The resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. The Bible teaches that Jesus literally and physically rose from the dead after being crucified. But what does it mean that Jesus rose “again”? Here are some key things to understand:
1. Jesus rose again because He had died
For Jesus to rise “again” implies that He had previously died. The Gospels record in detail Jesus’ death by crucifixion (Matthew 27:32-56; Mark 15:21-41; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:16-37). He was beaten, whipped, and nailed to a cross where He hung for hours until He died. To ensure His death, a soldier pierced His side with a spear and blood and water flowed out (John 19:34). Jesus was then taken down from the cross, wrapped in linen cloths with spices, and laid in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42). His death was confirmed by the Roman centurion and others who witnessed it (Mark 15:39, 44-45). So when the Bible speaks of Jesus rising “again,” it is affirming that He truly died and His resurrection was an authentic rising from death, not merely a resuscitation from injury.
2. Jesus predicted His death and resurrection
Throughout His ministry, Jesus made predictions that He would die and rise again:
- “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Matthew 16:21).
- “And as they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day’” (Matthew 17:22-23).
- “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day” (Matthew 20:18-19).
Jesus repeatedly foretold of His coming death and resurrection. He knew what awaited Him in Jerusalem. When Jesus rose from the dead, it was the fulfillment of what He had promised would happen.
3. Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled Old Testament prophecy
The Old Testament contains prophecies about the Messiah suffering, dying, and rising from death:
- “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
- “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:10).
- “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption” (Psalm 16:10).
Peter, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, declared that Jesus’ resurrection was the fulfillment of God’s promise to David to seat one of his descendants upon an eternal throne: “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses” (Acts 2:29-32). Jesus’ resurrection “again” was foreseen long ago in the prophetic writings.
4. Jesus rose with a glorified, immortal body
Jesus’ resurrected body was similar in some ways to His earthly body, yet also profoundly different. He had a tangible, fleshly body that could be touched and that had scars from His crucifixion (Luke 24:39-40; John 20:20, 27). He ate food and had conversations with His disciples (Luke 24:41-43; John 21:12-13). Yet His resurrected body also appeared and disappeared miraculously, able to enter rooms with locked doors (John 20:19, 26). His body was immortal and no longer bound by death. The resurrected Jesus ascended into heaven, where He now reigns (Acts 1:9-11; Philippians 2:8-11). Our own resurrection bodies will one day be like Christ’s glorified body (1 Corinthians 15:20, 49; Philippians 3:21).
5. Jesus’ resurrection inaugurated the new creation
Jesus’ resurrection launched the new creation that He accomplished through His death and resurrection. As Paul explained, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and the curse of the law opens the way for sinners to be made right with God and begin an eternal resurrected life (Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, 54-57). His resurrection also empowers believers to walk in newness of life now, with the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 6:4, 8-11). The risen Christ is the “firstfruits” of the resurrection harvest that is yet to come when He returns (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
6. Jesus is uniquely the “firstborn from the dead”
Jesus is designated as the unique “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5). His resurrection was an unrepeatable event as the Son of God conquering death. Jesus alone lived a perfectly righteous life and thus did not deserve to die. His death paid the penalty for our sins, and His flawless victory over death guarantees eternal life to all who trust in Him. Jesus’ bodily resurrection is also presented as the model and promise of the future resurrection of believers. Because He rose, those united to Him by faith will also rise from the dead when He returns (Romans 6:5; 1 Corinthians 6:14). But the firstborn distinction shows that the resurrection of followers of Christ happens through their federal connection to Him, not from an innate power within themselves.
7. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life
During His earthly ministry, Jesus declared “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). This reveals that Jesus’ power over death flows from His divine identity. Because He is Himself “the Resurrection and the Life,” Jesus could proclaim, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). His own conquest of death enables Him to break the power of death and give eternal life to all who believe in Him. The resurrected Jesus proclaimed, “I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). The keys belong to Him because He is Life itself.
8. The resurrection proved Jesus’ deity and Messianic identity
The resurrection was the divine vindication of Jesus’ claims about Himself. He predicted His death and resurrection ahead of time. When it happened just as He said, it demonstrated His truthfulness and divine authority (Matthew 28:6; Acts 13:32-35). The resurrection also confirms Jesus’ identity as the prophesied Messiah and Son of God (Romans 1:4). As the apostle Paul explained, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:7). The resurrection proves that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
9. The resurrection provides assurance of salvation
The certainty of the resurrection grounds our assurance of salvation in Christ. Paul states that Jesus “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25). His death paid the penalty our sins deserved and His resurrection demonstrated the acceptance and sufficiency of His atoning sacrifice. As Paul further explains, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). The resurrection assures believers of Christ’s complete payment for sins and victory over condemnation (Romans 8:34).
10. The resurrection energizes the Church’s mission
Because Jesus rose from the dead, His followers have an urgent mission to spread this good news to the world. As those first witnesses of the empty tomb were told, “Go and tell” (Matthew 28:7; Luke 24:48). The resurrection confirms that Jesus reigns over all and that His Great Commission must be obeyed (Matthew 28:18-20). The book of Acts shows the central role of the resurrection in early apostolic preaching and evangelism (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30-32; 10:40; 13:30, 33, 34, 37; 17:3, 31). The resurrection empowers the church’s gospel mission, assuring us that Christ has triumphed over sin and death.
The resurrection of Jesus “again” after His death on the cross is a central truth on which biblical Christianity rests. As Paul proclaimed before the skeptical philosophers in Athens, God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Whoever believes in the crucified and risen Son of God will receive forgiveness and eternal salvation. The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything.