Christology (Doctrine of Christ): Resurrection and Exaltation

1. The Resurrection as the Core of Christian Faith

Christianity is fundamentally a religion of resurrection. Paul declared that “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14). Without the resurrection there is no Gospel, no church, no mission, and no hope (1 Cor 15:17–20). Even modern theologians far from orthodoxy admit this much. The question, then, is whether the resurrection was a literal, bodily event in history or only a statement of faith. Did Jesus rise from the tomb in his body, or did his disciples merely project renewed spiritual enthusiasm? The New Testament writers are unanimous: Jesus truly rose bodily from the dead, and this reality generated faith in the disciples, not the other way around.

The resurrection of Jesus cannot be dismissed as a myth of dying-and-rising gods. Unlike Greek philosophy, which saw salvation as escape from the body, the Bible insists that Jesus’ body was raised, transformed, and glorified (Luke 24:39–43; John 20:27). This guarantees that salvation is not disembodied spirituality but the renewal of creation itself. The resurrection event is historical and theological—historical in that the tomb was empty and eyewitnesses saw the risen Christ, and theological in that it inaugurated the new creation.

2. Evidence for the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus

The New Testament provides multiple lines of evidence that Christ’s resurrection was bodily, not symbolic. The women found the tomb empty (Luke 24:1–3). Jesus appeared to individuals and groups in tangible ways, showing his wounds and eating food (John 20:27; Luke 24:42–43). Paul catalogues appearances to Peter, the Twelve, five hundred brothers at once, James, and himself (1 Cor 15:5–8).

The continuity between Jesus’ earthly body and his resurrection body is clear: the same body that was crucified was raised. Yet transformation is also evident: the resurrection body is incorruptible, spiritual, and glorious (1 Cor 15:42–44). It can enter locked rooms (John 20:19) and is fitted for eternity. Believers share this hope: “He will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Phil 3:21).

3. The Theological Significance of the Resurrection

The resurrection demonstrates that Jesus is the Son of God with power (Rom 1:4). It confirms that his sacrifice was accepted by the Father and that sins are forgiven (Rom 4:25). It assures believers of new life: “Because he lives, we also will live” (John 14:19). It guarantees the final resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:20–23) and the renewal of creation itself (Rom 8:19–23).

For the Gospel, the resurrection is the decisive declaration that the kingdom of God has broken into history. Jesus’ victory over death and Satan is the down payment on the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21). Believers already taste resurrection life through union with Christ, being raised with him in spirit (Eph 2:5–6), while awaiting bodily resurrection at his coming (1 Thess 4:16).

4. The Ascension of Christ into Heaven

Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9–11). The ascension was not symbolic but an actual event where the risen Lord entered the heavenly realm in his glorified body. The disciples saw him lifted up until a cloud took him out of sight, fulfilling Daniel’s vision of the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven to receive dominion and glory (Dan 7:13–14).

The ascension signifies enthronement. Jesus’ return to the Father marks the completion of his earthly mission and the beginning of his heavenly reign. He promised that it was to the disciples’ advantage that he go away, for only then would the Spirit be sent (John 16:7). The ascension thus inaugurates the church’s mission in the power of the Spirit (Acts 1:8).

5. The Exaltation of Christ at God’s Right Hand

Scripture consistently describes Christ’s exaltation as his being seated at the right hand of the Father (Ps 110:1; Heb 1:3). This exaltation is not a passive rest but an active reign: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18). Jesus rules as King now, subduing his enemies and extending his kingdom through the Gospel (1 Cor 15:25).

The exaltation also grounds assurance for the believer. Paul asks, “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom 8:34). Christ’s rule is both cosmic and personal: he upholds all things (Col 1:17) and prays for his people (Heb 7:25).

6. The Intercessory Ministry of the Risen and Exalted Lord

Jesus’ present exaltation includes his continual intercession. As the high priest who passed through the heavens (Heb 4:14), he pleads the merits of his once-for-all sacrifice on behalf of believers. “He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25). This means that believers’ salvation is utterly secure, grounded not in their performance but in Christ’s ongoing advocacy (1 John 2:1).

The Spirit also intercedes within believers (Rom 8:26–27), creating a double assurance: the exalted Christ intercedes in heaven, and the Spirit intercedes within. This priestly ministry guarantees that no accusation can stand against those united to Christ.

7. The Resurrection and Exaltation as Kingdom Hope

The resurrection, ascension, and exaltation of Christ provide the framework for Christian hope. The risen Lord is also the reigning Lord, and his victory anticipates the final renewal of creation. Revelation presents him as the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the living one who died and is alive forevermore (Rev 1:17–18).

The exalted Christ is the guarantee of judgment and salvation. God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). For unbelievers, the resurrection is proof of accountability; for believers, it is the anchor of hope.

8. The Uniqueness of the Risen and Exalted Christ

Christ’s resurrection and exaltation affirm his uniqueness as the one mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). No other religious figure has conquered death, ascended to heaven, and been exalted to the right hand of God. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Salvation is found in no one else, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The resurrection of Jesus is not one path among many but the decisive act of God for the redemption of the world. To confess Christ risen and exalted is to confess Yahweh himself revealed in the Son, reigning until all things are made new.

Bible verses About Resurrection, Ascension, and Exaltation

• “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14).

• “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said” (Matt 28:6).

• “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see” (Luke 24:39).

• “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death” (Acts 2:24).

• “He was raised for our justification” (Rom 4:25).

• “He raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:20).

• “Christ Jesus … is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom 8:34).

• “He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25).

• “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25).

• “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).