Why Was Jesus Raised from the Dead?

The Resurrection

When Jesus was on earth, he raised four people from the dead: the widows’ son (Luke 7:15), the 12-year-old daughter of Jarius (Mark 5:42), Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha (John 11:44), and Himself. John 10:18 mentions how Jesus said, “No one takes if from me, but I lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” This charge Jesus says, He has received from His Father. What is interesting though about the resurrection of Christ is that the entire Trinity had a part to play in this monumental event. God the Father is said in Scripture to have raised Jesus from the dead and so is the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:32; Rom. 6:4; 8:11).

 So, what is so important about this historical event? Well, commentator Gary Habermas (2003) once said, “Jesus’ resurrection is an actual example of our eternal life. It is the only miracle that, by its very nature, indicates the reality of the afterlife” (p. 163). Due to Jesus being the first fruit of one who was bodily raised from the dead in a glorified state, we as believers in Jesus have this same hope to go and be with Him where He also is (John 14:1-3). Listen to Jesus’ words in John 14:1-3.

 Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

These are very comforting words by our Lord, but why else was Jesus raised from the dead? Theologian Michael Bird (2013) gives us several reasons:

1. The resurrection of Christ reveals to the fullest extent, Christ’s identity and marks the beginning of the future age (Bird, 2013). The Jews in the Old Testament and in Jesus’s time already had a theology of the resurrection (Dan 12:1-2; John 11:24). Jesus now not only begins a new age with the New Covenant which has no temple buildings, priests, and continual sacrifices; since He fulfills all of these things (Grudem, 2004; Heb. 7:27; 9:12, 26; 10:1-2; 10-14). But Christ also confirms with His resurrection that He truly is God as the ultimate sign (Matt. 12:38-40). Bird (2013) highlights this point:

What most Jews hoped God would do for Israel at the end of history, God had done for Jesus in the middle of history, namely, to raise him from the dead. This was the sign that Jesus had been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18), was vindicated from false accusations (1 Tim. 3:16), was marked out as God’s Son (Rom. 1:4), was designated the heir of all things (Heb. 1:2), and was installed as Messiah and Lord (Acts 2:36). God’s covenant with creation and Israel must now be interpreted in light of the fact that the resurrection designated Jesus as the Son of God. (p. 440)

Wayne Grudem (2004) also states:

Jesus fulfilled all the expectations that were prefigured, not only in the Old Testament sacrifices, but also in the lives and actions of the priests who offered them: He was both the sacrifice and the priest who offered the sacrifice. (p. 626)

Jesus in His resurrection proclaimed His identity, fulfilled the types and shadows of the priesthood, and inaugurated the new age. 

2. The resurrection of Christ initiated the beginning of the new creation (Bird, 2013). Jesus was raised to begin the process of restoration and renewal in which God originally stated back in the Garden during the fall (Gen. 3:15). God has been working all throughout history to restore humankind back to their original state which was very good (Gen. 1:31). Wright (2008) says it best, “What creation needs is neither abandonment nor evolution but rather redemption and renewal; and this is both promised and guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead” (p. 107). Jesus is the first fruits of this new creation (Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:20, 23; Col. 1:15, 18; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 1:5).

3. The resurrection of Christ needed to happen so that Jesus could send the Holy Spirit. Many times, in scripture, Jesus continually told the disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit to remind them, to bring them power, to teach them, to testify about Him, and also that the Spirit would be in them (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26). Since Jesus rose again, He would now be able to ascend to Heaven and then send the comforter.

4. The resurrection of Christ was needed to fulfill prophecy. Jesus predicted His death and resurrection in many different places in the Gospels (Luke 9:21; 24:46; Matt. 20:18). Jesus also mentions how this act will be the ultimate sign like that of Jonah (Matt. 12:38-40).

5. The resurrection of Christ is the objective grounds for salvation (Bird, 2013). Paul says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). In 1 Corinthians 15:17, Paul again says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” At the cross, Jesus took the penalty for our sins and through the resurrection Jesus secured our justification (Bird, 2013). In the resurrection, Christ broke the power of sin, the bondage of sin, and the penalty of sin, and imputed His righteousness into our own lives. Our salvation is based solely on the work that He accomplished, and by Christ rising from the dead, God confirmed this securement.

Now there are also other reasons why but I think these five summarize the point. To close, listen to what Michael Bird (2013) says about all of these points:

Jesus is risen; therefore, God’s new world has begun. Jesus is risen; therefore, the tyrants and dictators of the world should tremble and quiver—because God has exalted Jesus and every knee will bow before him. Jesus is risen; therefore, Israel has been restored and the plan for the nation is fulfilled in him. Jesus is risen; therefore, death has been defeated. Jesus is risen; therefore, creation groans in anticipation of its renewal. Jesus is risen; therefore, we will be raised also to live in God’s new world. Jesus is risen; therefore, go and make disciples in his name. The resurrection means that God’s new world has broken into our own world, and we are heirs and ambassadors of the king that is coming. (p. 447)

References

Bird, M. F. (2013). Evangelical theology: A Biblical and systematic introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Habermas, G. (2003). The risen Jesus and future hope. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: An introduction to Biblical doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

N. T. Wright. (2008). Surprised by hope. New York: HarperOne.

Theanthropic Man - The God Man

Is Jesus Truly God and Truly Man?

