Ask the Pastor

Question: 30

What part of the Trinity raised Jesus from the dead? Was it the Father because the Son was dead?

Profile: Male 46-60 North America
Answer: When it comes to the resurrection of our Lord, scripture gives us a pretty good amount of information that says who was involved in the resurrection of Jesus. Read the following verses and references:
• God the Father raised Jesus (Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15, 26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 33, 34, 37).
• God raised Him up again (Rom. 4:24; 6:4 [through the glory of the Father]); 10:9; 1 Cor. 6:14; Gal. 1:1; Col. 2:12).
• The Holy Spirit is somehow involved in the resurrection of Jesus:
Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised…”
Romans 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,…”
• The Son Himself lays down His life and takes it up again — John 10:17-18
Jesus, through His divine nature, even while His human body lay dead, displayed His power through resurrection. Jesus, speaking of His body said “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) Certainly, it was “God” who raised His body (Rom. 10:9, 1 Pet. 1:21), and Jesus is God. But Scripture also teaches that the Father raised Him (Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:17,20). As mentioned above even the Holy Spirit is said to have raised Him (Romans 8:11). So, the act of raising Jesus from the dead was not the operation merely of one person within the Trinity, but was a cooperative act done by the God head. The fact that the Bible teaches that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that Jesus raised Himself is yet another testament to Christ’s divinity.
The answer is that all of the Trinity was involved in Jesus resurrection. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit!