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CHRISTOLOGY
THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST
Subject Title: Christology: The Doctrine of Christ
Instructor: Pastor Eugene Dacanay

Subject Description:
"Who is Jesus Christ? This question marks the starting point of Christology, the study of Jesus Christ.
In our statement of faith about Prophecy and the Last Days, we believe in the physical Second Coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ as the promised hope for us, born-again believers. In this subject, we will explore the Incarnation,
Atonement and Redemption, and Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ."

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Lecture 1:
The Incarnation: Jesus as God and Man

II. Lecture 2:
Atonement and Redemption: Jesus' Work on the Cross

III. Lecture 3:
Resurrection and Ascension: Jesus' Triumph over Death

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DEFINITION OF TERMS:
✓ Incarnation: Jesus is both fully God and fully human.
✓ Trinity: The God is one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
✓ Atonement: The death of Jesus Christ on the cross paid the penalty for our sins.
✓ Salvation: We are saved from our sins and from eternal death by the grace of God through faith in
Jesus Christ.
✓ Resurrection: Jesus Christ rose from the dead three days after His crucifixion.

LECTURE 1
The Incarnation: Jesus as God and Man

• What does it mean to say that Jesus is both fully God and fully human?
• The Hypostatic Union. The reality of the God-man Jesus has the ancient and modern men equally baffled.
The Chalcedonian Creed
“We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our
Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a
reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and
consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of
the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary,
the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be
acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being
by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in
one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only
begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning
Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.”

✓ The declaration of the two natures (dyophysites) of Jesus sought to answer questions, respond to the
heretical views and silence its critics within and without the Church.

✓ The concept is biblical but not easily absorbed because of its uniqueness and mystery. It is found difficult
because Jesus is fully human like us, but is totally unlike us at the same time. The union of two natures
(divine and human) in the person of Jesus. John 1:1,14. Jesus does not have two persons but two natures.

✓ How was this human being fully God? The term “hypostatic union” is phrased to clarify the interesting
controversy and the obvious tension of the Christology. It was a label devised to resolve the intrigue of His
human-ness and God-ness based on reality and the Bible. He is 100% human and 100% God. Matthew
1:20-21; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:19;2:10. He is not a mixture of human and divine, but exists with a
separate individual human nature and divine nature in Himself.

✓ Jesus is not divided but one person. Nor does His divinity and humanity be separated. As the Son of God,
Jesus, was never not God in all eternity. But He became man. John 1:14. Not to diminish His Divinity but
add humanity to it. He was truly God, and became truly man. When the Divine Jesus became man, it did
not produce a third nature, but He is still distinctly God with a distinct humanity as well. When He became
man, human like us, He will never be not human again. Without ceasing to be God, He became man. And
He will never be not God/Man ever again.

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• How does the doctrine of the incarnation relate to the doctrine of the Trinity?
• When “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”, God came near. When He put on humanity, He
became one of us. Truly experiencing what we are experiencing. He became one of His enemies to
make them His friends. Above all. To make us children of God. He became man not just for a time but
forever.
• Hebrews 2:14-15 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of
the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is,
the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
• 1Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
• 1Corinthians 1:22-25 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and
the weakness of God is stronger than men.
• This is what the Devil had been wanting to fight. He does not want to the world to know who Jesus is,
so that men won’t be saved!
• Plagiarized Jesus? There is no question that Jesus is the most famous character in all human history.
Not only because the book in which his biography is based is the most famous book in the entire
history of printing and publishing. But because unbelieving teachers and atheistic authors make him
even more popular by their claims that he and his story are simply an “obvious” creation of intricate
religious fantasy, lies, conspiracy or myth, by his disciples.
• Matthew 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” This question lingers and still a question asked today
specially to believers like us.
• “Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or
He was Divine.” - John Duncan’s Colloquia Peripatetica.
• The Jesus myth. This religious theory was popularized in the writings of 19th century post-
modernistic humanism. European atheists (like David Strauss (1808–1874), Bruno Bauer (1809–
1882), etc.) declared the Jesus of the New Testament to be the product of eclectic fusion of Egyptian,
Greek and Roman mythical tradition.

“For no gods are worshipped by all Egyptians in common except Isis and Osiris, who they say is
Dionysus; these are worshipped by all alike…Osiris is, in the Greek language, Dionysus.” – Herodotus, Histories.

“Drawing on the cutting edge of modern scholarship, this astonishing book completely undermines the
traditional history of Christianity that has been perpetuated for centuries by the Church and presents
overwhelming evidence that the Jesus of the New Testament is a mythical figure.” – T. Freke; P. Gandy, Jesus
Mysteries.

