Easters Come and Go

Easter comes and goes, but Christians honor the resurrection of Christ every Sunday. Jesus appeared to the Apostles on that first Easter Sunday, and subsequently on the following two Sundays, establishing a pattern. The pattern was intended to bring to our remembrance of Jesus' resurrection. But do Christians even understand the resurrection of Christ? It is the most significant historical event in the history of the World, but it's rarely explained properly.

Don't let another year pass without comprehending the resurrection of Christ, specifically that Jesus was raised from the Dead by the Father. You must know this and believe it. You must have faith in God to have solid foundations. You must have faith in God to be saved.

Year after year at Easter services we hear preachers declare "He is risen!" but people walk away from the Easter services without understanding what that means. What happened when Jesus was resurrected? Most people in church don't even know that God did it.

Easter after Easter roll by without churchgoers understanding the meaning of Christ's resurrection. Don't be one of them!

Limitation: The New Testament

There are 35 explicit references in the New Testament to Jesus being raised by the Father. The Old Testament references include Jonah being vomited onto the shores of Ninevah after three days in the stomach of the great fish, Joseph being taken out of the dungeon to be presented before Pharoah, and various psalms of David.

To delve deeply into the Old Testament references to Christ's resurrection would take a very long time. We want to be brief, so we're going to limit ourselves. We will only explore the 35 explicit New Testament references to God's resurrection of Jesus. We've numbered them below so that you can keep count and see how overwhelmingly strong the arguments are for this Christian truth: God resurrected Jesus from the Dead.

Resurrected by God

God resurrected Jesus and gave him glory. God made Jesus Lord! That's basic Gospel truth, and we’re supposed to be in awe at how God has exalted Jesus, knowing that God will do the same for us.

We must see Jesus the way the Bible pictures him, as a man who trusted God to resurrect him. Jesus had faith in God. Do you? The unanimous testimony of Scriptures is that Jesus put his faith in God to obtain a resurrection, and so you must also trust God. Let's put our faith and hope in God!

1. Christ... was chosen before the Creation of the World, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the Dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God (1 Peter 1:19-21).

Faith in God is not one of the Seven Foundations for nothing. It is one of the seven most basic doctrines of Christianity, and so is the resurrection. If we don't get these two straight, then we have no spiritual firmness. We will be unstable and weak. We will be immature.

... let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of... faith in God… the Resurrection of the Dead (Hebrews 6:1-2).

The 35 passages we’re sharing with you here (along with other helpful passages) confirm one thing: That God resurrected Jesus. We hope that by reading through each one carefully, you might become convinced of one of the most undertaught and contradicted truths of the Christian Faith. Let's get to it!

2. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it (Acts 2:32).

3. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you (Acts 3:13-14).

4. You killed the Author of Life, but God raised him from the Dead (Acts 3:15).

5. It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the Dead, that this man stands before you healed (Acts 4:10).

6. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the Dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross (Acts 5:30).

7. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the Dead on the third day and caused him to be seen (Acts 10:39-40).

8. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the Dead... (Acts 13:29-30)

9. What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father’ (Acts 13:32-33).

10. God raised him from the Dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David’ (Acts 13:34).

11. So it is also stated elsewhere: “‘You will not let your Holy One see decay’ (Acts 13:35).

12. “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the Dead did not see decay (Acts 13:36-37).

13. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the World with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the Dead (Acts 17:30-31).

14. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the Dead? “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth... that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the Dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles (Acts 26:8-9,23).

15. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the Dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (Romans 6:4).

16. Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the Dead (Galatians 1:1).

17. ... we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:15).

18. For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power (2 Corinthians 13:4).

19. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know… his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the Dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:17-20).

20. ... your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the Living and True God, and to wait for his Son from Heaven, whom he raised from the Dead… (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10)

21. During the days of Jesus’ life on Earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save him from Death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission (Hebrews 5:7).

22. Now may the God of Peace who brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will (Hebrews 13:20-21, ESV).

As can be clearly seen from the abundance of passages on the matter, the doctrine that God raised Jesus from the Dead is not an obscure, secondary, or insignificant teaching. Rather, it is a core belief that every person needs to cling to. You need to believe it to be saved. Do you believe it?

Why Did God Do It?

One thing is to know that God resurrected Jesus; another thing is for us to know why God did it. What was God saying by resurrecting Jesus from the Dead? What was he trying to communicate to us? One essential thing is that it indicates that Jesus was chosen by God.

Jesus was appointed to be the Son of God at the moment God placed his seal of approval on Jesus in the resurrection. Through the resurrection, we can be sure that Jesus really is God’s heir—the one who is going to inherit the Earth and to reign over all its inhabitants.

