Since the basis of salvation is the death of Christ, why does the Bible tell us to believe not only in His death but also in His resurrection?
The apostles were witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:22). The book of Acts is full of testimonies of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection. Death is merely a process; whereas, resurrection is the fulfillment. Therefore, whenever the Bible mentions the Lord’s death, His resurrection is also mentioned. The Lord frequently told the disciples that He was going to be killed. But He did not stop there; He always went on to say that He was going to be raised on the third day. Resurrection is the conclusion of death. Only in resurrection can the work of death be accomplished. The Lord Jesus died for our sins on the cross. How do we know that He accomplished what He intended to accomplish? How do we know that God accepted what He accomplished? We know because He was resurrected from the dead. This can be likened to a criminal who is sentenced to a certain term of imprisonment. How do we know that his term is fulfilled? We know because he is released from jail. Resurrection concludes death. Without death, there is no resurrection. With resurrection, death passes away. God has “furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead” (17:31). The Lord wants us to believe in His resurrection.
We cannot be saved by only believing in the Lord Jesus’ death. We must also believe that the Lord Jesus has risen from the dead before we can be saved. Romans 10:9 says, “If you...believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Resurrection is an act of God. “And the Author of life you killed, whom God has raised from the dead” (Acts 3:15). Man had only seen death. If the Lord had not been raised, everyone would have thought that only an ordinary man had been killed. But God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead in order to show them that “it was not possible for Him to be held by it” (2:24). He was the One whom “God has exalted to His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (5:31). “This is the One who was designated by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead....that through His name everyone who believes into Him will receive forgiveness of sins” (10:42-43).
Believing in the resurrection is beyond man’s ability. Without the touch of the Holy Spirit, man is not able to believe that the Lord Jesus resurrected from the dead. Just by saying, in a light way, that one believes is of no consequence. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible for man to believe from the depth of his being. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). Surely salvation is the work of God. In the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles bore witness to the Lord Jesus’ resurrection. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit....And with great power the apostles gave testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:31, 33).
The work of redemption was accomplished by the death of Christ. His death is the basis of our salvation. However, we cannot believe only in the death of Christ; we must also believe in His resurrection.
Home | First | Prev | Next