DID JESUS RESURRECT HIMSELF FROM THE DEAD?

FreeChristianWritings.com TOPIC A20 DID JESUS RESURRECT HIMSELF FROM THE DEAD? BY RON FOSTER Lay Member RIVERSIDE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH UPPER ARLINGTON, OHIO

DID JESUS RESURRECT HIMSELF FROM THE DEAD? Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. This TOPIC was written in 2013. MAKE COPIES IF YOU WANT FOR YOURSELF OR OTHERS You can make copies and distribute them at a price no more than your combined cost of paper and printing. If this TOPIC is of value to you, you may choose to make a small donation to the church of your choice. 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Introduction...4 God is a Trinity....5 God the Word Became Jesus...6 Jesus Christ is God..7 Jesus is Truth...8 Scriptural Writers Account of Jesus Resurrection.11 Titles of Jesus...14 Authority and Power of Jesus 14 Jesus Predicted That He Would Resurrect Himself.15 Conclusions 17 Abbreviations for the Books of the Bible..18 3

INTRODUCTION I am in complete agreement with those Christian scholars who have written that Jesus resurrection is a historical reality. No question, it is an essential element of Christian faith. I have absolutely no doubt that God raised Him. I have, however, often wondered which person of the Triune Godhead resurrected Jesus. What does God s Book tell us about which person of the Trinity resurrected Jesus Christ? Did Jesus resurrect Himself? Was He resurrected by Father God? The Holy Spirit? That is the purpose of this TOPIC-- to provide answers to these questions after a thorough search of the Bible. 4

GOD IS A TRINITY The God that I honor is one being who exists as a Trinity of three distinct persons. Unlike three human persons who have three wills, three energies, and act independently-- the Triune Godhead has only one will, one energy or power source, and never acts separately. God does not exist unconnected. Each person of the Trinity is fully and completely God and is co-equal with each of the other. No hierarchy exists in the Trinity. Use of the words Father, and Son in the Trinity is confusing to many people. This implies that one existed before the others. This is not true. Indeed, none of the Triune Godhead existed before any of the others. A vital connection of the persons of the Trinity might be referred to as the relationship of involvement. This simply is meant to state unequivocally that all three persons of the Trinity are involved and interact in all of the activities of God. Some of these undertakings are mainly the action of one of the Trinity but all three participate to some extent in everything that is done by God. Unlike three human persons who have three wills, three energies, and act independently--each person of the Trinity has only one will, one energy. God simply does not exist independently from any one of the three persons. There is one God, not three Gods. God is not sometimes one of the Triune and sometimes another. Always, God is all three. Any one of them is totally God and all three of whom are totally God. This simply 5

means that not one of the three persons of the Trinity is God any more or any less God than either of the other two. Each person of the Trinity is always cooperative. But each acts in a different manner. They are not just molds of each other. Perhaps, it may be helpful to summarize some of the features used here to describe the Trinity. The following incomplete sketch is offered for that purpose: 1. Has one essence or being. 2. Consists of the three persons. 3. Each person can be called God or Lord. 4. The three persons cannot exist separately. 5. Each has always existed. 6. Each is coequal or fully God. 7. The three combined have one energy or power source. 8. The three combined have one will. 9. All share in the reign of God s kingdom. 10. Each is at the disposal of the others. Thus, when a person uses the word God in a communication, it cannot automatically be assumed that she or he is referring specifically to the Father. GOD THE WORD BECAME JESUS For the doctrine of the Trinity to have been relevant prior to the birth of Jesus, a 6

