The Resurrection of Jesus Christ Demonstrates His Claims of Being the Son of God are True
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday April 20, 2014
Special: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ Demonstrates His Claims of Being the Son of God are True
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 1:1.
The resurrection of Christ was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 16:10) and is also the greatest attested fact in all of human history and is mentioned by secular historians as well (Tacitus, Annals, XV, 44; Josephus, Antiquities, Book 18, chapter 3).
The resurrection of Christ is an historical fact of history that can be verified by eyewitnesses: (1) Disciples of Christ (Lk. 24:9-11; Acts 1:1-3; 21-22; 2:23-24; 31-32; 3:14-15; 10:39-41; 13:29-39) (2) Roman Guard Protecting the Tomb of Jesus (Mt. 27:62-66; 28:11-15) (3) Enemies of Christ (Mt. 28:11-15; Acts 2).
The resurrection of Christ can be verified by evidence: (1) The Empty Tomb (Jn. 20:2-9) (2) The Stone (Mt. 28:1-4; Mk. 16:1-4; Lk. 24:2) (3) Seal (Mt. 27:62-66). (4) The Grave Clothes (Jn. 20:2-9) (5) The Roman Guard (Mt. 27:57-60; 28:11-15; Mk. 15:42-45; Lk. 23:50-52; Jn. 19:38). (6) The Silence of the Enemies of Christ at Pentecost (Acts 2) (7) The Transformed Lives of the Disciples of Jesus (8) The Existence of the Christian Church (9) The Observance of the First Day of the Week (Sunday) as the Lord’s Day (10) Christ’s Appearances (500 on more than one occasion: 1 Cor. 15:1-8; Peter 1 Cor. 15:5; 2 on the way to Emmaus Lk. 24:13-15; 11 apostles Jn. 20:24-28; Paul Acts 9).
Jesus never predicted His death without adding that He would rise again (Matthew 12:38-40; 16:21; 17:9, 22-23; 20:18-19; 26:32; 27:63; Mark 8:31-9:1; 9:10, 31; 10:32-34; 14:28, 58; Luke 9:22-27; John 2:18-22; 12:34; chapters 14-16).
Jesus not only predicted His resurrection but also emphasized that His rising from the dead would be the “sign” to authenticate his claims as being the Messiah (Jn. 2:13-22).
Our Lord declared openly that He was the resurrection (John 11:25-26; 14:6) and His apostles confirmed that He had risen from the dead on the third day (Acts 1:22; 2:24, 32; 3:15).
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was central to the preaching of the apostles, who were witnesses of His resurrection (see Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15, 26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 33, 34, 37; 17:31; 1 Corinthians 15).
The resurrection is fundamental to the gospel because it demonstrates that Jesus of Nazareth is in fact God and demonstrated the substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths of our Lord were acceptable to the Father as the atonement for sin.
The resurrection of Christ demonstrated to all that He was indeed who He claimed to be, namely, the incarnate Son of God (Rm. 1:1-4).
Romans 1:1 Paul, a slave owned by Christ who is Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel originating from God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 concerning His Son, who was born as a descendant of David with respect to His human nature. 4 The One demonstrated as the Son of God by means of divine power with respect to a nature characterized by holiness because of the resurrection from the dead ones, Jesus Christ, our Lord. (My translation)
In Romans 10:9, the apostle Paul teaches that if the Jew acknowledges with his mouth to the Father that Jesus is Lord, which is equivalent to believing in his heart that the Father raised him from the dead, then the Jew will receive eternal salvation.
Romans 10:1 Spiritual brothers, indeed, the desire produced by my own heart and in addition my specific detailed request on behalf of them is always for their deliverance. 2 Because I testify concerning them that they possess a zeal for God, however by no means according to an experiential knowledge. 3 Because they have in the past rejected the righteousness originating from God the Father and continue to do so up to the present moment. In fact, because they have in the past zealously sought to establish their own and continue to do so up to the present moment, they never submitted to the righteousness originating from God the Father. 4 Because (faith in) Christ is, as an eternal spiritual truth, the purpose of the Law resulting in righteousness for the benefit of each and every member of the human race to those who at any time do exercise absolute confidence (in Christ). 5 Because Moses writes concerning this particular righteousness, which is based upon obedience to the Law (as constituting a source of justification): “The person who obeys them will cause himself to live by means of them.” 6 However, the righteousness originating from and based on faith speaks in the following manner: “Do not think in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ This does imply bringing Christ down.” 7 “Or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ This does imply bringing Christ up from the dead ones.” 8 But in contrast what does it say? “The word is always readily accessible and available with respect to you,” in your mouth as well as in your heart, namely, the word, which brings about faith, which we make it a habit to publicly proclaim as heralds in a dignified and authoritative manner. 9 Because, if you acknowledge with your mouth Jesus is Lord in other words, exercising absolute confidence with your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead ones, then you will be delivered. (My translation)
“You acknowledge” is the verb homologeo, which means, “to acknowledge” that Jesus of Nazareth is Lord, which is a word here that denotes His deity.
The question arises, “to whom does the unbeliever have to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord in order to be saved?”
Is a public affirmation to men required or is this an acknowledgement to oneself or to God?
Some interpret homologeo in Romans 10:9 as a “public affirmation” to men and use Luke 12:8 to support this interpretation but Jesus is speaking to believers in Luke 12:8-9 and in Romans 10:9 Paul is writing concerning unsaved Jews.
