JESUS CHRIST: GOD-MAN - Vital Christianity

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The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, according to the early Christian writers, did in fact
take place in time and space and such a fact certifies that Jesus was the only begotten Son of God
and Savior of the world. The resurrection of Jesus is the seal of authenticity to the claim of the
New Testament that Jesus is God incarnate (in the flesh).
IMPORTANCE OF RESURRECTION
Many admit the necessity of the death of Jesus Christ while they deny the importance of
His bodily resurrection. Yet Jesus promised several times during His three and one-half year
ministry that He would rise from the dead (Mt 16:21; 17:9; 26:32). When asked by the Jews what
evidence He would give to authenticate Himself He said:
"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn 2:19).
Jesus was speaking of His own body, that is, the resurrection. This was to be the central
test to determine whether He was authentic or not. Unlike all other founders of world religions
such as Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, etc. who died and whose relics are venerated, Jesus
claims to have risen from the dead and thus to be alive today.
Foundation of Christianity
Christ's physical resurrection is vitally important because of its fundamental connection
with Christianity. It establishes and undergirds the Christian hope. One foundational role of the
resurrection relates to the Christological affirmation of the divinity of Christ. In the New
Testament the exalted status of Jesus of Nazareth is seen as being linked to His resurrection.
Australian scholar Peter Carnley, surveying New Testament scholarship on this issue, comments:
"Most contemporary New Testament scholars have been anxious to affirm that the
resurrection is not just a loosely connected appendage to a set of beliefs that might
be formulated concerning Jesus' nature and identity as the Christ of God. The
datum for faith in Christ is not just the historical life of Jesus from his birth to his
crucifixion. Even if some inkling of his divine significance was arrived at during
his lifetime, it was shattered by his premature and devastating death. Genuine
Christian faith is a post-Easter phenomenon, and the presentation of his life and
death in the gospels is made in the retrospective light of it. Indeed, it was the
resurrection faith which initiated the various attempts of the early church to
express its understanding of the uniqueness of Christ's person."4
Taken alone the cross could only convince the disciples about the hopelessness of living
in a world where God is deaf to the cries of faith, justice, and love. No motivation was present to
transform despair into hope. Contrary to Rudolph Bultmann who says that what is important is
the existential crisis—the personal encounter with the Christ of faith in the preaching of the