23. ... through the Spirit of Holiness was appointed [passive voice] the Son of God in power by his Resurrection from the Dead: Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:4).

Why Must We Believe This?

Let’s now consider: Why is it necessary to believe that God raised Christ from the Dead? Answer: Because it’s that particular kind of faith, the kind that fixes its hope on the One and Only God, that saves us. It’s what shows that we’re really following Jesus whose example it was to put his entire life in the hands of God his Savior. Notice in the following passages who is being described as the one who gives a new birth. Who is the one who saves in the following passages? It’s God!

24. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead (1 Peter 1:3).

God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles (Acts 28:28).

This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God (Philippians 1:28).

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him (1 John 4:9).

It’s a Big Deal

Also please notice that this is no secret issue, but that it’s found in very well-known key salvation texts. For example, the whole issue of to whom God will credit righteousness is faith in God. This is what Paul called ‘the message concerning faith that we proclaim’ (Romans 10:8).

We invite you to read the following verses slowly and to focus on what it is that one must believe to be saved:

25. The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the Dead (Romans 4:23-24).

26. ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the Dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:8-9). 

... be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith (Philippians 3:9).

The Essence of the Gospel

God’s raising of Jesus from the Dead is the essence of the Gospel, for it is only because God resurrects those who are ‘in Christ’ [baptized in Jesus’ name and persevering in the New Covenant] that we will someday possess eternal life in the Kingdom of God. So faith in God is an essential part of the Gospel that Jesus and the apostles preached. In addition, as we can see from the following Bible verse, if you don’t have God’s Spirit now, God will not resurrect you later on.

27. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the Dead is living in you… (Romans 8:11)

28. … He who raised Christ from the Dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you (Romans 8:11).

29. By his power God raised the Lord from the Dead, and he will raise us also (1 Corinthians 6:14).

30. ... we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the Dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself (2 Corinthians 4:14).

Our Problem is With God

What was God doing when he raised Christ from the Dead? He was not fixing any problems that humanity had with Jesus, but fixing the problems that humanity had with himself. The Bible says that God was ‘reconciling all things to himself.’ He was taking care of the business that had for many centuries been left undone. The human race’s problem is essentially with God, not with Jesus. Jesus is the solution to our problem with God. That’s why the Scriptures say that Jesus is our peace—we have peace with God through him.

... For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on Earth or things in Heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the Cross (Colossians 1:19-20).

Are You Sure About This?

Just one more note: When the Bible speaks of Jesus’ resurrection, it sometimes does not mention the Father. All of the cases where the Father is not mentioned which are known to us are listed below; and we’ll look at them carefully, but be advised: Many Bible readers have drawn the hasty conclusion that because the Father is sometimes not mentioned with reference to Jesus’ resurrection, that Jesus resurrected himself. That would be an unwarranted conclusion because it would be like ignoring all of the previously-mentioned passages which so clearly affirm that it was God who resurrected Jesus.

So, we invite you to look closely at the passages that are silent about the role of the Father, but be sure to observe that they never say “Jesus resurrected himself.” There is never a reflexive pronoun [himself] used in any passage that speaks of Jesus’ resurrection.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the Dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant (Mark 9:9-10).

... will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise (Mark 10:34).

... they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again (Luke 18:33).

They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the Dead (Jn. 20:9).

... the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the Dead (Acts 17:3).

Be a Careful Reader of Scriptures

It’s of supreme importance to read these texts closely and to see how Jesus himself uses the expression rise and be raised interchangeably (see Luke 24:7,46 below). What does this “interchangeability” mean? Well, since the phrase be raised is the passive voice (which means that an action was performed on Jesus, not by Jesus), he was passive and the resurrection happened to him. If be raised is used in the same breath with rise then we can deduce that when Jesus says that he would rise it certainly could not mean that he would rise from the dead on his own. He already made it clear that reflexive action is not the idea since the passive voice, being used in the same context, shows that he didn’t resurrect himself.

‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’ ... He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the Dead on the third day’ (Luke 24:7, 46).

Even Paul speaks of Jesus as being raised from the Dead, and that’s also the passive voice. What does it mean? It simply means that Jesus did not perform the action of resurrecting, but he received that action: He was resurrected. We know who Jesus received that action from since the overwhelming testimony of other Scripture passages says that it was God. Someone might wonder, however: “So why didn’t Paul mention God in those passages?” The answer is: During the times of the Apostles, it was a given that God resurrected Jesus. It wasn’t necessary to say so, like it is today. In fact, today we’ve completely forgotten it, and many even oppose the idea.

Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (Romans 8:34).

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the Dead, descended from David. This is my Gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal (2 Timothy 2:8-9).

