Biblical Research Studies Group-Christ Demonstrated to be the Son of God by the Resurrection

Christ Demonstrated to be the Son of God by the Resurrection

Dr. David L. Cooper
Biblical Research Monthly
June, July, 1958

Frequently students of the Word study certain phases of the life of our Lord. As an example, teachers frequently focus attention on the virgin birth, the miracles wrought by Christ, His prophetic utterances, and His Resurrection from the dead. Such studies are indeed profitable. At the same time, one who wishes to see Christ in His fulness should, at least scan His entire life as to any one characteristic. In other words, one should examine, even though briefly, at least one of the records of the Gospel on a given subject. By so doing, he sees the Son of God standing before him in His sublime greatness.

The subject of this study is "Christ demonstrated to be the Son of God by the Resurrection." This subject is scriptural, and is based upon Romans 1:1-4: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord." Christ was not demonstrated to be the Son of God purely and simply by His being raised from the dead. There were certain ones who were raised from the dead, but their being raised did no demonstrate that they were sons of God in the unique and peculiar sense in which Christ is the Son of God. Both Elijah and Elisha raised a young man from the dead. These persons died again. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus. The apostles were given power to heal the sick, to cleanse the lepers, and to raise the dead (Matt. 10:1-15). Those whom they raised died again. In view of all these facts, the raising of a person from the dead does not prove anything as to his being a Son of God.

There were numbers of events throughout the life of Christ which pointed positively in the direction that He was the Son of God in a peculiar sense. These evidences of His divine nature culminated in His being raised from the dead. Thus His being demonstrated to be the Son of God by the Resurrection is the crowning proof and evidence of the many things during His life that pointed in the direction of His being the Son of God in the highest sense of the term. Thus the evidence is cumulative. When, therefore, Paul said that Christ was demonstrated to be the Son of God by the Resurrection, he was looking at the Resurrection of Christ as a culmination of all the evidences of His divine nature.

In order that we may scrutinize Jesus of Nazareth at various times during His personal ministry and understand Him properly, we must examine two basic assumptions without which we cannot properly assess the Man, Christ Jesus, and His labors.

In this connection we must note some basic facts taught by the Scriptures relative to man and his nature. We must also examine, at least briefly, the doctrine that one person of the Trinity had to become the God-man in order to purchase man's redemption by the sacrifice off Himself.

I. Two Basic Assumptions

A. God Exists

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament showeth his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1)

As a child three or four years of age, I would look into the heavens during the daytime and see the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. On partially cloudy days I also saw that the clouds moved. By night, I often saw the moon rise and disappear below the western horizon. I knew that material objects in a room, for instance, remained where they were until they were moved by some person. I, therefore, concluded that there was some "person" who was able to move these heavenly bodies. I came to the conclusion that God existed, and that He controls the movements of the entire universe.

B. The Creator of the Heavens and Earth Controls All Things.

This childish conviction was confirmed in my mind by the following Scripture quotation: "Wherefore David blessed Jehovah before all the assembly; and David said, Blessed be thou, O Jehovah, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. 11 Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou rulest over all; and in thy hand is power and might; and in they hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all" (I Chron. 29:10-12).

When we note the movements of the heavenly bodies and see that they are governed by unchangeable laws; and, when we study further into the relation of things, we come to the conclusion that design and purpose are stamped, as a watermark, on the entire universe.

II. Scriptural Teaching

A. Man is a Free Moral Agent

The angelic hosts were created free moral agents. They had the power of individual choices. This fact is seen in that some of the angels chose to pit their wills against the will of God—and fell.

Man, likewise, was created a free moral agent. Being placed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis, chapters 2 and 3), Adam and Eve were warned against eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God forewarned them that, the day on which they should partake of this forbidden fruit, they would die: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17).

B. Adam and Eve Fell by Disobedience

Being deceived by Satan the tempter, Eve exercised her freedom of choice, partook of the forbidden fruit, and became a rebel against God. Adam, with his spiritual eyes open, partook of the forbidden fruit and likewise fell (Genesis, chapter 3).

C. The Losses Can Be Regained Only by a Perfect Man

With the fallen, corrupt nature, the result of the fall, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. Thus our foreparents lost everything on the human level and in the realm of the will. Under God's moral government these losses can be regained only on the human level and in the realm of the will. In other words, some man—free from sin and able to cope with the adversary Satan, and his hosts—must champion the cause of fallen man in order to regain the losses.

III. Scriptural Teaching Regarding the Redeemer

A. One of the Persons of the Trinity Becomes the God-man

The teaching of both the Old and New Testaments is that there is one God who exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This teaching is set forth in Israel's great confession, which, when properly translated, reads: "Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our Gods is Jehovah a unity" (Deut. 6:4). In the baptism formula (Matt. 28:19, 20), the apostles were commanded by the Lord Jesus to baptize their converts "into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. . . ."

