The foundation of the Christian faith begins with
the confession that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. The first words of Mark’s gospel point us to
this truth: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).
Jesus was not a Son of God in a biological sense, but in a relational
sense as a member of the triune Godhead who shared in the divine essence (the
nature of God) along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament the title Son of God was also synonymous with the
term Messiah. Jesus saw
Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom
is no guile! Nathanael
saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him,
Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto
him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel” (John
1:47-49). Nathaniel
perceived that Jesus was the long-promised Redeemer of Israel who would rule as
King of Israel. But first He must die.
Early on in His ministry, Jesus predicted His
death and resurrection: “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these
things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and
in three days I will raise it up. Then said the
Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up
in three days? But he spake
of the temple of his body. When therefore
he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto
them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said” (John
2:18-22). Several months prior to His death,
Jesus began to give more specific details about what awaited Him in Jerusalem.
And it came to pass that Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again on the
third day. All four gospel writers
affirm this truth. Skeptics may try to deny these events, but they are rooted
in history, and the existence of the Christian church for over two thousand
years speaks loudly about the trustworthiness of Christ’s victory over death
and the grave. Christ’s claim to be the Son of God would have been an empty one
if He had not risen, “as he said” (Matthew 28:6).
There would be no Christianity.
As
a pastor I have stood at the grave sites of many people who have died knowing
Christ as their Savior. Therefore, I knew that death was not the end of their
existence, but the beginning of another life-- a blessed and glorious life in
the presence of God. I sorrowed not as
others who had no hope for someone they loved who “passed away.” Paul wrote to
the church of Corinth, in which some were denying a belief in the resurrection
of the body: “If in this life only we have hope
in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the
firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:19,20). The
resurrection of the Christian is predicated upon the resurrection of Christ. If
you know Jesus has forgiven you of all your sins by His death on the cross, then you can face death without any fear or uncertainty.
The Good Shepherd of the sheep will see you through the valley of the shadow of
death (Psalm 23) immediately upon your last earthly breath, and someday, in the
future, your dead body will be resurrected and made suitable for heavenly life: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed. For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”
(1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
As a believer in the
Lord Jesus, I can affirm the truth which Peter spoke when he said, “Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant
mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3, NKJV). The resurrection is the celebration of the atonement Jesus made on the
cross for sinners. God the Father accepted the shedding of Christ’s
blood as a payment for sin. Speaking of Jesus, the Scripture
records in Romans 4:25: “Who
was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” A former Buddhist once told a Christian the reason why he became a follower of
Jesus, “I
was at a turn in the road; who do I follow; the man who is dead or the man who
is alive? I chose the One who is alive!"
I hope you choose to follow THE ONE WHO
IS ALIVE.
I am he
that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have
the keys of hell and of death (Revelation 1:18).
Shalom,
Pastor Tom
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