History speaks volumes of truth about our Christology.

1. The historicity of Jesus is well-documented by non-christian writers of the day and centuries following.
Among them is Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, who mentioned Jesus twice in his Jewish
Antiquities (93AD). He recounted the unlawful execution of James, “the brother of Jesus who is called
Messiah.”

Next is the Roman governor of Bithynia, Pliny the Younger, who penned his account of Jesus when he
wrote to Emperor Trajan that early Christians would “sing hymns to Christ as to a god.”

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Lastly, the Roman senator and historian Tacitus, in his Annals of Imperial Rome (116AD), who mentioned
that Emperor Nero falsely blamed “the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their
enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in
the reign of Tiberius.”

“…but it is useful for realizing that Jesus was known by historians who had reason to look into the matter.
No one thought he was made up.” - Bart D. Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of
Nazareth.

2. There is a big difference between the story of the biblical Jesus and the pagan gods. The mythical gods
of the ancient empires die and resurrect annually to signify the beginning and the ending of the seasons.
Osiris of the Egyptian mythology chopped to death by his brother but found and pieced together by his
wife to life again.

3. Jesus first disciples were Jewish and Christianity has Jewish roots. Judaism was a strictly monotheistic
religion. So, it is very hard to imagine the early church borrowing from polytheistic religion to start with.

4. Pagan religion was mostly influenced by Satan. And he knew the plan of God to reverse the disaster of
Eden and totally defeat the Devil through a human being.

Genesis 3:14-15 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all
livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of
your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he
shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

5. The thousands of New Testament manuscripts (some as early as the 2nd century) when compared to
copies from different regions have been consistent and unchanged in its message of the life of Christ.
This denies the allegation that the gospel story was altered to suit the pagan myths.

6. The New Testament writers were eyewitnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Christ. This can be
easily denied by the unbelieving Jews of Israel or the gentile pagans of the Roman Empire if their story
about Jesus is flawed.

1Corinthians 15:4-8 And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared
also to me.

1John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life
was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which
was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim
also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son Jesus Christ.

If the story of Jesus is a lie fabricated by the disciples, why did they die for it?

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LECTURE 2
Atonement and Redemption: Jesus' Work on the Cross

A. What is atonement, and why is it necessary?

• Atonement is an Old Testament term
• Refers to activity required by God for purging Israel’s sin
• Involves offering, usually an animal sacrifice
• Aimed at reconciling Israel to an offended God
• Symbolical offering of unguilty for guilty, or righteous for unrighteous
✓ In the New Testament
• Word occurs once in Romans 5:11
• Greek word translated as "to reconcile."
• Other English translators like William Tyndale use it to mean "being one and in harmony with."
✓ Old Testament usage
• Atonement often means "to cover," not the sin but the person.
• Sin is forgiven after atonement, as seen in Leviticus 4:20
✓ Collective scriptural meaning
• Atonement is "the cleansing of sin to cover the sinner from punishment."
• Aimed at bringing reconciliation between the sinner and God.
• Achieved through a sacrifice.

• Continuous and Recurrent Atonement

• Genesis 6:14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and
out with pitch. The word “cover” is the same Hebrew word (kaphar) for atonement. In order for the
Ark of Noah to float and water will not penetrate, endangering them, it has to be completely covered
with pitch. Pitch covered the little holes and flaws just like as the atonement covered our sins.
• Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make
atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
• In Leviticus 16 the atonement was described on many levels by many actions. A yearly atonement for
remission was even prescribed for the nation of Israel to memorialize the importance of unbroken
fellowship with God.
• Hebrews 9:18,20,22 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood…Saying,
“This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you”…Indeed, under the law almost
everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
• A promised sacrifice in the Old Testament will be given in the New Testament that will change the
structure and the system but upholds the same principle of the necessity of atonement.

• The Willing Substitute

o Sin breaks relationship between Israel and God, or mankind and God in general.
o Judicial retribution awaits those whose sins aren't covered by a substitutionary sacrifice in the Old
Testament
o Redemption through a proxy sacrifice is essential to avoid penalty and mend breach with God.
o Hebrews 10:10,12,14 (See verse)
o Sanctification through offering of Jesus Christ's body once for all
o Christ offered a single sacrifice for sins for all time.
o By His offering, He perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

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o Jesus, the Sacrificial Substitute

o Did not neglect or displace God's legal justice
o His sacrifice was not to remove mankind from punishment
o Did not disregard God's holiness.
o Paid the just cost of sinfulness through abuse, torture, and death on the cross
o No alternative to paying that price for salvation.
o Paid at the Father’s behest through the eternal Spirit
o Jesus as the eternal Son of Man and Holy Son of God
o Put on flesh and died our eternal deaths.
o Suffered penalty and overcame sentence of sin forever in Jesus.
o Made us accepted and brought us near to be justified by His death.
o Enables us to be in the presence of the Holy God here and thereafter.
o Hebrews 9:12 (See verse)
o Jesus entered holy places once for all, not by blood of goats and calves but by His own blood.
o Secured eternal redemption through His own blood.

