Articles
Resurrection Points
The events surrounding the death of Jesus the Christ are of the greatest importance to the whole of mankind, though few understand this, fewer still who know just some of the consequences and the power of the resurrection, and even fewer still who care. Many live their entire lives not knowing the power of the resurrection of Jesus and what it means, or can mean, to mankind, but if you are one, I beg your attention for just a few minutes.
This Was Foreseen. The first time the gospel message was preached [the gospel being the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and the fact of Jesus being the Christ and Son of God — as He claimed — and this world’s only Savior], Peter quoted David’s writings (Psa. 16:8-11) where it was said, “I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence” (Acts 2:25-28), and then noted, “he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ” (Acts 2:29-31). The point that should not be overlooked here is that David — about 1000 years before Christ came to earth — foresaw the resurrection of the Christ!
Once, when Jesus was in Galilee with His disciples, He told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up” (Matt. 17:22, 23). Jesus, of course, knew this would happen, for He knew all things. Let us note that the resurrection of Jesus was not an unexpected event; it was known that it would happen long before that day came.
There is Eyewitness Testimony of Its Reality. After Jesus was raised and the apostles began preaching the gospel message, the resurrection was a major point within the gospel message they preached! It is said that, on one occasion, the apostles “with great power…gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33). Many years later, when the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, he reminded them of the basic points of the gospel, one being “that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time” (1 Cor. 15:3-8). Again, let us not merely skim over the fact we have eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus — over 500!
If we were sitting on a jury and heard over 500 witnesses testify that they had all seen the same thing, would that not be what we sometimes call ‘overwhelming evidence’ to the truthfulness of the claim? The credibility of these witnesses must be given considerable weight — even more so when we consider that many were willing to die — and did die — because they refused to deny what they had seen. Many others who were not eyewitnesses, but who also taught others about the reality of the resurrection, were also willing to die [and did die] for their testimony. I would say without a doubt that their credibility is unimpeachable!
It Declared Him to be the Son of God. Paul noted, in his opening words to the brethren at Rome, that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:1-4). We might not initially understand how His resurrection declared Him to be the Son of God, but consider that if Jesus made the claim, but was an impostor or a fraud, God would not have given Him any credibility by the signs, wonders, and miracles He performed, much less raise Him from the dead! But Jesus did make the claim to be the Son of God (Matt. 26:63, 64; John 10:36), and God the Father testified to the truthfulness of His claim by raising Him from the dead! If that were not plain enough, God would verbally declare [more than once] regarding Jesus, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17; Matt. 17:5). The resurrection should eliminate any doubt of the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God.
We Are Saved, Through Baptism. Many people have been misled into believing the act of baptism is merely symbolic, but the apostle Peter wrote, by Divine inspiration, “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:21; ESV). Let’s take a couple of parenthetical statements out of that for just a minute to show the connection: “Baptism…now saves you…through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Again, it may not be initially clear as to how this is done, but consider again the strength of the resurrection and what it declared. If it declared Him to be the Son of God [and it did, Rom. 1:4], then it also declared His other claims to be the Christ and the world’s Savior were also true. Therein is the saving power of His resurrection!
It is in the act of obedient faith that one is baptized, where we are “buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him,” and with faith in the working of God, it is then God does that work of making us “alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses” (Col. 2:12, 13). In baptism, we are “baptized into His death” and the saving power of His death (Rom. 6:3, 4). If we are never baptized into Jesus Christ and reject its saving power, we are rejecting what gives it power: the death of Jesus [by which we are forgiven] and the resurrection of Jesus [proof He was who He claimed to be]. Because of His resurrection [and these are the Divinely-inspired words of Peter], “Baptism…now saves you…through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
We Are Begotten Again to a Living Hope. Peter began his first letter by thanking God that He “according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3). We might see Peter’s point about being “begotten again,” for we all know of the words of Jesus when He told Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). But what is this “living hope” to which we are born again, and how is this “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”?
The “living hope” of which Peter speaks is that hope of not just spiritual life, but eternal life, which would necessitate being raised from the dead at some point, and that is where the resurrection of Jesus comes into play. As Paul noted in his letter to the Corinthians, it is because “Christ is risen from the dead” that He “has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20) — the hope and promise of disciples one day being raised from the dead, too. The resurrection of Jesus has given disciples true hope that they will one day be raised and to live eternally with Him in heaven. If He had not been raised, we would have no hope of living again!
Please do not underestimate the value and power of the resurrection of Jesus. Thank God He was raised! — Steven Harper
