Jesus Christ: Jesus – Alive Forevermore!
Jesus did not stay dead for long. Early Sunday morning, some disciples discovered that the Son of God had risen. They did not see the resurrection itself, but they saw Jesus, alive and well. Over a period of 40 days, they saw Jesus on numerous occasions. Then they saw him rise into heaven (Acts 1:1-11).
But Jesus is not taking a vacation. His ministry continues, even in heaven. He serves and leads the church, interceding for us, helping us, preparing us for eternal glory. Christ will return and will put down every enemy, bringing God’s plan to completion.
Resurrection
Many people have a hard time believing that Jesus rose from the dead. In their experience, dead people always stay dead. They are skeptical of such an extraordinary claim. The disciples must have been mistaken, they say, or else they made it up.
The disciples were skeptical, too. When they went to the tomb, they expected to find a body. When they did not find a body, they first assumed that someone had stolen it. They did not expect a resurrection. It was only when Jesusappeared to them that they believed that he was alive again.
Most Jews believed that there would be a resurrection at the end of the age, when everyone would rise for judgment (Daniel 12:2). But a resurrection into glory before the end was just as unexpected as a crucified Messiah. Although Jesus had taught both these ideas (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; Mark 9:9), the disciples didn’t understand or believe this (verse 10). They expected him to stay dead.
But if Jesus is the sinless Son of God, then he is unique among the billions of people, and he did not deserve death. We should be surprised if he were notresurrected. We also have evidence that gives us confidence that Jesus rose from the dead (as we will cover in our next article).
Many of us also have experiences in our own lives that convince us that God exists, that he sometimes causes miracles, that Jesus is alive and the Holy Spirit is active in his people. This gives us further reason to believe that Jesus is alive.
Significance of the resurrection
The resurrection meant life for Jesus—but a far better life than what he had on earth. He was restored to the glory he had with the Father before his incarnation
(John 17:5). By his resurrection, he was revealed as the Son of God (Romans
1:4)—the resurrection showed who he had been all along. The resurrection proves that God will judge the world through Christ (Acts 17:31).
The resurrection also means life for us. As Paul says, we will “be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10). If you “believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). “If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Justification, most commonly associated with Jesus’ death, is also a result of his resurrection (Romans 4:24-25). Our salvation depends on the entire sequence of the incarnation: Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection.
Baptism pictures our participation in Jesus’ death and resurrection. Rising from the water pictures our new life (Romans 6:4) and it pictures our future: “We will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (verse 5). “When he is revealed, we will be like him” (1 John 3:2). Our resurrected bodies will be like his (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).
God has “made us alive together with Christ…raised us up with him”
(Ephesians 2:5-6). We were “raised with him” (Colossians 2:12). Through faith in Christ, we are spiritually united to him. Our sins are given to him and paid by him, his righteousness and life are given to us, and we join him in his resurrection.
“He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). His resurrection is a promise that we will also live again!
Raised up to God’s right hand
Jesus showed his disciples that he was alive “by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Eventually, “he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (verse 9). He did not simply disappear. He went up bodily into the sky, as a visible indication that he was going into heaven.
As the disciples stared upwards, two angels told them that Jesus would return “in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
What were the disciples to do in the meantime? They were to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit (verse 4), and then they were to be witnesses for Jesus throughout the world (verse 8). They told people that he is alive, that he is the Christ, and that salvation is available through him.
Jesus did not just go to heaven—he was “exalted at the right hand of God” (Acts 2:33). “God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior” (Acts 5:31). This is a figure of speech meaning “given highest authority.”
This is a fulfillment of Psalm 110:1: “The Lord says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’” The picture is that the Father gives Jesus a throne. He is ruler of all things (Hebrews 7:27; 1:2).
Ministry
Using his position of power in heaven, Jesus continues working for our salvation. He sends the Holy Spirit to us (John 15:26; 16:7), and the Holy Spirit points us to Jesus and helps us understand what he taught (John 14:26; 15:26). The Spirit is the way that the Father and the Son live within us (14:18, 23).
Jesus is our Advocate (1 John 2:1). He is like a defense attorney who speaks to the Father in our defense. If anyone accuses us, Jesus is a constant reminder that our sins have already been covered by his sacrifice. It is pointless to make accusations (Romans 8:33-34) — there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1).
The risen Christ speaks up for us to defend us and help us. “He is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). “Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested” (Hebrews 2:18). He can understand our weaknesses, so we can be confident that he will give us the help we need (Hebrews 4:15-16).
He is our high priest, who sacrificed himself for us and now lives to help us (Hebrews 2:17; 3:1). Since our sins have been forgiven through his death, we can approach God with confidence (Hebrews 10:19). “Since we have a great priest over the house of God,” we are encouraged: “let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (verses 21-22).
Jesus is also called our mediator – someone who helps the relationship between two parties – and he brings us to God (1 Timothy 2:5). In this figure of speech, he brings us into the “throne room” of heaven, assuring us that God hears us with favor.[1] This is part of the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is also our Shepherd (John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20), implying that he protects and provides for us. Peter brings similar images to mind when he calls Jesus “the shepherd and guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25). Jesus watches over us. The book of Revelation tells us that we are shepherded by a Lamb, a gentle guide who sacrificed himself for us (Revelation 7:17). He will supply our needs, because he knows what they are.
God assigned Jesus to be Head of the church (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15), and the church is to follow his lead in everything (Ephesians 5:24). He has authority over everything (Colossians 1:18; 2:10; Matthew 28:18). God has placed him above every power and authority (Ephesians 1:20-22; Colossians 2:10).
Through faith, we join Jesus in his life. We are crucified with him, we rise with him, we are joined with him by the Holy Spirit. We are given glory with him and will reign with him forever (2 Timothy 2:11-12). Jesus the King of all creation is good news for us, because the King is also our Savior, our Helper, our Defense Attorney, and much more!
[1] In some respects, we do not need a mediator, because the Father loves us just as much as the Son does. But the Bible uses terms from human social situations to make it clear to us that we are welcome to come to God. Think of it this way, the writers might say. Jesus is like a mediator, like a shepherd, like a payment that buys our freedom from slavery, etc.
Author: Michael Morrison, edited 2026
