CHRISTOLOGY

(The Study of Jesus Christ)

CHRISTOLOGY(The Study of Jesus

Christ)His Person

(The ontological dimension)(Who He is)

His Work(The functional

dimension)(What He does)

The Person of Christ

Full DeityFull Humanity(Two Natures / One Personality)

The Work of Christ

Sinless Life Vicarious Death

(substitutionary)

BodilyResurrection

Tonight:

THE BODILY RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

Our Options Regarding the Resurrection

1. A Great Hoax (the resurrection is false)2. A Nice Mythology (the resurrection is

fiction)3. The Supreme Event of History (the

resurrection is fact)• “Belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God

stands or falls with the question of His bodily resurrection.”

Naturalistic Theories of 19th Century Liberal Theology

1. Swoon (He did not actually die)2. Spirit (His spirit returned but not His body)3. Vision (His disciples hallucinated)4. Legend/Myth (Popular even today: Just a

nice story with a teaching point. A real Jesus is not necessary, but useful and probable).

5. Stolen Body, by:a) Jewsb) Romansc) Disciples (Matthew 28:11-15)d) Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:38ff)

6. Wrong Tomb7. Deliberate Lie for Profit8. Mistaken Identity9. Twin Theory (He had an identical brother)

Specific Evidences of the Resurrection

1. Naturalistic theories fail to explain away the event of the resurrection.

2. The resurrection marked the birth of Christianity so that even our calendars are configured by the event (AD 2017)

3. The change in the day of worship from the Sabbath to Sunday by Jews.

A Simple Question to Think About

Something happened about A.D. 30. If not the resurrection, then what?

Why else would a bunch of Jews change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday and even die for what they believed?

If not the resurrection, then what happened to get Christianity started?

4. Radical change in the disciples:• New power• New courage• Faithful to death (all but one died a

martyr’s death; Who would die for something he did not think were true?)

5. Empty tomb / no body6. Numerous and various resurrection

appearances

7. Unlikely nature of mass hallucination (not really possible from a psychological standpoint)

8. Reported appearances which lasted 40 days and then completely stopped. (Why?)

• Because He was not seen anymore! (ascended into heaven)

9. Multitude of fulfilled Old Testament prophecies

10. Conversion of two skeptics: James and Paul (the former Saul of Tarsus)

11. Articles left in the empty tomb (John 20:5ff; why would someone unwrap the body if he were stealing it?)

12. Reliable eyewitness documents recording the facts . . .

“The New Testament is the best authenticated document from the ancient world. There are more manuscripts of the New Testament of an earlier date and more reliable nature than any other book from antiquity.”

Source: McDowell, Jones, “The Bibliographical Test”

Appearance Witnesses

1. Mark 16:9-11, Mary Magdalene John 20:11-18

2. Matthew 28:1-10 Other Women3. Luke 24:34; Peter 1

Cor. 15:54. Mark 16:12,13 Two Disciples on Luke

24:13-35 Emmaus Road

Appearances Witnesses

5. Mark 16:14; Ten Apostles Luke 24:36-43 John 20:19-25

6. John 20:26-31Eleven Apostles 1 Cor.15:5

7. John 21:1-22 Several Apostles

Appearances Witnesses

8. Matt.28:16-20 The Apostles and Mark 16:15-18; More than 500 1 Cor.15:6

Disciples9. 1 Cor.15:7 James, Jesus’ half

Brother10. Mark 16:19; The Disciples

Luke 24:44-49 Acts 1:4-8

THE BENEFITS WE ENJOY

BECAUSE HE LIVES

Because He Lives, we have . . .

1. Guaranteed Eternal Life (John 11:25,26; 13:19)

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.’”

Because He Lives, we have . . .

2. Justification (Romans 4:25)

“who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised for our justification.”

3. Unlimited Power (Ephesians 1:15-21)

Because He Lives, we have . . .

Because He Lives, we have . . .

4. A Compelling Mission (Acts 1:8)

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Because He Lives, we have . . .5. Comforting Hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13,14)“But I do not want you to be ignorant,

brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”

6. Future Glorification (Philippians 3:20-21)

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

Because He Lives, we have . . .

7. The Savior’s Abiding Presence (Matthew 28:18-20)

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Because He Lives, we have . . .

Because He Lives

God Sent His Son, they called Him Jesus;He came to love, heal, and forgive;

He lived and died to buy my pardon;An empty grave is there to prove my Savior

lives!

Because He lives I can face tomorrow;Because He lives all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,And life is worth the living just because

He lives.