Course
Lesson 3: Christ Died, Rose, & Revived
2,769 words, about 14 min read
Components of the Born Again Experience 43
Christ Died 43
How Did Jesus Die? 44
Christ Rose 47
Christ Revived 51
Jesus and the Symbolism of the Seed 61 Transformation & Multiplication of Jesus, 63 The Planted Seed
The Hidden Substance within Christ, 65 The Fruitful Seed The Church: Life Springs Forth 67 From the Planted Seed
THE TRUTH ABOUT SALVATION II : THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST CONTENTS
OBJECTIVES cont’d Reflect on their willingness to endure challenges to their faith with the same dedication and sacrifice that Christ exemplified. Students should be able to identify specific situations or circumstances where their faith was tried and assess how eager/ready or reluctant they were to bear this trial as Christ expected.
PREPARATION ACTIVITY Activity
3.1
(a) Reflect on a situation where you felt the need to use the word “revive” or a similar term, because it seemed like taking action was essential for your survival or well-being.
(b) Using one or more of the images below:
1. Briefly reflect on your initial response to the situation.
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of your solution—consider how it contributed to keeping you alive or feeling revived, noting both its strengths and any limitations.
Medicine Fresh Air / Coolness Food/Beverage Worship
Reflection using Image/s Selected:
Evaluation of the Solution:
It may not be immediately apparent, but the Scripture above outlines the three key aspects of the born-again experience. To be born again, one must:
As we continue, we will explore each of these aspects in greater depth to understand their full meaning. Let us also consider what occurred during each of these phases when Jesus was born again.
The separation of His soul from both the Holy Ghost and His body, followed by His descent into hell.
COMPONENTS OF THE BORN AGAIN EXPERIENCE
Romans 14:9
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
DIE RISE REVIVE CHRIST DIED
If Christ is truly to be preeminent in all things concerning the born-again experience, then He must also begin where the Church began—in a state of sin. This does not mean that Jesus sinned; rather, it refers to the fact that the sins of the world were placed on His body, making it a body of sin.16
2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
16 We learned in Courses 1 and 2 about the body of sin.
Body of Sin
“Christ did more than take on the sins of humanity in His body.” How is this statement supported by 1 Peter 2:24 and Galatians 3: 13?
After the sins of the world were placed on Jesus’ body, God allowed it to be destroyed, revealing His true sentiment toward sin. The penalty that rightfully belonged to all humanity was poured out upon Jesus. His body, laden with sin, on the cross was proof that He became a curse for humanity. That body was being destroyed, with death as its inevitable end—just as it is written: “The wages of sin is death.”
In Course 1: Introduction to Salvation, we learned that the inward man (soul and spirit) is the source of life for the body.17 Without the inward man, the body will die. However, we must bear in mind that the spiritual makeup of Jesus was different from that of Adam.
I Peter 2: 24:
Galatians 3:13:
Activity
3.2
HOW DID JESUS DIE?
17 Course 1: Introduction to Salvation explained that the body dies without the indwelling spiritual parts. This concept was covered on page 14. James 2:26 - For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
18 Adam’s body was brought to life by the power of the soul. However, Jesus was brought to life in the womb—and sustained thereafter—by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit within His body, not His soul, that enabled it to live. His soul was hidden in God, as God worked through His body.
As God’s Spirit gave life to His flesh, Jesus’ soul and spirit were concealed within that same Spirit20 . Since it was the Holy Ghost who sustained the life of Jesus’ body, for Him to die, the Holy Spirit had to depart from His body. Jesus willingly surrendered His life and gave up the Ghost (John 19:30).
At His death, the Holy Spirit departed from Jesus’ body. However, the suffering of the cross was only the beginning; His soul also had to descend into hell to continue bearing the punishment for the sins of the world.21 From His arrest to the cross, Christ carried the judgment for humanity’s flesh. Now, by entering hell, He would bear the penalty for the souls of men. For the first time in His life, Jesus’ soul was separated from the Spirit of God. When a soul once joined to the Holy Spirit is rejected by God and cut off from Him, that individual is known as a reprobate. However, Jesus had not committed any sin of His own but was paying the price for the sin of others. As a result, Jesus’ soul was cast into hell to be tormented in the lower parts of the earth. Thus, when Jesus died:
- His body laden with sins, was removed from the cross and laid in a tomb.
- His soul, void of the Holy Ghost, entered into hell to suffer for 3 days and nights.
- The Holy Ghost returned to heaven.
19 Revisit Pages 46-48 of Course 2: The Truth About Salvation 1 – The Plan of Salvation for a deeper understanding of the difference between the spiritual makeup of Adam and that of Jesus.
