WHO WAS FIRST TO RISE FROM THE DEAD

Jesus Christ of course Col 1:18  He is the head of his body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that He would be above all others.

” Why do you say this? Was Lazarus not raised from death before the resurrection of Jesus?” 

The resurrection of Jesus is not the same as that of Lazarus. There is quite a lot of difference between them. 

“What differences?”

The stone over Lazarus’ tomb had to be rolled away before he could come out. Jesus came out of the tomb with the stone intact. The stone was rolled away to allow people see He was no longer there. Remember Lazarus came out bound by the grave clothes but Jesus left the grave clothes behind.

 “It still does not make Jesus the first.”

Lazarus and all others after being raised could still fall sick, have accidents, and all died again and were buried. Jesus having been raised from the dead never died again Rom 6:9  We know that Christ, who was brought back to life, will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. No religious leader in all of the world’s religion has a claim to this resurrection: only the Lord Jesus does.  In addition the body He rose with is no longer held back by locked doors. It is a glorious body. Jesus Christ is the first to have this kind of resurrection and when He comes we shall be changed to have that kind of body! We, however, are citizens of heaven. We look forward to the Lord Jesus Christ coming from heaven as our Savior.  Through His power to bring everything under his authority, He will change our humble bodies and make them like His glorified body. Phil 3:20-21

“Why did He have to rise then? Could he not have waited until the end of time when all of us will then rise?” 

His rising again is part of God’s plan for our salvation. Rom 4:25  God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and He raised Him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God. The risen Christ presented the sacrifice to God. But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that was not made by human hands and that is not a part of this creation.  Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood he went into the Holy of Holies once for all and secured our eternal redemption. Heb 9:11-12 

“Is it all true?” 

Yes; our faith is based on this fact.

APPEARED ON THE CHURCH BULLETIN WEEK 15 2009