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What
a Day!
In our societies it is usual to have various anniversaries, which for one reason or another we consider as important. So for example, we consider as special the last day of the second world war. The same may also be true for the first day of this war. Also, in our personal lives such days as our birthday, our marriage anniversary etc. are usually marked as special days. However, although there are many anniversaries a careful examination shows that most (if not all) of the corresponding events that are commemorated: i) affect only a specific group of people (some friends (birthday), a country (national anniversaries), or a group of countries (e.g. the end of the second world war)), ii) affect different people differently and in many cases the effects are rather indirect and iii) as the time passes, the effects of the corresponding event become weaker and weaker. Really, many events that were considered as significant some decades ago are no more so today.
In contrast to all these events, today we are going to see an event that although happened almost 2,000 years ago, affects ALL people in the world, in the SAME degree and these effects didn't and will not decline at all through time. Really, these effects are so tremendous today as they were 2,000 years ago. This event is no other than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection is indeed not just a historical event. As we will see, its effects are so ALIVE today as they were then.
1. Resurrection: the facts.
To see the witness of the Word of God regarding the resurrection, let's go to the gospel of Mark. There it says:
Mark 16:1-6
"when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen and they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away - for it was very large. And entering the tomb they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. HE IS RISEN! HE IS NOT HERE"
They went there to anoint him with spices and oils. They expected to find him in the same position as when he was buried. They wondered about the stone. However, God relieved them from all these: He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. The women found an angel, that told them what happened: "HE IS RISEN. HE IS NOT HERE". Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. All the other that died saw corruption. However, Jesus Christ didn't see corruption. He was raised from the dead. He lives forever. Acts 13 tells us:
Acts 13:34-37
"And that he (God) raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption he has spoken thus: "I will give you the sure mercies of David". Therefore he also says in another psalm "you will not allow your holy one to see corruption". For David after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; BUT HE WHOM GOD RAISED UP SAW NO CORRUPTION"
Everyone else, except Jesus Christ, has seen corruption. All the various famous people that lived through the centuries saw corruption. All the founders of the various religions are dead. They saw corruption. However, this didn't happen to Jesus Christ. That's one of the reasons that makes Christianity so much different. Its leader is alive NOW and HE WILL BE ALIVE FOREVER.
2. Resurrection: the eyewitnesses
Although we saw the witness of the Word of God regarding the resurrection, there are also many eyewitnesses of this monumental event. I Corinthians 15 gives an account of those that saw the resurrected Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 15:3-8
"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised again the third day according to the scriptures, and that he was seen by Cephas (it is another name for Peter, see John 1:42) then by the twelve1. 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"
(NKJV-NIV)
I have emphasized those that saw the resurrected Jesus Christ. Even if no-one had seen him, the witness that God gives in His Word would be enough to believe it. You do not believe something because someone else or you have seen it but because the Word of God says it. However, in the case of resurrection, the Word of God refers hundreds of eyewitnesses. Also a look in the gospel records shows that the disciples touched Jesus in his resurrected body and that he "ate and drank"
(Acts 10:41) with them. As it says in Acts: Jesus Christ "presented himself alive after his suffering by MANY INFALLIBLE PROOFS"
(Acts 2:3). For forty days Jesus Christ was presenting himself alive by many (not just one or two but many) infallible proofs.
In a court, the witness to whom is given critical importance is the eyewitness. There are several hundreds that saw Jesus Christ in his resurrected body. THEY are the eyewitnesses of his resurrection. Today, even two eye witnesses would be enough to establish a fact. Here, there are hundreds of eyewitnesses and still we have unbelieving people coming after two thousands years and saying: "Come to me. I will tell you what happened that day". How do they know? Were they there? I doubt it. I prefer the witness that God gives in His Word. He certainly knows what happened.
3. The effects of the resurrection
Having seen what the Word of God says about the resurrection of Christ, we will continue to examine what are the consequences, the repercussions of the resurrection. As it was said, differently from other events whose importance decline through time, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has the same tremendous effects on the lives of people today as it had when it happened.
3.1 Resurrection: prerequisite for our justification.
To see the results of the resurrection let's start from Romans 4:25. There it says:
Romans 4:25
"who (Jesus Christ) was delivered for our offences and was raised for our justification"
(KJV)
Jesus Christ was delivered for our offences and was raised for our justification. The fact that you are now righteous before God is based on that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Without resurrection there will be no justification. It is as simple as that. We saw in a previous article that to be righteous requires to believe in Jesus Christ. However, this condition (believe in Jesus Christ and you are righteous) was made available because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. How wonderful is to be righteous before God. And all this because of the resurrection. Resurrection is not just a historical fact. Its implications continue to be the same today as they were 2,000 years ago.