person had to fill His place in the Triune Godhead. This person had to possess all the attributes of God. According to the apostle John, the Word not only had all the characteristics of God--the Word was God and was with Father God in the beginning (Jn 1:1-3). Before Jesus was incarnated, the three persons of the Trinity were the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit (See TOPIC A18 in FreeChristianWritings.com). The Word was sent by Father God to Earth (Jn 3:16-17). After conception of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, the Word became Jesus. Jesus is often referred to as Father God s one and only begotten Son. This may be one of the reasons Christians today commonly use the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to identify the persons of the Trinity. Another reason may be that it is too cumbersome for Christians to refer to the second person of the Trinity as the Word who became Jesus. In any event, it is totally correct to think that the Word existed before creation and continued to exist as Jesus after Incarnation. The Word and Jesus should be thought of as being one continuous person within the Trinity. JESUS CHRIST IS GOD Jesus and many scriptural writers made it unmistakably clear that Jesus Christ was God. The disciple Matthew told us: Matthew 1:23 (NIV) 23 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means God with us ). 7

Jesus Identified Himself as God In several verses of scripture, Jesus identified Himself as God or having the power of God. Here are just a few of these: 1. As one with the Father: Jn 10:30, 38; 12:45; 14:7, 10; 17:11. 2. As omnipresent: Mt 18:20; 28:20. 3. As raising the dead: Jn 5:21; 6:40, 54. 4. As having power to forgive sins: Mk 2:10. 5. As entitled to equal honor with the Father: Jn 5:23. 6. As equal owner of all things with the Father: Jn 16:15 Scriptural Writers Attributes of the Father, Christ, and Holy Spirit Many verses in Scripture make it obvious that its writers thought that Jesus Christ had all the attributes of God. Some of these attributes and the sources are presented in EXHIBIT 1 on the next page. JESUS IS TRUTH Truth is conformity to fact and actuality. Truth is a characteristic of each person of the Trinity. God does not lie (Nu 23:19; 1Sa 15:29; Heb 6:18). God is the God of Truth (Isa 65:16). The Christian Bible is God s Book of Truth (Da 10:21; Jn 17:15). 8

EXHIBIT 1 ATTRIBUTES OF GOD SHARED BY THE FATHER, THE CHRIST, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT ATTRIBUTE 1. Created All Things: Ge 1:1 1Co 8:6 Ps 100:3 Jer 51:19 2. Eternal: (Always Existing, Never Ending) 3. Omnipresent: (Everywhere) 4. Omniscient: (All Knowing) 5. Omnipotent: (All Powerful) EXEMPLIFYING BIBLICAL SOURCE THE THE THE FATHER CHRIST HOLY SPIRIT Jn 1:3 Isa 40:12-13 Jn 1:10 Job 33:4 Col 1:16 Ge 1:2 Heb 3:4 Ps 104:30 Isa 44:6 Ps 90:2 Ps 93:2 Jer 23:24 Dt 31:8 Ex 33:14 Ps 46:1 Ro 11:33 Ac 15:18 Ps 139:17 Ps 92:5 Isa 28:29 Isa 40:10, 29 Ps 93:4 Ex 9:16 Jos 4:24 1Ch29:11-12 Job 36:22 6. True, Holy, and Good: Jn 7:28 Jn 17:25 Ps 34:8 Isa 43:3 Dt 32:4 7. Is Each, the God Most High: Heb 7:24-25 Rev 1:8, 17 Eph 4:10 Ac 17:27 Php 4:5 Col 2:2-3 Jn 16:30 1Jn 3:20 1Co 1:24; 5:4 2Pe 1:16 Mk 1:7 Php3:20-21 Lk 4:36 2Co 13:3 Ac 3:14; 4:27 Mk 1:24 Jn 14: 16-17 Heb 9:14 Jn 15:26-27 Ps 139:7-8 1Co 2:10-11 Isa 40:13-14 Jn 14:26 Jdg 14:19 1Sa 10:6, 10; 11:6 Ac 1:8 Ro 15:13 1Co 2:4 1Th 1:5 1Jn 5:6 Ps 143:10 Ne 9:20 Ro 1:4 Ps 83:18 Ac 16:17 Lk 1:35 9

