KJV

KJV

Click to Change

Return to Top

Return to Top

Printer Icon

Print

Prior Section Next Section Back to Commentaries Author Bio & Contents
The Blue Letter Bible
Study Resources :: Text Commentaries :: Don Stewart :: Does the God of the Bible Exist?

Don Stewart :: How Does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Give Evidence for God's Existence?

toggle collapse
Choose a new font size and typeface

How Does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Give Evidence for God’s Existence?

Does the God of the Bible Exist? – Question 17

There is a third reason why one should believe in the existence of the God of the Bible, the Person of Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead. We can make some simple observations about why this is such a powerful reason to believe the God of Scripture exists.

1. Jesus Claimed to Be the One True God

The New Testament declares that Jesus Christ is one true God who became a human being. The Gospel of John begins by stating the eternal nature of Jesus.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us... (John 1:1, 14a KJV)

Here is the clear testimony that Jesus, the eternal God, became a human.

On one occasion, we find that the Jewish leaders were offended at Jesus’ claim to be God. We read the following in John’s gospel.

For this reason the Jewish authorities were trying even harder to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was also calling God his own Father, thus making himself equal with God. (John 5:18 NET)

It is obvious Jesus made some amazing claims about Himself.

2. Jesus Claimed the Ability to Forgive Sin

In addition, Jesus claimed to do something that only God could do; He forgave sin. Jesus said the following to a paralyzed man, who was brought to Him.

“My friend, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5b CEV)

This claim brought a heated response from the religious leaders. They said,

“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7 NASB)

They were absolutely right. Only God has the ability to forgive sins. The prophet Isaiah records God as saying,

“I—yes, I alone—am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.” (Isaiah 43:25 NLT)

Jesus, by claiming the ability to forgive sin, put Himself on an equal level with God.

3. To Back up His Claims He Predicted He Would Rise from the Dead

The fact that Jesus claimed to be God is clear. However the question is, “Were His claims true?” Jesus gave evidence that He was God by doing the things only God could do. This included healing incurable diseases and raising the dead. As we have already noted in our previous question, His coming to earth fulfilled a number of prophecies that could not have been fulfilled by mere chance.

However, according to Jesus, the one thing that would separate Him from any other person is that He would rise from the dead three days after His death. He made a number of predictions of His resurrection. We read the following in Matthew.

But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, faithless generation would ask for a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” (Matthew 12:39-40 NLT)

Jesus made the tremendous claim that He would be raised from the death three days after His death. In another place, He claimed that He had the ability to do this.

“The Father loves me because I give my life in order to take it back again. No one takes my life from me. I give my life of my own free will. I have the authority to give my life, and I have the authority to take my life back again. This is what my Father ordered me to do.” (John 10:17-18 God’s Word)

Jesus said that He could bring Himself back from the dead. This is an absolutely incredible claim which He made!

4. Jesus’ Resurrection Proves He Is God the Son

We have seen that Jesus predicted His resurrection. Not only did He make this prediction, He fulfilled it by coming back from the dead.

Jesus’ greatest feat was conquering the greatest enemy we all face, death. The Bible says that the resurrection demonstrated that Jesus was God the Son. The Apostle Paul wrote the following to the Romans.

From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. This gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son who was a descendant of David with reference to the flesh, who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:1-4 NET)

The death of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead is the gospel, or Good News, in which we place our faith. Paul wrote to the Corinthians,

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NASB).

The resurrection of Jesus demonstrated the fact that He indeed is God. It showed that He has authority in all matters including life and death.

The Evidence Evaluated

Therefore, we can sum up the matter as follows.

  1. The New Testament testifies that Jesus is the eternal God.
  2. Jesus demonstrated that He could do the things only God could do, including conquering death.
  3. Jesus’ resurrection is evidence that He indeed was God the Son.

This line of evidence, the claims of Jesus Christ as well as His resurrection from the dead, gives further evidence that the God of the Bible exists.

Summary – Question 17
How Does the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Give Evidence for God’s Existence?

The Person of Jesus Christ, as well as His resurrection from the dead, provides us another reason to believe in the God of the Bible. Three things are noteworthy.

First, Jesus made it clear that only one God exists, the God of Scripture, and yet He Himself claimed to be this one true God. He made Himself equal with God.

In order to back up His claims, Jesus predicted that He would come back from the dead three days after His death on the cross.

The fact that He did come back from the dead shows that Jesus is the One whom He claimed to be. Jesus has demonstrated that He has control over life and death. This is something only God can do.

Thus, the resurrection of Christ provides further evidence for the existence of the God of Scripture.

In What Sense Does Predictive Prophecy Show That the God of the Bible Exists? ← Prior Section
How Does the Testimony of Changed Lives Give Evidence for the Existence of the God of Scripture? Next Section →
BLB Searches
Search the Bible
KJV
 [?]

Advanced Options

Other Searches

Multi-Verse Retrieval
x
KJV

Daily Devotionals
x

Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness.

Daily Bible Reading Plans
x

Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one's mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year.

One-Year Plans

Two-Year Plan

CONTENT DISCLAIMER:

The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.