On a certain day one of the brothers and I were making much
of Jesus Christ at a local college campus when one of the students came up and
said, “Christianity is a death cult, you Christians worship death.” I do not
know where, or from whom this young man got his information, but it could not
be any further from the truth. Christianity is a religion of life, we serve a
risen Lord; in fact, without the resurrection we are like the apostle Paul said
to be pitied. (cf. 1 Cor 15:16-19) Christianity centers on the person of Jesus
Christ:
(1) His
bodily resurrection as witnessed by the apostles.
(2) The
promised bodily resurrection of all the dead in Christ at his return.
Christ’s
resurrection is therefore a major theme in Acts, because it is the apostles
witness of the resurrection of Christ and his promised return that motivates
believers to spread the gospel.
The Acts of the Apostles which is a narrative history of the
first century Christian Church begins with the resurrection and ascension of
Jesus Christ. The theme of Christ’s resurrection is a thread that holds
together the entire narrative of the book and is paramount in the many speeches
found therein. Why is the resurrection so very important? Liefeld said in his
book (Interpreting the Book of Acts), “The resurrection and the ascension are important,
among other reasons, because they signal God’s vindication of Christ.”[1]
“To these He also presented Himself alive after His
suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty
days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3) This
is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, and not only this verse but the
entire passage of Acts 1:1-11, which includes Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and
promised return announced by angels. In verse 3, the “these” that the Lord
presented himself alive to after his suffering were his chosen apostles, as
understood from verse 2.
The betrayer Judas Iscariot had died and the disciples
understood from scripture (Psalm 109:8) that he was to be replaced. The one to
replace Judas had to meet certain qualifications; that being he was a follower
of Jesus Christ throughout his ministry and he was a witness to Christ’s
resurrection. (cf. Acts 1:22) You and I are not witnesses of Jesus Christ; we
were not with him from the baptism of John, we are not witness of his
resurrection, and we were not with him until he was taken up into heaven. His
chosen apostles are his witnesses and it is their witness that we who believe
in him must give to unbelievers and believers alike.
The apostles waited in Jerusalem until the day of Pentecost
when they received the Holy Spirit. It is from this point onward that the
apostles began to preach the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The first of which
is Peter’s sermon recorded in Acts 2:14-36, with verses 24-32 specifying his
resurrection from the dead. In Peter’s second sermon in the temple he once
again spoke of Jesus death and resurrection. (cf. Acts 3:15) In Acts chapter 4
Peter and John were arrested by the Sadducees for preaching the resurrection in
Christ Jesus, then they preached Jesus resurrection to the rulers who arrested
them. (cf. Acts 4:2, 10) After this, in Acts 4:33 it says that the apostles
were proclaiming the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Once again in chapter 5
the apostles were arrested and they once again proclaimed the resurrection of
Jesus to the rulers of the people.
After this we have a departure from Jerusalem, the gospel
began to go out to other places, even being proclaimed among the gentiles as
Peter proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the gentiles and they
believed. (cf. Acts 10:40) In Paul’s first missionary journey he preached in
the synagogue the resurrection of Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 13:30-37). In Athens
among both the Athenians, Epicurean and Stoic philosophers he preached the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. (cf. Acts 17:18, 32) When Paul was on trial
before the Sadducees and Pharisees he said, “I am on trial for the hope and
resurrection of the dead!” (Acts 23:6) Finally in his defense before Agrippa he
proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The apostles at Jesus arrest fled for their lives. What made
these frightened men boldly go into the temple, synagogues and public arenas
preaching in the name of Jesus Christ the resurrection from the dead? They saw
Jesus, the Lord who promised eternal life to everyone who believes in him walk
out of the grave alive. Therefore, we too should not fear men, but have our
hope in the resurrection because the Son of God Jesus Christ is risen.
[1] Walter L. Liefeld, Interpreting the Book of Acts (Grand Rapids, MI: Bakers Books, 1995), 81.