God the Word is Truth As stated above, the Word was a member of the Trinity. He is full of truth. The Word, who became Jesus, is truth as stated below: John 1:14 (NIV) 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have see his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus Speaks the Truth Scripture tells us that Jesus was Himself God and that Jesus speaks the truth. This is perfectly clear in the following: John 1:17-18 (NIV) 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 7:17-18 (NIV) 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. John 14:6 (NIV) 6 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you consider the Christian Bible the Book of Truth (Da 10:21), you know that Jesus is God. God does not lie. Jesus is the ultimate example of truth. 10

SCRIPTURAL WRITERS ACCOUNT OF JESUS RESURRECTION All scriptural writers believe very strongly that God resurrected Jesus from the dead. Some of them do not, however, appear to be concerned which particular person of the Triune Godhead exercised the primary role as resurrector. Judge for yourself. Does this comment seem applicable to the output of some of the scriptural writers as shown here? According to Luke On one occasion, Luke quoted Jesus as saying that He would raise Himself from the dead (Lk 18:31-33). In another place, he said that the Messiah would rise (Lk 24:44-47). In yet another place, Luke wrote that Father God raised Jesus (Ac 13:32-37). In many other passages, Luke stated that God, without specifying which person of the Trinity, raised Jesus from the dead. These passages include: Ac 2:24, 32; 3:15, 26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 33, 34, 37. According to Paul In the Book of Acts, it was noted by Luke that the apostle Paul taught in the synagogues that Jesus, as the Messiah, raised Himself from the dead (Ac 17:2-3). In two other books, Paul expressed the thought that Father God raised Jesus (Ro 6:3-4; Gal 1:1). In several other writings, Paul wrote that God raised Jesus without saying which person of the Trinity he was writing about: Ro 4:21-25; 10:9; 1Co 6:14; 15:15; Eph 2:6; 11

Col 2:12. Paul also stated that the Holy Spirit was involved in the resurrection of Jesus. This was indicated in Romans 1:4 and 8:11. According to Peter Peter wrote that God raised Jesus from the dead (1Pe 1:21). No identification was made as to which person or persons of the Trinity performed the resurrection. According to John Apostle John was one of the authors in the New Testament to indicate that Jesus resurrected Himself. He recorded this in John 2:18-21 and John 10:17-18. According to Mark St. Mark was also one of the writers in the New Testament to realize that the Son of Man would lay down His life and take it up again. This is obvious in: Mk 8:30-32; 9:30-32; 10:33-34. Summary This difference among the authors of scripture is obvious in EXHIBIT 2. This is the reason that I became interested in the subject of this TOPIC. 12

EXHIBIT 2 SUMMARY OF SCRIPTURAL WRITERS ACCOUNT OF RESURRECTED JESUS WHO RESURRECTED JESUS AUTHOR GOD FATHER GOD MARK JESUS Mk 8:30-32; 9:30-32; 10:33-34. HOLY SPIRIT LUKE Ac 13:32-37 Lk 18:31-33; 4:44-47 JOHN Jn 2:18-21; 10:17-18 PAUL Ro 4:21-25; 10:9 1Co 6:14; 15:15 Eph 2:6 Col 2:1-2 PETER 1Pe 1:21 Ro 6:3-4 Gal 1:1 Ac 12: 2-3* Ro 1:4; 8:11 *Luke stated Paul taught that Jesus resurrected Himself. 13