B. Why did God sacrifice His Son and how was the plan laid down in the Bible??
o Many wonder why God chose to send His Son to death, questioning His method.
o It's important not to put ourselves above God, as He knows everything (Isaiah 55:8)
o God already knew what we might consider a better way.
• Rescue Mission
o God outlawed the use of icons and images of worship to maintain His glory (Isaiah 42:8)
o Man was created in God's image to reflect His glory (1 Corinthians 11:7)
o Sin caused the corruption of God's glory in man (Romans 3:23)
o Sin's severity lies in corrupting God's image in man and breaking the relationship between God and
man
o Despite sin, God remains the Redeemer and Savior of mankind (Isaiah 43:1,3-4)
o Man is created for God's glory (Isaiah 43:7)
o The heavens declare God's glory (Psalm 19:1-2)
• The Glory of God in Man
o Man is made in the image of God.
o Sin corrupts this image and breaks the relationship with God.
• God's Rescue Plan
o To save the broken glory, God Himself, the only Savior, and Redeemer, must come to save His image.
o God traded status with humanity, clothing humanity so they can regain His glory.
o Justified by grace through redemption in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24-25)
o Christ offered as a propitiation by His blood, showing God's righteousness and divine forbearance.

➢ Illustration of Genuine Love

o Love stories of sacrifice are captivating, like Romeo and Juliet or Florante at Laura
o But they are eclipsed by God's unmatched love for mankind
• Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (See verse)
o Love is strong as death, jealousy fierce as the grave
o Love's flashes are flames of the LORD, unquenchable by many waters
• Jesus, a Willing Sacrifice
o John 10:18 (See verse)
No one takes Jesus' life, He lays it down willingly
Has authority to lay down His life and take it up again, as charged by the Father

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o Matthew 20:28 (See verse)

Son of Man came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many
• Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross
o Greatest example of agape love
o Pure care and concern displayed to the point of death
o Melted defiant hearts of man and changed indignant heart of God
• John 3:16 (See verse)
God's love for the world demonstrated by giving His only Son for eternal life
• Galatians 2:20 (See verse)
Crucified with Christ, now living by faith in the Son of God who loved and gave Himself
• Hebrews 9:13-14 (See verse)
Blood of Christ, offered without blemish through the eternal Spirit, purifies conscience from dead works to serve
the living God
• Vilest punishment became greatest expression of love

➢ Divine Participation
o God honored us by becoming man through the Hypostatic Union, partaking in our humanity to
understand our experiences
• Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
• Job 25:4,6 How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure?...how
much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!
• Isaiah 41:14 Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your
Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
• Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD
has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• God's Presence in Suffering
o Many doubt God's love due to His seeming absence during suffering
o God, in taking flesh, also took mortality and experienced death on the Cross to extinguish death from
human experience
o Christ's crucifixion was God's alone, bearing the greatest tragedy and eternal suffering that should
have been humanity's
o Christ's resurrection marked the death of death forever
• Difference with Patripassianism and Theopassianism
o Patripassianism: God the Father suffers with or as the Son
o Theopassianism: God suffers in the incarnation
o In contrast, 2 Corinthians 5:21 emphasizes Christ being made sin for humanity's sake, enabling
humanity to become the righteousness of God

➢ Eternal Reinstatement
• Luke 3:38 The son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
• Genesis 5:3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named
him Seth.
• John 1:12-13 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
• Hebrews 2:9-10 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned
with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for
everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory,
should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

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➢ Propitiator
• Jesus on the cross was not only the sin-bearer but the wrath-quencher. He took the punishment for our sin. Like
a lover shielding His beloved from pain and suffering to death.
• Jeremiah 25:15,17 Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of
wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it…So I took the cup from the LORD's hand, and made
all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink it:”
• Revelation 14:10 He also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and
he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
• Matthew 26:38-39 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch
with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this
cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
• 1John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

