Who Raised Jesus from the Dead?

Let's why Jesus died, if he rose, and how he rose from the dead.

Why did Jesus die?

I have previously examined why Jesus died. What does it mean that he died "for our sins"? How does his death relate to our sins? A Christian can believe in any of the ten theories of atonement that I summarize in a separate article. The theories range from God having a pre-determined plan to sacrifice his son, to God triumphing over evil and freeing us to approach God, to God becoming flesh, dwelling among us to show us the way to live, and human sin caused us to kill the man who was challenging our power.

Jesus is risen! https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-and-black-rock-formation-5949236/

Did Jesus rise again?

The Christian faith rests on the belief that Jesus died and rose again.

Through the centuries, there have been rumours that he wasn't really dead, or that he didn't really rise, or that the risen Jesus appeared as a vision. I have written against those who have added extra burdens to the definition of who is a Christian. However, the biblical definition of a Christian includes belief in the resurrection of Jesus. It is a core part of the Christian religion. It sets Jesus apart from teachers and prophets. It shows Jesus conquered death and sin. It shows Jesus is the source of new life.

One of the earliest definitions of a Christian includes the belief that Jesus rose:

"If you openly say, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from death, you will be saved." Romans 10:9 ERV

I told you the most important truths: that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say; that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day, as the Scriptures say; and that he appeared to Peter and then to the twelve apostles. After that Christ appeared to more than 500 other believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died. Then he appeared to James and later to all the apostles.... If no one will ever be raised from death, then Christ has never been raised. And if Christ has never been raised, then the message we tell is worth nothing. And your faith is worth nothing. 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, 13-14 ERV

Who raised Jesus from the dead?

The Father is God, and God the Father raised Jesus:

God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead (Galatians 1:1).

Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father (Romans 6:4).

Jesus is the Father and the Father is Jesus: Jesus raised himself:

For I have the authority to lay my life down and also to take it up again (John 10:18).

I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).

Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:19).

The Holy Spirit raised Jesus:

The Son of God was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 1:4).

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you (Romand 8:11).

He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18).

The Triune God raised Jesus:

God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11).

God raised him to life on the third day (Acts 10:40).

God raised him from the dead (Acts 13:30).

God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this (Acts 2:32).

This is where we get into the tricky Holy Trinity. I say tricky, because Christians continue to debate how there can be one God in three persons. Some of today's Christians who like to believe that God endorses a male hierarchy suggest that the Trinity represents a hierarchy with Jesus subordinate to the Father. However, the Holy Trinity is not hierarchical. However, the church has historically agreed that all persons of the Triune God existed from the beginning and were part of creating the earth and everything in it.

• Jesus was there before the world began; Jesus was with God and Jesus was God and everything was made through him and nothing was made without him (John 1:1-3).

• The Spirit was there in the beginning, when the earth was without form, and the Spirit hovered like a wind over the waters (Genesis 1:1-2).

• The Father is God, and through God all things are made (1 Corinthians 8:6)

All persons of the Holy Trinity are equal, having the same mind and the same vision.

"Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves." (John 14:11 NKJV).

All persons of the Holy Trinity came to earth in the form of Jesus, inhabiting a human body and showing us how to live, but they were not constrained by the physical body or by its death. All persons of the Holy Trinity had one goal: reconciling people to God and allowing us to be united with God, becoming human temples that God inhabits.

All persons of the Triune God raised Jesus

Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:

• Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1 (2022)

• The Sword A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)

• Because She Was Called: from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church, imagines Mary Magdalene's trip to testify before the emperor (2024)

• Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)