TITLES OF JESUS Jesus sometimes responded in the first-person pronoun I (Jn 2:18-21; 10:18). On many occasions, He used other names to refer to Himself. Examples of which are shown here: Son of Man Mt 8:19-20; 19:27-28; Mk 9:8-10; Lk 18:31-32; 22:47-48; Jn 8:27-29. Messiah Mt 16:13-20; Mk 14:61-62; Jn 4:25-26. Son of God Mt 11:27; 16:15-20; 27:43; Mk 3:11-12; 14:61-62; Lk 10:22; Jn 1:18; 5:16-20; 6:40; 10:36; 17:1-2; 19:6-8. AUTHORITY AND POWER OF JESUS Authority is the moral right or privilege to do something because of the position held. Authority may be intrinsic, belonging to one s essential nature. Or it may be derived, which is given to one from another source. Jesus has the same intrinsic authority as the Father (Jn 10:25-30) plus the authority given to Him by the Father to carry out the mission to save the world (Jn 3:17; 5:26-27; 7:27-29). Power is the ability or strength to perform an activity or deed. One can have power to perform a task but not the authority to do it. Jesus had both authority and power, as shown by the following: Daniel 7:13-14 (NIV) 13 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign 14

power; all nations and people of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Luke 4:36-37 (NIV) 36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out! 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area. After Jesus resurrection, the scope of Jesus authority was enlarged as He told His disciples: Matthew 28:18-19 (NIV) 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. John 17:2-4 (NIV) 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. JESUS PREDICTED THAT HE WOULD RESURRECT HIMSELF Jesus has the unique knowledge that enables Him to know all future events before they happen. This foreknowledge is more than foresight. He can predict what will happen because He wills these events to happen (Acts 4:28). Jesus predicted His own resurrection on many occasions. In a few instances, He used the pronoun I when communicating about His resurrection as indicated by the following: 15

John 2:18-21 (NIV) 18 The Jews then responded to him, What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this? 19 Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days. 20 They replied, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days? 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. John 10:17-18 (NIV) 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. In many situations, however, Jesus thought of himself as Son of Man, or the Messiah, or the Son of God. When speaking of His own resurrection, this is evident by examination of the following: Mark 8:31 (NIV) 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. Mark 9:31 (NIV) 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise. Mark 10:33-34 (NIV) 33 We are going up to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise. Luke 18:31-33 (NIV) 31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, 16

insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again. Luke 24:44-47 (NIV) 44 He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, This is what is written: the Messiah will suffer and rise from the deal on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Jesus fulfilled His predictions that He would resurrect Himself. With God, all things are possible (Mt 19:26; Mk 10:27; Lk 18:27). Jesus is God and His predictions were truth claims that he made with foreknowledge that He knew would happen. His predictions came true. CONCLUSIONS All three persons of the Trinity, including Jesus, were involved in the activity of resurrecting Jesus from the grave but JESUS CHRIST CARRIED OUT THE PRIMARY ROLE OF RESURRECTING HIMSELF. 17

ABBREVIATIONS FOR THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE Genesis Ge Exodus.Ex Leviticus..Lev Numbers..Nu Deuteronomy...Dt Joshua..Jos Judges..Jdg Ruth.Ru 1 Samuel.1Sa 2 Samuel.2Sa 1 Kings 1Ki 2 Kings 2Ki 1 Chronicles 1Ch 2 Chronicles 2Ch Ezra.Ezr Nehemiah Ne Esther..Est Job...Job Psalms..Ps Proverbs...Pr Ecclesiastes.Ecc Song of Songs.SS Isaiah.Isa Jeremiah...Jer Lamentations.La Ezekial..Eze Daniel Da Hosea.Hos Joel Joel Amos.Am Obahiah.Ob Jonah.Jnh Micah Mic Nahum..Na Habakkuk..Hab Zephaniah..Zep Haggai Hag Zechariah...Zec Malachi..Mal Matthew.Mt Mark...Mk Luke Lk John.Jn Acts.Ac Romans..Ro 1 Corinthians.1Co 2 Corinthians.2Co Galatians Gal Ephesians...Eph Philippians.Php Colossians..Col 1 Thessalonians..1Th 2 Thessalonians..2Th 1 Timothy...1Ti 2 Timothy...2Ti Titus Tit Philemon.Phm Hebrews..Heb James...Jas 1 Peter.1Pe 2 Peter.2Pe 1 John..1Jn 2 John..2Jn 3 John..3Jn Jude..Jude Revelation Rev 18