➢ Spiritual Freedom
• Christ's sacrificial death rescues us from jeopardy and ruin, transferring us from bondage to freedom by paying
the required price
• Similar to slaves being bought out of servitude in Paul's day (Romans 6:22; 1 Corinthians 6:20)
• Background: God redeemed Israel from Egyptian captivity (Romans 3:24; Galatians 3:13, 4:5; Ephesians 1:7)
• Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to
the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of
the prison to those who are bound;
• Heb 2:14-15 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same
things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver
all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

➢ Atonement in Types
• The rescue plan for souls was devised before creation, with the Son sent to fulfill commandments and
prophecies, including payment for sin in a horrifying manner.
• Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish
them but to fulfill them.
• Luke 24:44-46 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that
everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he
opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should
suffer and on the third day rise from the dead.
• John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that
bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

➢ Old Testament Typologies of Redemption

Scriptures filled with stories of redemption integrated into the lives of personalities and events in Old
Testament history.

• Adamic Love
o Genesis 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the
eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also
gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
o Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you
eat of it you shall surely die.
o 1Timothy 2:14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

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o Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that
he might sanctify her.
• Virgin Birth
o Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her
offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
o Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
o Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
o Daniel 11:37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He
shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.
o Daniel 11:37 He will not respect the gods of his fathers—not even the god loved by women. He will not
respect any god; he will elevate himself above them all.
• Jacob’s Ladder
o Genesis 28:12-13 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of
it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold,
the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of
Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.
o John 1:51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of
God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
o John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.
• Torn Veil
o Exodus 26:33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there
within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.
o Hebrews 9:7 but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without
taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.
o Matthew 27:51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the
earth shook, and the rocks were split.
o Hebrews 10:19-20 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood
of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.
o Hebrews 4:14-15 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus,
the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet
without sin.

C. In what ways does atonement affect our understanding of human sinfulness and the need for divine grace?
1. Our sin mocks His holiness. We only deserve punishment. But He offered us pardon.
2. Our Fall was expected and so, redemption was a pro-active plan of God.
3. Our freewill is very powerful and very destructive when used wrongly.
4. Mankind was the peak of creation, and salvation was the greatest mission of God.
5. Sin brought out paradoxical response from God. Christ on the cross showed the weakness
of God and displayed His strongest.
6. Our Maker became our Savior so He won’t be our Judge.
7. Our rejection of God’s righteousness and acceptance of His grace have heavenly impact.
8. Our temporal choices can bring us endless disaster or eternal salvation.
9. God can become our greatest enemy or our best friend.
10. We can make God joyful or miserable.
11. God’s love was proven to be incredible and His grace truly amazing!

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LECTURE 3
Resurrection and Ascension: Jesus' Triumph over Death

A. What is the resurrection, and why is it important for us Christians?

• Firstly, the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is pivotal not only to the authenticity of the Bible but
to the Godhood of Jesus Himself.
o Isaiah 42:9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth I tell you of them.
o The God of the Bible is the only True God because He foretell the events before they happen
exactly as He said they will be.
o There were hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament of the coming of God Son to save
mankind from sin. Another hundreds more prophecies from the Old and New Testament were given
about His coming back again and all the circumstances during and after the event.
o The resurrection proved the Bible to be God’s Word.
• Secondly, Jesus claimed many things about God, salvation and heaven. And people likely believed
them. Skeptics and religionists even went so far as to acknowledged Him as a great teacher. Atheists
could not deny that He is at least good human being. But the problem is, He claimed deity for Himself.
And one of His hard saying was His gruesome death and glorious bodily resurrection after three days
resurrection.
o Matthew 16:21 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.
o Matthew 20:18-19 “See, 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.”
o John 12:7 Jesus said, Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.
o John 14:29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you
may believe.
• Lastly, if Jesus is to be believed for salvation, He must be alive from the dead as our Ram slain for the
sins of the world!

B. What are the biblical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
• The empty tomb
o John 20:1-2 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while
it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So, she ran and
went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them,
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
o Luke 24:3 But when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
• The grave clothes
o John 20:5-7 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying
there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but
folded up in a place by itself.
• The reliability of Jesus.
o Matthew 16:21 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.