Is Jesus truly God and truly Human? This was a very debated concept with the inception of the early church and did not get ironed out until the Council of Chalcedon [A.D. 451] and the Council of Constantinople [A.D. 680] (Bird, 2013). Jesus is known as the God-Man or theanthropic man (Bird, 2013). Theologians also call this union of two natures in one person the hypostatic union (Bird, 2013; Berkhof, 1938; Grudem, 2004). 

All throughout the New Testament one can see how Jesus is fully human. First, Jesus was born through a real natural birth and displayed emotions (Luke 19:41). Jesus needed to eat and drink to continue to live, just like any other human would need to do (John 19:28). Jesus got tired from a hard day’s work (Mark 4:38) and also tempted at every level yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus needed to be a man to be born under the law (Galatians 4:4-5), live a perfect life so that He could provide atonement for our sins (Hebrews 9:22), and to demonstrate His love for us (John 3:16). Philippians 2:6-11 is probably the best section of scripture that describes Jesus’ humanity but also deity: 

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Augustine of Hippo puts it this way:

Christ did not take human form for a time, to show himself to be a man in this guise, and an outward appearance that should thereafter be discarded. He took the visible form of man into the unity of his person, the form of God remaining invisible. Not only was he born in that form of a human mother, but he also grew up in it. He ate and drank and slept and was put to death in that form. In the same human form, he rose again and ascended into heaven. He now sits at the right hand of the Father in the same human form, in which he is to come to judge the living and the dead. (Bird, 2013, p. 485)

Jesus is also fully God. In the Old Testament we get pictures or previews of the one who will come and that will make all things right (Berkhof, 1938). This divine Messiah is spoken of is passages like: Ps. 2:6–12; 45:6, 7; 110:1; Isa. 9:6; Jer. 23:6; Dan. 7:13; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 13:7; Mal. 3:1. 

In the New Testament, one will discover primary deity verses found in the first chapters of several books: John 1, Colossians, 1, Hebrews 1, 1 Peter 1, and Revelation 1. John shows us how the logos who existed before the world was created is the creator and is the person of Jesus Christ (“Biblical Studies Press, 2005”; Morris, 1995; Newman & Nida, 1993). Paul reminds his readers that Christ is the image or in the Greek (eikōn), which conveyed an exact representation of God, the exact likeness of God, and also in this case the actual presence of an object (MacArthur, 2006; MacDonald, 1995; Melick, 1991). The writer of Hebrews highlights Christ’s exaltation, Peter calls Jesus God, and Revelation gives us a description of Jesus in all His glory (1 Peter 1:3; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 1:12-18).

Jesus is entirely divine due to His authority in which He taught (Mark 11:28), He is the one who fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17; 5:21-44), He is the one who claimed to be God (John 8:19; 9:34-38; 10:30; 14:9), and proclaimed to be the prophesized Son of Man (Daniel 7:13; Mark 14:62; Psalm 110). Jesus forgave peoples sins which were only accredited to God (Grudem, 2004; Luke 5:20; 7:48; Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5), He accepted worship which is reserved for God alone (Grudem, 2004; Hebrews 1:6; John 20:28; Matthew 14:33; 28:9; Mark 5:6), and carries the very names of God (Berkhof, 1938; Luke 1:43; John 1:1; 10:36; Matthew 1:22; Revelation 22:13). Jesus also holds the incommunicable attributes of God such as creator, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal, and immutable (Ephesians 1:23; Hebrews 1:2; 13:8; John 1:1; 10:17-18; 16:30; Matthew 18:18-20; 28:30; Revelation 3:7).

Scripture is crystal clear, Jesus is truly God and truly man.

References

 Berkhof, L. (1938). Systematic theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co.

 Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible first edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.

Bird, M. F. (2013). Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 

Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: An introduction to Biblical doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible.(Jn 1:3). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers. 

MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon(Vol. 32). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel according to John(pp. 64–65). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1993). A handbook on the Gospel of John(p. 6). New York: United Bible Societies. 

Jesus is Eternally Begotten, Firstborn, and the Beginning of God's Creation?