No creature—heavenly or human—could champion the cause of fallen man and retrieve the losses. The only way to redeem fallen humanity was for one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity to enter the world by miraculous conception and virgin birth according to Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Thus the Redeemer is both human and divine. He takes upon Himself human nature, in order that, as a man, He can champion the cause of the fallen race. That the second Person of the Trinity, the Son, did this very thing is set forth especially in the gospel according to Matthew and the Gospel according to Luke.

B. Jesus, the God-man, Purchased Redemption
by Offering Himself a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World

"Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul and offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities" (Isa. 53:10, 11). Upon seeing Jesus, John the Baptist on one occasion declared: "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world! Jesus thus offered Himself as a sacrifice for the redemption of the human family. In His dying on the cross, in His going to Hades in the spirit He snatched the keys of death and Hades, and in His coming forth from the grave He wrought eternal redemption for all who will believe and receive. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life" (John 5:24).

IV. Looking at Jesus as He Teaches and Labors for Man's Redemption

As stated in the beginning of this study, we wish to note special crises in the life of Jesus of Nazareth and to observe scintillations of divine glory, figuratively speaking, radiating from His person.

A. At the Baptism of Jesus

John the Baptist did not know Jesus personally, although they were, humanly speaking, relatives. When Jesus came to John requesting baptism at his hands, John recoiled, saying, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" John baptized Him. Then a Voice from Heaven proclaimed, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). God called John's attention to the fact that Jesus was His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased—an echo of Isaiah 42:1, which identifies Jesus as the Saviour-Redeemer of mankind. The acknowledgement of God that Jesus is His Son in a peculiar and unique sense is a scintillation of divine glory regarding the Lord Jesus.

B. At the Temptation of Jesus

After the baptism of Jesus, He was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness, where He was with the wild beasts being tempted forty days (Mark 1:12, 13). After the forty-day fast, the pangs of hunger seemed to come upon Jesus in an intensified form. At the crucial moment, Satan came to Him and said, "If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matt. 4:3). This is a conditional clause, "If thou art the Son of God," does not imply that Satan doubted Christ's being the Son of God in a peculiar sense. On the contrary, a glance at the original Greek shows that Satan assumed that Jesus was the Son of God in this sense and admitted the fact. This conditional clause can be translated accurately and correctly, "Since thou art the Son of God. . . ." Thus in the temptation Satan acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God, He being one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity clothed with humanity. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom 8:3,4).

C. Flashes of Divine Glory in the Sermon on the Mount

The sermon on the mount—Matthew, chapters 5-7—is recognized by practically all scholars as one of the greatest discourses ever delivered by anyone. Even rationalists must admit the excellency of this masterpiece of oratory—and simplicity. Here and there gleam forth flashes of divine glory in various statements. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, "Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy but to fulfil." The statement "I came" is undoubtedly a reference to Christ's leaving Heaven and coming to earth, entering it by miraculous conception and virgin birth. On several occasions, Jesus used the same expression, which is an echo of the oft-repeated statement found in the Gospel of John that the Father had sent Him into the world. Thus the "I came" is equal to an affirmation that He left Heaven and came to earth to do the Father's will.

In Matthew 5:21,22, Jesus said, "Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, thou shalt not kill. . . but I say unto. . . ." In this statement Jesus quotes from the ten commandments and places His utterances on an equality with those of God the Father. Again, in Matthew 5:27, Jesus puts His own utterances on a level with those of the ten commandments. "Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matt. 5:27,28). In this utterance Jesus goes back behind the adultery account and shows the genesis of the sin of adultery. Once more He puts His saying on an equality with those of God, the Father, through Moses: "Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matt. 5:38, 39). In all these statements we see the divine nature of Jesus of Nazareth shining forth.

In Mathew 7:21-23, Jesus presents Himself as the Lord who will judge the living and the dead. He concludes this marvelous message by showing the necessity of giving heed to what He has said. The one who accepts, receives, and does what He says is like a wise man who built his house upon a rock. The rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds beat upon that house, but it did not fall because it was founded upon a rock. On the other hand, the one who ignores the words of Jesus is like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand, which was destroyed by the rains, floods, and wind. By this parable Jesus made His words and sayings of the first importance. His is the final revelation of God to man. His claims for His message point to the fact that He is the Prophet whom God promised to Israel in Deuteronomy 18:18,19: "I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."

The facts just noted and others that could be examined show conclusively that Jesus was not an ordinary man, but that He was God in human form and was conscious of that fact.

