by Garrett Glende

We’ve now come to chapter 28 in our walk through Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, dealing with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. If you’re following the structure of the book, this is now the third chapter in the fourth section of the book. Under the broader category of the doctrines of Christ and the Holy Spirit, we have studied the person of Christ (chapter 26), the atonement (chapter 27), and now turn to His resurrection and ascension. We truly are treading in lofty, yet deeply important truths that form the basis of our faith. These are to be taken seriously and it is my hope that not only my life would change because of them, but that the church as a whole might benefit from an intense meditation on the glory of our risen Savior.

The resurrection of Christ is one of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith, as without it there is no hope for the eternal life of the believer. To deny the Jesus rose from the dead in a literal body is to admit that we have a dead Savior – and what good is that? Each of the four gospels attest to the fact that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Paul declares that this doctrine is a “matter of first importance.” He specifically mentions that “He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve,” strengthening the authenticity of Jesus’ resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-5). It is important that we distinguish the specific nature of Christ’s resurrection as one that was physical. He did not merely reappear in spirit, but raised Himself from the dead to a new glorified body. Jesus rose again to a newness of life. Grudem writes, “Christ’s resurrection was not simply a coming back from the dead, as had been experienced by others before, such as Lazarus, for then Jesus would have been subject to weakness and aging and eventually would have died again just as all other human beings die.” His resurrection body was made perfect, unable to suffer, and “restored to its full youthful appearance of perfect health.” However, the evidence of His death remained and the disciples saw the scars where the nails had pierced Him (John 20:26-29). Not only did He show them His wounds, but He cooked them breakfast, appeared to some on the road to Emmaus, and was thought by Mary to be a gardener. This is all evidence pointing to the fact that Jesus rose again to a physical body and not an immaterial spirit, as some have suggested. Grudem expands on the doctrinal importance of Jesus’ physical resurrection, stating that it gives “clear affirmation of the goodness of the material creation that God originally made.” It affirms that God will indeed renew His creation to its perfect original form that was indeed very good (Gen. 1:31). There have been many trains of thought that suggest that all things spiritual are inherently better than the material world, but the fact that Jesus’ resurrected body was a physical one forces us to reject this idea.

The implication of Christ’s resurrection is central to our very salvation, as it is the act that enables sinners to experience eternal life. Christians are united with Christ in His resurrection so that we might also attain a new “resurrection life.” Paul describes that we have been made complete in Him, “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which [we] were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Col. 2:12 NASB). 1 Corinthians 15 is perhaps the best explanation of the importance of the resurrection, as Paul writes in verse 17 that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless [and] you are still in your sins.” Jesus’ resurrection affirms the sufficiency of His death on the cross. The Father considered it to be a worthy sacrifice and therefore raised Him up where He is now seated at His right hand. Philippians 2 reveals that it was Christ’s obedience to the Father that resulted in His exaltation, as Paul writes that “for this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). After all, it is the resurrection of Christ that has “caused us to be born again to a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3), so that we would look forward to life after death and seek the inheritance that is imperishable.

Paul also provides us with practical advice in Colossians 3:1, where he writes, “if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Here Paul connects the doctrinal reality of Christ’s resurrection and ascension to the everyday life of the believer, urging them to forsake worldly idols and pursue things of eternal value. As believers, we are united with Christ and have indeed been raised with Him. While we are still physically here on Earth, there is a spiritual reality that is unseen to us. The direct application of this doctrine comes later on in verse five, where the Colossian church is exhorted to “put to death therefore what is earthly in you; sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Since we identify with Christ in His resurrection (Col. 2:12, Rom. 6:5), we need to consider ourselves dead to sin and therefore live our lives in accordance with this truth. An all out war against sin should be waged among us and we must fight to kill every trace of it in our lives.

Additionally, the resurrection of Christ should cause us to live foolish lives here on earth. The non-believer should examine our lives and determine them to be pitiable. Speaking in defense of the reality of the resurrection from the dead, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:19 that “if in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” This comes directly from the mind of an unbeliever, who rejects Christ and His resurrection, leading him to indulge in the pleasures of the world. When he or she then sees a Christian forsaking these things, the Christian is deemed foolish. But this is exactly should happen! We should be striving after holiness so much so that the rest of the world proclaims us fools. Indeed, “the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). Therefore, every decision we make must be captive to the reality of the resurrection and our future glory in heaven. We will choose the path that leads to righteousness and pursue ultimate satisfaction in Christ alone, knowing full well that our treasure is not here on earth, but rather laid up for us in heaven. It takes discipline to meditate on the resurrection life that awaits us, but we must do our best to prepare for eternity by casting aside our worldly idols, all by His power and for His glory.