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o Luke 9:21-22 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying,
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
o John 2:19,21-22 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it
up.” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from
the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and
the word that Jesus had spoken.
• The women eyewitnesses
o Matthew 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
o Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and
Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
o Luke 24:10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the
other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to
them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
o The privilege was given to women not to embarrass the apostles but to elevate their status in
the body of Christ and the society in general.
• The post-resurrection appearances
o The resurrection of Christ was controversial and much celebrated at the same time when it
happened. Jesus showed Himself alive in the body to more than the allowed number of
witnesses permitted for a case to be established in a court of law. They were so many, it was
overwhelming.
o 1 Corinthians 15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of
whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
• The changed-disciples
o The first believers became an unbelieving and cowering lot after the arrest at Gethsemane up
until the resurrection. But being the first to see Jesus alive again in a body changed them to
become courageous and powerful witnesses for the risen Lord.
✓ Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this
night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be
scattered.’”
✓ Matthew 26:33-35 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I
will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the
rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even if I must die
with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
✓ Mark 16:8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment
had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
✓ Mark 16:11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they
would not believe it.
✓ Mark 16:13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
✓ Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at
table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had
not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
✓ Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them:
“Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear
to my words.
✓ Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they
were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they
had been with Jesus.

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✓ Acts 17:6-7 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the
brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world
upside down have come here also and Jason has received them, and they are all
acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”
• The transformation of Jesus’ family
o The immediate family of Jesus from Joseph and Mary’s marriage were not impressed by His
claim to be the Christ. A number of passages revealed this truth. But a sudden change in
belief happened to some of them after the resurrection.
✓ Matthew 13:55-56 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And
are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters
with us? Where then did this man get all these things?
✓ Mark 3:21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were
saying, “He is out of his mind.”
✓ John 7:3-5 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples
also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be
known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his
brothers believed in him.
✓ John 2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers
and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
✓ 1 Corinthians 9:5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the
other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
✓ Galatians 1:19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.
• The message of the gospel.
o The Gospel – the Good News – is about the death and resurrection of Christ bodily.
o 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you,
which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to
the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the
Scriptures.
• The conversion of hostile enemies.
o The most famous convert from Judaism was the Apostle Paul. He was converted en route to
arresting the disciples with threats of murder.
✓ Acts 8:1; 9:1-5
✓ 1 Corinthians 15:8-9 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For
I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God.
o Jerusalem was where the movement started. The place where He was condemned, beaten,
and executed. Out of it spawned the biggest religion of all time.
✓ John 1:11-12 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all
who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children
of God.
• The resolve of evangelism.
o The fame of the gospel was not confined to Israel but believers brought the news to the
Roman Empire and beyond. In so short a time, they converted most of the known world at
that time.
o The movement was violently and fatally fought by the pagans, nevertheless, it was never
enough for the disciples. Many would not consider giving up their lives important for the
preaching of the resurrection of Jesus.

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• The popularity of Christianity in Rome.

o Christianity’s power even said to have converted the emperor himself in 312 AD after his
triumph in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Constantine the Great declared the legitimacy of
Christianity as a religion, paving the way for the freedom of worship and membership of
Christians in society.
• The historical writers.
o A number of celebrated and ancient retellers of history did not forget to include Jesus as the
Christ, died by crucifixion through Pontius Pilate and the Jewish Sanhedrin, and worshipped
as God by His followers. All of whom are non-Christian and pagans. They were Flavius
Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, Lucian, Maimonides, the Jewish Sanhedrin.
• The baptism of the Holy Spirit.
o John 7:38-39 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow
rivers of living water.’ Now, this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him
were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified.
o Acts 2:32-33 This Jesus God raised up, and of that, we all are witnesses. Being therefore
exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy
Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

C. What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean for our future and the hope for eternal life?
• Christ is still dead – 1Cor 15:13,16. Christ is alive!
• Preaching is in vain – 1Cor 15:14. Our preaching is a very important job.
• Apostles are liars – 1Cor 15:15. The apostles were speaking the truth.
• Faith is futile – 1Cor 15:14,17. Believing Jesus is the most essential part of life.
• We remain sinful – 1Cor 15:17. We have forgiveness by the blood of Jesus.
• The dead believers are lost – 1Cor 15:18. We will meet all the known and unknown saints one day.
• Christians are most pitiful 1Cor 15:19. Christians are most blessed of all.
• No life other than this one. But because of the resurrection we will have the best life ever.
• Sacrifices to be good is futile 1Cor 15:32. To live for God and righteousness is the way to go.
• Death won over God 1Cor 15:26. Jesus gave death an everlasting death.
• Death is the end. No, but death is the beginning of something better.
• Eternal life is a lie. No, but truest of all truths.
• Christianity is a scam. No, but we must all be in!
• Jesus is the greatest scammer. No, but Christ is the Truth indeed.
• Life is hopeless and the future is bleak 1Thess 4:13-14,18. The future is everything for the eternity
that awaits us!
• Israel is not the nation of God. No, but Christ will come to Israel in the Middle East.
• The Jews are not the chosen people. No, but Jesus will come back for them as it was foretold in the
Old Testament prophecies.

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