Easter Sunday marks the movement from humiliation to exaltation in the work of Christ. During his earthly ministry, Jesus often predicted his resurrection, declaring himself to be the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) and announcing that he would lay his life down and take it up again (10:18; cf. 2:19-21). Jesus Christ rose from the dead by his own power.
But it was not by his power alone. The resurrection is frequently ascribed to the power of God (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:26; 5:30; 1 Cor. 6:14; Eph. 1:20) or more specifically to God the Father (Rom. 6:4; Gal. 1:1). Likewise, the work of the Spirit is implied on Romans 1:3 (“declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit”) and Romans 8:11 (“the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead”). The resurrection took place according to the operation of each member of the Trinity.
Importantly, Christ’s resurrection was more than a mere resuscitation of life. Jesus raised several persons from the dead (e.g., a young man, Jairus’s daughter, Lazarus). But none of these “resurrections” marked the turning point in history. We must ask the question: what makes Christ’s resurrection different, such that he can be called the first fruits of those who sleep (1 Cor. 15:20) and the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5)?
Six points.
(1) Christ’s body was raised incorruptible. Jesus will not die again. His body underwent a remarkable change (e.g., the disciples did not recognize him on the Emmaus Road). Christ’s resurrected body could pass through walls and mysteriously appear or disappear. His body was not immaterial, but Christ’s physicality was had been adapted perfectly for spiritual use.
(2) Through the resurrection, Christ became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Raised to life, he was now able to give the Holy Spirit to his disciples.
(3) In fulfilling Israel’s feasts by his death and resurrection (Lev. 25), Christ became the first fruits of those who sleep (1 Cor. 15:20) and the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5). Jesus’s resurrection is often mentioned as an example of what awaits ever member of Christ’s body (Rom. 6:4-9; 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:20-22; 2 Cor. 4:10-14; Col. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:14).
(4) The resurrection signified the accomplishment of Christ’s mediatorial work on earth. Christ “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).
(5) By his resurrection, Christ triumphed over death. Note carefully the wording in Acts 2:24: “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” The grave could not hold the Son of God because it had no claim on him. The wages of sin is death, but once sin is paid for, there is no obligation to pay the wages of sin. The resurrection announced that Christ’s work on behalf of sinners was finished, and there was nothing left to pay.
(6) Finally, the resurrection tells us that God’s justice has been satisfied. Romans 4:25 says Christ was raised for our justification. Like a convict being released from prison after his sentence has been fulfilled, the resurrection testifies that the penal and prescriptive requirements of the law have been paid for. Jesus lives, and so can we.
Taken from Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung, © 2024, pp. 205. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.
Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church (PCA) in Matthews, North Carolina and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.