3.2 Resurrection: prerequisite to be born again
Having seen that it is because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are righteous after believing in him, let's go to I Peter 1:3. There it says:
I Peter 1:3
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead"
God has begotten us to a living hope. Today, when one believes in Jesus Christ he is born (begotten) again. However, see that this was made available "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead". If Jesus Christ had not been raised from the dead then we couldn't be born again. You can probably understand better the great effects of the resurrection to millions of people that believed, believe or will believe in Jesus Christ, when you see the result: each one of them is born again, son or daughter of God. However, the effects of the resurrection do not stop here.
3.3. Resurrection: prerequisite for the sending forth of the holy spirit.
One more of the effects of the resurrection is given in Acts 2. The passage refers to the day of Pentecost, where for first time holy spirit was made available. Peter is speaking to the Israelites that were there, amazing for the fact that the apostles were speaking in tongues (see
Acts 2:1-13). He said:
Acts 2: 22-23, 32-33
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did by him in your midst, as you yourselves also know, him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;.........This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. THEREFORE being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the holy spirit he poured out this which you now see and hear"
What did they "see and hear"? They saw and heard the apostles manifesting the holy spirit by speaking in tongues. The proof that holy spirit was poured out was that they saw and heard them speaking in tongues. However, see that FIRST Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and THEN he received the promise of the holy spirit and made it available. This "therefore", which I capitalized, tells us that what follows, is a consequence of what precedes. The fact that holy spirit was made available is because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Without resurrection we could not have this "therefore" and what follows it (the pouring out of the holy spirit). However, Jesus Christ WAS raised from the dead. The same spirit that was manifested in the day of Pentecost IS available today to everyone that believes in him. In addition, as in the case of the apostles, where speaking in tongues was a proof that the spirit was given, which in turn happened because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so today when someone speaks in tongues or operates the other eight manifestations of the spirit (see I Corinthians ch. 12, 13, 14) this is not only a proof that he has holy spirit but also a proof that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. For had he not been raised from the dead, he couldn't make available holy spirit and consequently you couldn't manifest it. So if one needs a proof of the resurrection, here is one more: the nine manifestations of the spirit.
3.4. Resurrection: We were raised with him!!
To see another of the effects of the resurrection let's go to Ephesians 2: There it says:
Ephesians 2:4-7
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive TOGETHER WITH CHRIST (by grace you have been saved), AND RAISED US UP TOGETHER, and made us SIT TOGETHER IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES in Christ Jesus."
According to this passage, when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, we also were raised with him. When Jesus Christ was made alive, we also were made alive with him. When Jesus Christ sat in the heavenly places, we also sat there with him. These have not been materialized yet. They will, when Jesus Christ comes back. However, see that from God' point of view, it is something that was accomplished in the day that He raised Jesus Christ. That is what all these "together" mean. If Christ hadn't been raised from the dead nothing of these could possibly happen. BUT Jesus Christ WAS raised from the dead. Because of this event, you also are considered as raised from the dead, as alive and as sitting in the heavenly places. That's some of the tremendous effects of the resurrection.
3.5. Resurrection: Can our believing be in vain? NO!
To see another of the effects of the resurrection, let's go to I Corinthians 15. As it will be seen there, there were some false teachers in Corinth that taught that there is no resurrection. Thus God had to face this. How did He face it? He gave His Word. That's how the wrong teaching is faced: with the Word of God rightly divided i.e. with right teaching. So let's start from the beginning of the chapter:
I Corinthians 15:1-2
"Moreover, brethren I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand by which also you are saved if you hold fast that word which I preached to you - unless you believed2 (pistis in the Greek) in vain"
Many Christians have been troubled about what this "believing in vain" means. We know from other scriptures that when you believe in Jesus Christ you are saved (see for example Romans 10:9 and Ephesians 2:1-10). There is no case to believe in Jesus Christ and not to be saved. Also, as it can be seen from the above verses, the Corinthians had accepted the gospel that Paul preached and which is contained in Paul's epistles. Therefore, they had believed in Jesus Christ and in his resurrection from the dead and according to the corresponding scriptures they were saved. What is this "believing in vain" then? One thing that you must be very careful when you study the Bible is not to take things out of the context where they belong nor to ignore other references on the same topic. All the Bible fits together when it is rightly divided. So in our case let's continue to examine the context of our passage. Verses 3 to 8 gives us a small summary of the gospel that Paul preached:
I Corinthians 15:3-8
"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that he was buried, and that he was raised 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..."