That Jesus is speaking to believers in Luke 12:8-9 is clearly indicated by the context since Luke 12:1 reveals that He is addressing His disciples and in Luke 12:4, He calls those whom He addresses “My friends” and in Luke 12:4-7, He teaches those whom He addresses regarding the Father’s care for them.
Therefore, confessing or acknowledging Jesus before men is not a reference to getting saved since Jesus is teaching those who are already His disciples and thus already saved but rather the person who confesses the Lord before men in Luke 12:8 is a reference to the believer living an obedient life.
When Jesus says He will acknowledge the person who acknowledges Him, it refers to the public testimony by the Son of God to the faithful life of the obedient Christian who executes the Father’s will.
Thus, in this passage, when Jesus says He will deny the believer before men, it doesn’t mean that they are denied salvation since He is talking to those who are already believers and neither does it mean you will lose your salvation since that is obviously false doctrine.
It means that He will deny the believer of rewards (2 Timothy 2:12).
Therefore, those who interpret homologeo in Romans 10:9 as a “public affirmation” to men of the deity of Christ can not use Luke 12:8 as support for this interpretation since in Luke 12:8 our Lord is addressing believers and Romans 10:9 is addressing how unsaved Israelites can get saved.
To acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, i.e. God is to believe that the Father raised Him from the dead since the Father’s act of raising His Son Jesus from the dead demonstrated that Jesus was in fact God which is clearly indicated by Paul in Romans 1:4.
In this passage he teaches that there is a direct connection between the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His deity in that the resurrection demonstrated that Jesus of Nazareth was in fact the Son of God.
If the Father does not raise Jesus from the dead, then He is not God.
The fact that the Father raised Jesus from the dead makes clear that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is also the object of faith for salvation and justification.
The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was the ultimate proof to the human race that He was God and that the Father approved of Him and accepted His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the Cross as the solution to the problem of personal sins and the sin nature.
Therefore, in Romans 10:9 when Paul teaches that if the Jew confesses with his mouth Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that the Father raised Jesus from the dead he is referring back to what he taught in Romans 1:4, which teaches that the resurrection of Christ demonstrated the deity of Christ.
Thus, when Paul teaches in Romans 10:9 that if the Jew confesses with his mouth Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that the Father raised Jesus from the dead he means that to believe in one’s heart that the Father raised Jesus from the dead is in fact, an acknowledgment to the Father that Jesus is Lord, i.e. God.
To acknowledge to the Father that Jesus is Lord is to believe that the Father raised Him from the dead since by raising Him from the dead, the Father was demonstrating that Jesus was His Son and thus God.
Therefore, in Romans 10:9, Paul is giving only one condition for salvation when he teaches that the sinner must acknowledge with one’s mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in his heart that the Father raised Jesus from the dead.
That there is only one condition being presented in Romans 10:9 and that faith alone in Christ is the only way to receive eternal salvation and be declared justified by God is further indicated in Romans 10:11.
So when Paul teaches in Romans 10:9 that in order to be saved the sinner must acknowledge with his mouth that Jesus is God and believe in his heart that the Father raised Him from the dead he is saying acknowledging in one’s heart that Jesus is Lord is to believe that the Father raised Him from the dead.
In other words, to exercise faith that the Father raised Jesus from the dead is, in and of itself, an acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord, i.e. God since the resurrection demonstrated that Jesus is God and one is saved only by faith alone in Christ alone!
Therefore, we can also say based upon this principle that faith in Jesus as Savior is an acknowledgement to the Father or agreeing with the Father on the part of the sinner that one is a sinner and that Jesus is the Savior and God.
Also, we can conclude that the verb homologeo in Romans 10:9 is an acknowledgement “to the Father” that Jesus is His Son rather than an acknowledgement to men because the Father raised Jesus from the dead to demonstrate that Jesus was His Son.
Therefore, because of the connection between the resurrection of Christ and the deity of Christ, Paul is presenting only one condition for salvation, and not two.
To acknowledge that Jesus is God is to have faith that the Father raised Jesus from the dead since the resurrection demonstrated the deity of Jesus.
So in Romans 10:9 Paul is teaching that if the unsaved Jew acknowledges with his mouth to the Father that Jesus is Lord (i.e. God), in other words, if he believes with his heart that the Father raised Jesus from the dead, then he will delivered from eternal condemnation.
The acknowledgement that Jesus is Lord is an affirmation of His deity and to believe with his heart that the Father raised Him from the dead is connected to it since the resurrection demonstrated that Jesus is God.
Since the Bible teaches that faith alone in Christ alone is the only way to receive eternal salvation and the resurrection demonstrated that Jesus is the Son of God, we can conclude that to acknowledge that Jesus is God is to believe that the Father raised Him from the dead.
In Romans 4:25, Paul declares that the Lord Jesus Christ died because of the Christian’s sins and was raised from the dead because of the Christian’s justification.
Christ was raised for the Christian’s justification in the sense that the resurrection of Christ demonstrated that God the Father had accepted His Son’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross to resolve the problem of personal sin and the sin nature in the human race.
In Romans 6:4-5, Paul taught that just as the Christ was raised through the glory of the Father so in the same way the Christian would be as well since the Christian has been identified with Christ in His physical death and resurrection.
In Romans 6:5, the apostle teaches that the justified sinner is identified with Christ in His resurrection in order that the believer might receive a resurrection body like the last Adam, Christ so as to replace his sinful body.