D. Jesus' Authority and Power over Diseases

Isaiah the Prophet foretold that the Messiah would bear the sins and diseases of the people; "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:4,5). In Matthew 8:1-17 appears an account of Jesus' healing ministry on a given occasion. Matthew explains why Jesus cast out demons and healed the people: "And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick: 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases." From this passage it is clear that Isaiah foretold that Jesus, by His atoning sacrifice, would bring healing and help to those who accept Him. Finally, let us in this connection note the fact that healing is in the Atonement because Isaiah states that it is there. It is not universal at the present time, but will be when Jesus returns, lifts the curse from creation, binds Satan and demons, and reigns for a thousand years. Then will be the sinless, sickless era which was foretold by the prophets. Thus in the realm of disease Jesus was master. This fact likewise points to His divine authority and power.

E. Christ's Authority and Power Over The Elements

As Jesus with His apostles went across the Sea of Galilee to the east side (Matt. 8:23-27), a storm arose which threatened to capsize or to destroy the boat in which they were sailing. Jesus then arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. They obeyed Him; then there was a great calm. Since the element of personality appears in these verses, we may logically assume that certain or some of the forces of evil were causing the storm, in an effort to destroy Jesus or to hinder His work. Satan does at times have control of the elements (Job, chapter 1). Since Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea, it is most highly probable that Jesus saw Satan as the cause of the trouble an rebuked him. Jesus on this occasion was master of the elements and of Satan himself. Thus there shines forth in this episode the divine nature of the Messiah.

F. Christ's Authority and Power in the Realm of Evil Spirits

Christ demonstrated His authority and power over demons, evil spirits, as is seen in Matthew 8:28-34. Upon arrival in the country of Gadarenes, territory east of the Sea of Galilee, two men who stayed in the tombs, and were unconquerable, met Jesus, the demons within them crying out, "What have we to do with thee, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" According to Mark's record (Mark 5:1-20) which speaks of one of them, the demon-possessed man had often been bound with fetters and chains. Each time, however, he broke them. He was so very fierce that no man had strength enough to tame him. The strength by which he was able to break the chains of iron was that which came from the demons possessing him.

Jesus by one command cast out these demons. Being delivered from them, the man dressed himself and was sitting at the feet of Jesus when the people of the community came out to see what had happened to this man. Though no one of the community could handle him, Jesus dealt with him and cast the demons out with one command. In this case Jesus demonstrated His power and authority over the world of unclean spirits. Thus on this occasion and on a number of others, we see the divine nature of the Son of God shining forth through His human nature.

G. The Dying of Jesus Like That of God

Someone has aptly said, "Socrates died like a man; Jesus Christ died like God." In the midst of wild blasphemies and demonic outbursts of rage, Jesus Christ looked down upon His executioners and then, raising His face to Heaven, prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." This attitude of forgiveness is an echo of His divine nature. His dying was unique. The Roman Centurion in his heathen blindness exclaimed, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54). Everyone who had any regard for truth and righteousness, and who was present at the Crucifixion, realized that Jesus was God in human form.

H. Christ the Conqueror of Death, Hades and the Grave

According to the Apostle Peter, when Christ was put to death in the flesh, He in spirit went and made an announcement to the spirits in prison that had been disobedient in the days of Noah (I Peter 3:18-22). Let it be noted that Peter did not say that Christ preached the Gospel to these disobedient spirits. He simply made an announcement, as is indicated by the word which the Apostle used. It is quite likely that He made an announcement concerning His victory on the cross. We must not, however, be dogmatic on a point on which the Scriptures are not definite.

While Christ was in Sheol, He seized the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18). Then in fulfillment of Psalm 68:18 He released the spirits of the saved that had been confined in Hades and brought them forth when He arose from the dead. When He ascended on high, He led these liberated spirits into Glory:

"Wherefore he saith,
When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive,
And gave gifts unto men (Eph. 4:8).

He thus opened up the new and living way, the approach to the presence of God. In doing so, He became the conqueror of death, Hades, and the grave.

Thus, on the cross, in the realm of Hades, and in rising from the dead, Christ brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Since Christ had conquered the powers of evil and has opened up the new and living way, the believer, upon death, goes into the presence of God, where he is in bliss and happiness.

In this rapid survey of the life and activities of Jesus we see gleams of His divine nature constantly shining forth. With each new experience, evidence was added to the proposition that Jesus was God in human form. The final event which demonstrated beyond all peradventure that He was God in human form was His Resurrection from the dead. As stated in the beginning of this study, a number of people were raised from the dead—only to die again. Christ was raised from the grave in a new way—different from the way that the others had been raised. He died unto sin once; He arose with a glorified human body, never to die again. As Isaiah, the Prophet, declared, after Jesus makes an offering for sin, He prolongs His days forever—that is, death can never touch Him again. Praise God for such a Saviour and Redeemer.