, “Give me love. I would rather walk with a kind skeptic than with a cruel orthodox man.”
That instinct is not wicked. It is a reaction against hypocrisy. The apostle Paul himself declared that if he possessed all knowledge yet lacked love, he would be nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). Jesus said we are known by our fruit (Matthew 7:16). A hard, proud, abrasive “defender of truth” is not displaying the Spirit of Christ. Doctrine that does not produce humility is suspect.
But Scripture will not let us solve the problem by minimizing the resurrection. Paul says with startling clarity that if Christ has not been raised, our faith is empty and we remain in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). The resurrection is not a theological accessory; it is the hinge of redemption. Without it, the Sermon on the Mount becomes noble moral instruction floating over an unconquered grave. With it, those commands are the charter of a new creation already breaking into history.
The New Testament never pits love against truth. Instead, it binds them together. We are told to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Love rejoices in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). The same apostles who exalted charity also guarded the proclamation that Jesus died for our sins and was raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). They corrected error patiently when believers were confused, yet they drew lines when the gospel itself was denied. Not because they loved doctrine more than people, but because they believed people cannot be saved apart from the risen Lord.
So we must say two things at once.
The man who affirms the resurrection but lacks compassion contradicts the very Lord he confesses.
The man who embodies kindness but denies the resurrection is missing the power that makes Christian love more than admirable ethics.
The empty tomb and the open heart belong together.
If Christ is risen, then death is defeated, forgiveness is real, and love is not merely aspiration but participation in the life of the Spirit. If Christ is not risen, then love may still shine beautifully—but it cannot redeem, cannot conquer death, cannot reconcile sinners to God.
We do not need colder orthodoxy.
We do not need softer doctrine.
We need the risen Christ forming His own character in us.
Truth without love hardens.
Love without truth drifts.
But resurrection truth embraced by a repentant heart produces a people who are both anchored and tender—bold in confession and gentle in spirit.
The goal is not to choose between the tomb and the Sermon.
It is to live as those who believe the tomb is empty—and therefore must love as He loved.
BDD
