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Gospel

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Part 3: An Empty Tomb

In the previous two posts, I covered the truths that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and that he died on the cross not only for our sins, but as our sin. In this post I will relate the last aspect of the three truths of the Christian faith: the risen Savior. As I write this post millions around the world are celebrating the Easter holiday. Some will have Easter egg hunts, others will be enjoying a long weekend, still others will decide that it has been a while and that they should attend Easter services whether in person or online. But what is Easter? Non-Christians will point to many pagan celebrations of spring and lump Easter with those celebrations as something backward ignorant people engage in to assuage their “gods.” However, Easter is not a celebration of the new season. It is the celebration of our hope. It is the celebration of our faith. It is the celebration of the proof that our sin has been forgiven. Note I use the word “sin” and not “sins.” The singular is appropriate here because what estranges us from God is our sin of unbelief. We sin because we don’t believe or we choose to “forget” (even if only temporarily) that God has given us His Son to reconcile us to him. Jesus was made sin on the cross and suffered God’s punishment for sin. The proof that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross comes to us through the empty tomb. Easter is the celebration of God’s mercy and grace.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." I Peter 1:3

I had extended the proposition in the last post that we can know that we are saved and that we can know that others are saved. How? If we examine the letters of the apostles they give us many clues and methods to examine ourselves and even others as to whether a person is in fact a saved person. My favorite example of this is in I John, chapter 2: “He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” This passage reflects what was recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 13, where Jesus said this to his disciples: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” Jesus gave us a commandment that we love one another. Where there is hate there is no love. He also told us that if we love him then we will keep his commandments (John 14:15-31). Love is the primary indicator of a person’s spiritual condition. Not just love for God, but a love for others. Some might want to restrict this admonition to love to fellow believers but is that in keeping with what Jesus taught? When the pharisee asked who his neighbor was, Jesus gave him the parable of the good Samaritan. Jews had a hatred for Samaritans, even taking a longer route to avoid going through their towns. Yet, Jesus chose those people to provide an example of what a neighbor was for the self-righteous pharisee. So Love is an indicator of a Christian.

Now Love is more than just a description of our attitude. Love is more than that. John once again gives us what true love is : “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” We are to love not in word, but in deed and in truth. Love is not just how we feel, but is borne out by our actions. James also gives us an indicator of what it means to be a true follower of Jesus in his epistle:

"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? can faith save him?  If a brother or sister is naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; but you do not give them those things which are needed for  the body; what does it profit?  Thus also faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.'  Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." James 2:14-18

If we say that we believe in Jesus and by extension God and yet we don’t demonstrate that belief through our actions, do we really believe? The empty tomb showed that Jesus’ is the Christ, the one to reconcile us to God. He is as much a part of God as the Holy Spirit. This faith, this belief, is what saves us. We must place our faith in Jesus because he is the only way to God. “We love him because he first loved us.” (I John 4:19) We demonstrate our faith and belief in Jesus by our actions. A lot of people might say that is works salvation, but I agree with James that it is a demonstration of a living faith, a living faith in the Gospel: that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that he rose from the dead. A faith in something so great should necessarily change our actions.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

I think it is of utmost importance that everyone know this truth: Jesus is the only begotten son of God, He died on the cross, and that he rose from the dead. (I Corinthians 15:1-4) This may seem simple on the surface, but it involves a lot of truth which needs to be understood. Over the next several posts, I will humbly attempt to explain this truth in a way which reflects salvation in a valid and understandable fashion.

Firstly, Jesus is not just a son of God, but the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16 KJV*) I place this emphasis on the begotten aspect of Jesus’ nature intentionally here just as I believe it was placed by the Biblical writer of this truth with intention. What does it mean that he was begotten? There are two different dictionary meanings to this word. The first is to bring into existence a child through the process of reproduction. The second is to give rise to or bring about. We could choose to look at this in the terms of the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary and conceiving Jesus in her womb. Many people would accept this as the simple meaning of this truth. However, we read in the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” When we realize that the Word here is none other than Jesus himself, we realize that Jesus existed before even Mary did. What then could the meaning of begotten be? Some would resist more meaning than what was first presented here of Jesus being the conception of the Holy Spirit with Mary. However, I propose here to present what I believe gives greater meaning to this condition of Jesus of being begotten.

As a Christian, I believe in the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Three aspects of the Godhead which exist concurrently. God is eternal. God is outside of time. The aspect of begotten that I think best describes is the second: to give rise to or bring about. God the Father begot Jesus the Son before the world or anything else was. Jesus is as much a part of God as the Holy Spirit is a part of God. As His Son, he has all the attributes of God and is in perfect accord with God the Father. If we look to Genesis, we read God referring to himself in plurality. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness….” (Genesis 1:26) So, Jesus’ attribute of being even before his conception within Mary does not lessen his glory but gives us a glimpse into just how glorious his coming really was.

Not included in the presentation of the gospel was the aspect of the virgin birth. Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. Now I am not like our Catholic friends who propose that Mary was eternally a virgin. After all, Jesus did have earthly brothers and sisters. (Mark 6:3) Why is the virgin birth important? I will get into this more in the next post, but if Jesus was only a man, then he could not be the Christ. For those of you that have trouble believing in the virgin birth then how will you ever believe that Jesus rose from the dead?

In my next post, I will continue my view of the Gospel as outlined above with His death on the Cross. I will leave you with these thought provoking questions: Why did Jesus die on the cross? Was it necessary for him to die? If so, why? What does it mean to take up your cross and bear it as Jesus instructed his followers?

*Note: The King James Version has the word begotten in the text where others leave the word out. I think the word begotten is significant and leaving the word out constitutes a watering down of the truth. Be careful of those that would seek to lessen the strength of the Bible.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, part 2