Eternally Begotten

In some translations in the Biblical text, the English word begotten (John 1:14; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9), first-born (Colossians 1:15), and beginning have all caused opposition to Christ’s deity. Early Christians had to defend and prove why these accounts in scripture did not at all diminish the divinity of our Lord and Savior. One of the first issues was found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten [italics added] Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (NASB). This English word for begotten is the Greek word monogenes (μονογενής, 3439) which morphology shows in this context is an adjective and means alone of its kind regarding relationship, or only, or unique (Soanes & Stevenson, 2004; Vine, Unger & White, 1996). This term is never meant to communicate creation or born in the space of time, but rather demonstrate a relational bond (Bird, 2013). Hebrews 11:17 is an excellent example of this showing us the true meaning when speaking about Abraham offering up his only begotten son. The sense of this word in Hebrews means unique, and the same Greek word is used in John 3:16. Bird also goes into length about how there was a considerable controversy which is known as the Arian controversy which communicated that Jesus was a created being and only the Father existed at one point of time (Bird, 2013; Grudem, 2004). 

In response to this controversy, the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD added a qualifier in the text before the word begotten which was the word eternally. In our lecture this week it states the rephrase to eternally begotten stresses “that the Son's beginning is not a temporal event, but an eternal relation between Father and Son could not have a beginning or otherwise He would not be fully divine since eternality is a divine attribute.” (“Lecture 2,” 2015). The early Church felt so strongly about this when comparing this same Greek word with other Gospels and letters that they thought whatever begotten meant; it did not mean created (Grudem, 2004). This is why we see this phrase appear in many of the famous creeds that the Church put out for years to come; the Nicaean Creed (A.D. 325; revised at Constantinople A.D. 381), the Chalcedonian Creed (A.D. 451), the Athanasian Creed (fourth-fifth centuries A.D.), and the Articles of Religion (1571: Church of England). It was in these Church creeds and Articles that the Church made abundantly clear, that the word begotten does not mean created but rather eternally present; highlighting the deity of Jesus Christ (Grudem, 2004).

Firstborn

Furthermore, Grudem (2004) also explains first-born in Colossians 1:15 speaks of primacy instead of creation as well. It was the first-born in the Hebrew culture which held all the authority, the rights, and privileges. This would all be handed over to Jesus (Philippians 2). A couple of examples in scripture make this clear. First-born is talking about preeminence in a position, not concerning birth order. We read in scripture that David is the last son of Jesse but in Psalm 89:27, David is said to be the first-born. In another case later in scripture, we read about Ephraim and Manasseh. Manasseh was born first, but the bible says that Ephraim was first-born in Jeremiah 31:9. Other scriptures can be used, but these two show the point when comparing scripture with scripture, first-born speaks of primacy, power, position, authority, rights, and privileges.

The Beginning of God’s Creation

Finally, one of the Jehovah Witnesses’ favorite passages to debate with Christians about is found in Revelation 3:14, “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation [italics added].” What on Earth does this mean? The Greek word “ἀρχή” “arche” in the transliteration form means beginner, originator, or initiator (Hamilton, 2012; Ladd, 1972, MacDonald, 1995). This lines up as well when compared with Colossians 1:15 which says Christ is the firstborn of all creation. The word firstborn is talking about preeminence in a position not in terms of birth order as I have already pointed out (Ex. 4:22; Jeremiah 31:9; Psalm 89:27). If you think about it concerning JW theology, it is crystal clear that Jesus here in Revelation 3:14 is the initiator of all creation. Jesus is the agent that God used to create all things as the apostle Paul and John have stated (1 Cor. 8:6; John 1:3; Poole, 1853). So, concerning the meaning, I would completely agree that this is speaking of Jesus the creator of everything which Jehovah Witnesses would accept but why they try to use this verse to push the agenda of Christ being created does not suffice for their argument.

Moreover, Jesus tells them that he is the beginning of God’s creation (Rev 3:14). This is not to be understood as though Jesus was created, for elsewhere in Revelation Jesus announces that he is the first and the last (Rev 1:17; 2:8), “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev 22:13). The references to Jesus as the Alpha and the beginning cannot point to a time when He was created or began himself, for the same things are said about the Father, who identifies himself as the Alpha and the Omega (Rev 1:8) and as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev 21:6). Jesus and the Father are both referred to as “the Alpha” and as “the beginning” in Revelation, and the point is not that they had a point in time when they themselves came into being but rather that they are the beginning. As the HCSB translates it, Jesus is the “originator.” That is, with the Father, Jesus began all that is. This puts Jesus in a uniquely strong position to offer counsel that the church will want to hear. Finally, one needs to remember that the text doesn’t say that Jesus had a beginning, but rather, He is the beginning (MacArthur, 2006).

References

Bird, M. F. (2013). Evangelical theology: A Biblical and systematic introduction(p. 96). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: An introduction to Biblical doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

Hamilton, J. M., Jr. (2012). Preaching the Word: Revelation—The Spirit Speaks to the Churches. (R. K. Hughes, Ed.) (p. 121). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

Ladd, G. E. (1972). A Commentary on the Revelation of John (p. 65). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Lecture 2. (2015). HTH-201: Christian Theology I. Phoenix, AZ: Grand Canyon University.

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Re 3:14). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 2360). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 3, p. 958). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.

Soanes, C., & Stevenson, A. (Eds.). (2004). Concise Oxford English dictionary(11th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.