Have Faith in God

And let’s notice that when Jesus’ resurrection is mentioned, the Scriptures point us towards faith in God. Why is faith in the resurrection all about trusting God? It is simply because the resurrection of Christ is a great lesson for us about the power of God. Now, because of the gift of faith, we are able to trust in God to give us that same resurrection power.

For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

What's for Jesus is for Us Also

A very important argument, which anybody who wants to defend the truth of God’s role in Jesus’ resurrection should know, is that the same kind of language that Christ used for himself (e.g., “Three days later he will rise” [Mark 10:34]) is also used for people in general; people like you and me. Compare the following verse (it appears in the Bible only two verses after one just shared above which says that “Jesus rose”) to the ones that might seem to say that Jesus resurrected himself:

... the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Now, if because the Bible says that Jesus “rises” from the Dead means that he “resurrected himself,” then the 1 Thessalonians 4:16 passage will have to be interpreted to mean that the dead in Christ “resurrect themselves.” But it doesn’t mean that and neither do the passages that do not speak of God being the instrument of Jesus’ resurrection prove that Jesus resurrected himself. On the contrary, (again) they don’t mention God simply because it was such common knowledge to the members of the church at that time—it was unnecessary to even say it. For them, our entire argument, presented here so meticulously, was a given.

Raising this "Temple"

Finally, we recognize the particular difficulty in interpreting what Jesus meant when he said “I will raise this temple” (referring to his body in the resurrection). It is the passage that is probably the most challenging for people to interpret on this issue of who raised Jesus from the Dead. What did he mean when he said “I will raise it”? Does this prove that he did, in fact, resurrect himself? It sounds like it does from first glance, but let’s read the passage and analyze it.

The Jews then responded to him, ‘What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ They replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

After he was raised from the Dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken (John 2:18-22).

Not Literal

First, let’s recognize the obvious: In the past many people have misinterpreted the “I will raise this temple” saying, so it’s not strange that people would misinterpret it today. Then let’s avoid the same error that was already committed, that of interpreting it to mean that Jesus was asserting his power over the Temple. That’s the erroneous interpretation of Christ’s words made by many of the Jews of his day.

... many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days’” (Matthew 26:60).

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the Temple and build it in three days, save yourself!’ (Matthew 7:39-40)

The Interpretation of the Apostles

No, Jesus was not trying to assert his authority as King when he said that he would ‘raise the temple again’ in three days. The way to understand the passage is to look closely at what the Bible says is the correct interpretation: that of the apostles. If you can see it from their retrospective, Spirit-inspired writings, you’ll see that it’s a passage that proves what we have been arguing all along: That Jesus was resurrected by God.

The John 2 passage says that the apostles finally understood what Jesus meant—but only when he was raised. Yes, you got it, the word raised is the passive voice (it’s the Greek word ēgerthē). The word raised is the key to interpreting the passage then: It indicates that Jesus did not resurrect himself, but he was raised by another. We know by the rest of the Bible who that “other” must have been.

The way to understand what Jesus meant by “I will raise it” then, in the light of all that has been said, is that Jesus was warning others that he was going to pray to God from the grave. In that sense (and only in that sense) was Jesus active in his resurrection. Jesus pleaded to God for it, crying out from among the Dead. And God would answer that prayer!

Among the Dead

Let’s not forget that Jesus was in the throes of the underworld for three days, but with his prayer he actually did “raise the temple on the third day.” What David expressed in Psalm 16:8-11 was that Jesus cried out to God from Hades. This was such an important experience for Jesus that Peter highlighted it in his momentous message preached on Pentecost.

31. But God raised him from the Dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him [Jesus]: “I saw the Lord [God] always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope… (Acts 2:24-26)

32. … because you will not abandon me to the realm of the Dead… (Acts 2:27a)

33. … you will not let your holy one see decay… (Acts 2:27b)

34.  You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence” (Acts 2:28).

General Confusion

Sadly, if you speak with pastors and Christians, you’ll find very few who will affirm that God resurrected Jesus. Most think that Jesus resurrected himself, which (even without Scripture and on the level of human logic) would have been impossible since Jesus was dead.

How pathetic that there is so little clarity on an issue as fundamental as Jesus’ resurrection—the very centerpiece of the Christian hope. Only by being resurrected will anyone enter the Kingdom of God, but we don’t know how it happens?

Jesus cried out and said, ‘The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the One who sent me’ (John 12:44; LEB).

35. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me (John 6:57).

Belief and Salvation

After all this has been said, with 35 passages stating explicitly that Jesus was resurrected by the Father, and understanding why God did it, there are still going to be people who will argue that Jesus resurrected himself. Those people cannot be saved. Anyone who does not believe in their hearts that “God raised Jesus from the Dead” cannot be saved. For their own sake, share these passages with them, especially this one:

If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the Dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).