Why Jesus Rose from the Dead

1 Corinthians 15:51-57  

Jesus was perfectly in obedience to His heavenly father, – after all, he was sinless, and perfectly in obedience to God the father.  That obedience led him to the cross.  Mark 14:36   Philippians 2:8  It was reason enough that God had planned his death and resurrection from eternity past.  But if we do need a list of reasons why Jesus rose from the grave, I suggest that there’s at least five of them.   Here they are:-

1. Jesus Rose from the Dead to Glorify God!

All of our salvation, from beginning to end is for God’s glory alone. Salvation is of the Lord.  It was God who planned it and God who brought it about. In eternity, when we all meet again around God’s throne, and we truly understand what God has done for his people we will praise him, and extol him and glorify him.  Soli Deo Gloria!  John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2. Jesus Rose from the Dead to Vindicate the Messianic Prophecies.

The Old Testament contains prophecies of a Messiah, a deliverer of Israel whom God would send to rescue His people.  Here’s some examples: READ Psalm 16:10  That verse is quoted again by Peter in Acts 2:27  He applies it to the resurrection of Jesus.  READ Isaiah 53:10-11 The story of Jonah, the ancient Hebrew prophet, who spent three days in the darkness and entombment of the great fish was an illustration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, Matthew 12:39  Referring to the followers of Christ, John wrote in John 20:9. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

Christ’s death on the cross was not a defeat.  Jesus WAS victorious.  He conquered death, defeated it in his resurrection, for us, and he leads us on to eternal victory.  READ 1 Corinthians 15:51-57,  Jesus’s resurrection perfectly completes and fulfils the promises given by God to Israel through the Old Testament scriptures.

3. Jesus Rose from the Dead because of Who He Is.

Think for a moment about what we learned over the years about the person and nature of Jesus Christ.  Think of:-

• His Dignity.  He is GOD’s only begotten Son.   It was not possible that death could hold him in the tomb, for as God, he is the author and the giver of life!   John 11:25  John 5:21-26   In him IS life!
• His Power. Death is very powerful.  The Christian message is that JESUS IS STRONGER THAN DEATH!  When he rose, he demonstrated that power.  In Christ death is defeated. READ 1^st Corinthians 15:56 
• His Righteousness. Remember that Jesus is God’s sinless son.  We die, because the wages of sin is death.  We deserve to die.  Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law, so that he did NOT deserve to die. He died in our place, he died our death. But because he had no sin, death had no hold on him.  Romans 6:9-10  

So, Jesus could not be held by death for he was God, with all the dignity of God’s person, power of God and righteousness of Christ.

4. Jesus Rose from the Dead in Order to Carry On His Work as Mediator.

There is such a huge gap, a gaping chasm between God and us that we can never bridge and never cross by ourselves.  We need someone to stand between God and us.  READ Job 9:33  A ‘daysman’ is a mediator, someone who stands in the gap between the holy God and sinful mankind.  A mediator has come, and that mediator is Jesus! 1 Timothy 2:5  ut a dead mediator would be a worthless mediator.   Jesus is alive.  He rose from the dead, so the Hebrew author wrote (or maybe said) in Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.  Jesus lives, and stands between God and man as Saviour, Mediator and Intercessor.  READ Psalm 110:4 

5. Jesus Rose from the Dead for Our Salvation.

This is where it gets personal.  Jesus died for me, and he rose from the dead for me; and for you too, if you are a repentant sinner who is trusting him as Saviour and Lord. Let’s see three aspects of this personal application of the resurrection of Christ:-

• He rose for our Justification. Romans 4:25  In that simple statement Paul teaches us that the saving work which Jesus achieved at the cross for us is applied to us by the living Christ, who entered into the presence of the Father, having completed his saving work, granting to us his own righteousness, so that clothed in that righteousness he makes us acceptable unto God.  
• He rose for our Regeneration.  In regeneration he gives us New Life.  What do we mean by, ‘New life?’   Justification before God, a new legal standing with God, into which the Christian has been placed – requires a new life in us in order that we might work out that status practically in this life and forever. John 10:28  
• He rose for our Resurrection.  And of course, our ultimate glorification.  Because He rose, we shall rise also. 1 Corinthians 15:21   Jesus is the ‘firstfruits’ of that great harvest of souls.  1 Corinthians 15:20  1 Corinthians 15:23  Today, all around this supposedly protestant province of ours, where only around a quarter of those so-called protestants will actually be at a service of worship, – people will be celebrating ‘easter’ – with bunnies and chicks and chocolate eggs… pagan symbols of the spring equinox, – and in the midst of their obsession with such nonsense and trivia, they will miss a vital truth – that because Christ is risen, we too will rise, that physical death is not the end, that there is a glorious day of resurrection coming, when “…the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

So, Jesus rose in order that God would be glorified, so that the Old Testament prophesies that point to him would be fulfilled and vindicated.  He rose to verify the integrity of his person as God’s only begotten Son, the divine Creator and giver of life, his dignity, power and righteousness.  He rose to continue his work as the only mediator, the only way for a sinner to come to God, and he rose for our salvation.   

© Bob McEvoy 2024