(NKJV-NIV)
See in this passage, the importance that Paul, by revelation, puts on the resurrection of Christ. He states specifically the eyewitnesses of the resurrection. We will see in a minute why he does that. In the second half of verse eight a parenthesis is opened where Paul speaks for himself. This parenthesis closes in verse 10. So verse 11 brings us back to our topic:
I Corinthians 15:11
"Therefore , whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed"
The Corinthians had believed what Paul and the others preached. However this didn't happen for all. For it says:
I Corinthians 15:12-17
"Now if Christ is preached that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ is not risen. And IF Christ is not risen then our preaching is empty and YOUR FAITH (pistis) is ALSO EMPTY (the KJV translates the corresponding Greek word for empty as "vain"). Yes, and we are found false witness of God, because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he did not raise up - if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And IF Christ is not risen, your faith (pistis) is FUTILE (the corresponding Greek word (mataios) that is translated as "futile" here means "vain" and it is always rendered so in the KJV); YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR SINS!"
Only in one hypothetical case could someone believe in Jesus Christ and his believing be in vain. This would happen IF Jesus Christ hadn't been raised from the dead. In that case your most honest believing would not be able to save you. You see, resurrection was needed to be saved. Without the resurrection there would be no salvation. Without the resurrection our believing would be in vain, empty, futile. Look what else would happen if Christ was not risen:
I Corinthians 15:17-18
"And if Christ is not risen.......then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished."
If Christ was not risen, then all those believers that died believing in him they would perish. For what do they have to expect if there is no resurrection? However, all this would happen only in that hypothetical situation. For:
I Corinthians 15:20-23
"BUT NOW CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD"
The word "but" makes a contrast between what is going to be said and what was said. The word "now" brings us back, from the hypothetical situations described in verses 12-19 to reality: "but now Christ is risen from the dead". This is the reality. Our believing is not in vain. It would be in vain, IF (and only if) Christ was not risen. But now "HE IS RISEN". We are not still in our sins. Those that died believing in Christ and putting their hope in his return they will not perish for:
I Corinthians 15:20-22
"Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive."
See this "shall" there. It does not say that they are alive but that they shall be made alive. When? Verse 23 gives us the answer:
I Corinthians 15:23
"But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's AT HIS COMING"
Jesus Christ will come back and then all those that have died believing in him will live again. But observe that it is because of the resurrection that these will be made alive.
Truly, the day of resurrection was a day of monumental importance. It affected, affects and will affect million of people in a unique way. It is because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that righteousness, salvation, new birth, sitting in heavenly places, holy spirit were made available. Surely there is much to say: What a Day!!
Tassos Kioulachoglou
Footnotes
1. When the Word of God says twelve it means twelve. People have been troubled with that scripture for the reason that tradition teaches that Judas hanged himself before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. However, this cannot be true since here the Word says "twelve". Really, a careful examination of the gospel records shows that Judas was alive and saw the resurrected Jesus Christ. Without wanting to get into much detail, which I will probably do in another issue, Luke 24:33-36 referring to the first post-resurrection appearance, that happened at the evening of "the first day of the week" (see Luke 24:1, 13, 29, 33, 36), speaks for "eleven" disciples (verse 33). However, it does not say who was the missing one. This can be found in John 20, where an account of the same appearance, that happened "at the evening of the first day of the week" (see John 20:19), is given. There, it is also stated who was the missing disciple. The missing one was not Judas but Thomas: John 20:24 says: "But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came". The appearance to the twelve that I Corinthians 15 is referring to happened eight days after the appearance to eleven (with Thomas be the missing one): John 20:25 "And after eight days again his disciples were within (these are the disciples of John 20:19, which are the eleven of Luke 24 since both John and Luke speak for the first same appearance) and Thomas with them (So we have: eleven + Thomas = twelve): then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you". This is the appearance that Paul is referring to in I Corinthians 15 (press here to return where you stopped).
2. The words "believing" and "faith" are actually a translation of one and the same Greek word: the word "pistis. In Greek there is no discrimination between "faith" and "believing" (press here to return where you stopped).
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