Who raised Jesus from the dead?
First of all, how do we know that Jesus was raised from the dead? Listen to the testimony of the angel at the tomb of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:5-6, “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Now listen to the testimony of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 – “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” So we can see from the scriptures that the Lord Jesus was indeed raised from the dead the third day after His crucifixion.
The resurrection of Christ from the dead is critical to the Christian faith. It is a vital part of the Gospel. Not only was it necessary that the Lord rose from the dead, it is necessary that we believe that He rose. As we noted in a previous question, we learn in Romans 10:9 that believing in our hearts that the Lord rose from the dead is part of our salvation. That verse says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” We read in 1 Corinthians 15:12-17 – “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” The Lord’s resurrection was a fulfillment of the scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” It was necessary that the Lord be raised in three days before corruption set in on his body. Acts 13:35 – “Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” We looked at how the Lord wept at the tomb of Lazarus in a previous question. We have the words of Martha in John 11:39, where she said, “Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.” Being dead for four days, corruption had begun in the body of Lazarus, but the Lord was raised before the corruption began. Question 4
So understanding the necessity of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we can proceed with the question of who raised Jesus from the dead. Let’s look at Galatians 1:1, where it says, “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” So, we see that God the Father raised His son from the dead. But wait…there’s more. Let’s look at John 2:19-21 – “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.” So, we see that the Lord Jesus Christ raised Himself from the dead. But wait…there’s more. Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” So, we see that the Holy Spirit raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. How do we understand this? The resurrection was so vital to the finished work of the Lord Jesus that we see all three persons of the trinity were involved in this. I do realize that the word ‘trinity’ is not found in the scriptures, but it is a truth that is certainly taught. So, who raised Jesus from the dead? The resurrection is attributed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.