20 Page 47 of The Truth About Salvation 1: The Plan of Salvation explores this concept in greater detail, explaining the difference between the statements Jesus made in John 17:21: “Father, art in me, and I in thee.”
21 Acts 2:25-31
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Jesus was able to bear all that He did, because He could not die until the Holy Ghost left His body.
In contrast with Adam, Jesus’ body was able to live, breath, and move because of the presence of the Holy Spirit within Him. The source of life for Jesus’ body was the Spirit of God dwelling within it.19
Holy Spirit goes back to heaven
HEAVEN EARTH HELL
Body stayed on the cross and was later taken to the tomb.
Jesus’ soul went to hell.
After Jesus had suffered for three days and three nights, only then was the penalty for sin fully satisfied.22 Some persons are of the view that God loves Jesus more than anyone else. Using the account of Jesus’ suffering in hell, state at least two (2) reasons why you agree or disagree with this viewpoint.
Reasons for Agreement/Disagreement:
Activity
3.3 The reunion of Jesus’ soul with the Holy Spirit in the lower parts of the earth.
CHRIST ROSE
Acts 2:22-24
22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
22 Psalm 18 was written by Prophetic revelation, revealing the words Jesus prayed while He suffered in hell. It also reveals what God did to rescue Him.
This is indeed a great mystery. Christ died the death of a sinner—He even became sin according to 2 Corinthians 5:21.
How then, was He allowed to escape death?
Ezekiel 18:20 says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die...”
Remember, the sins of the world were placed on Jesus’ flesh, not in His soul. His soul never sinned.23 If “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” holds true, then the inverse must also be true: The soul that does not sin shall live.
This explains why, although Jesus spent three days and nights in hell bearing the penalty for sin, He could not remain there.
Death had no authority over Him because His soul was sinless.
Listen to this prayer that Jesus prayed while He was in the depths of the earth:
God had promised not to leave Jesus’ soul in hell. But how was His soul to be raised? He had to be reunited with the Spirit of life.
Acts 2:25-32
26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psalm 139:14-15
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.24
23 Hebrews 9:14 explains that Jesus was able to offer Himself without spot through the eternal Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit within Him that kept His soul untouched by the sin that was laid upon His flesh.
24 We will explore this scripture in greater detail in the next lesson.
The Scripture above depicts the moment when Jesus was being raised to life. Raising Jesus to life was a divine work fashioned by God in the depths of the earth. Jesus refers to it as a “making”—a work so awe-inspiring that it evokes fear and wonder. This “making” refers to the rejoining of His soul with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Jesus’ soul was once again positioned within God. He was raised to life by the Spirit even before returning to His body. This reunion with the Spirit of life granted Him the power to leave the prison of death—that is, the lower parts of the earth—at will.
2 Samuel 22 reveals the “fear” and “wonder” mentioned in Psalm 139:14, as God, with immense passion, rescued His Son from the torments of hell—raising Him to life. Reunited with the Holy Ghost and empowered to overcome the pains of death, Jesus demonstrated His power and lordship by preaching to others who were also bound in the lower parts of the earth.
Colossians 3:3
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
There you have it– the soul of Jesus abides in God.
Find three (3) scriptures that indicate that Jesus preached in the lower parts of the earth.
Scripture #1 Scripture #1 Scripture #1 Activity
3.4b Examine 2 Samuel 22:2-16 to describe God’s marvelous works in relation to the evidence listed in the table below:
Evidence of God’s Marvelous Works God’s strength and protection Fearsome imagery of God’s Power God’s majesty revealed through nature God’s judgment Descriptions of God’s Marvelous Works in 2 Samuels 22:2-16 Activity 3.4a
This marks the final phase in Jesus’ born-again experience. Having died and risen, the last step was for Him to revive.
CHRIST REVIVED
The risen Christ returned to His body, which had been lying in the tomb. Jesus was raised to life in the lower parts of the earth by being placed within the Spirit of God. However, the term “revived” specifically refers to the resurrection of His body. This means He did not fully revive until His Spirit returned to His body.
During His death, Jesus said that His flesh was “resting in hope,” meaning His body waited in expectation to be revived.
Acts 2:31-32
31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
In John 11, Lazarus’ body began to decay after four days. This highlights the wisdom of God in reviving Jesus after three days and nights, as any longer, would cause His flesh to begin to decompose—or, as Acts 2:31 puts it, “see corruption.”
Thus, Jesus has died, risen, and revived! This is the born-again experience. Therefore, if anyone today desires to be born again, they too must die, rise, and revive—each step accomplished by the hand of God. This is the transformation that results in a new creature born of the Holy Spirit. We will explore this concept in greater depth in the next course: The Truth About Salvation 3 – The Operation of Salvation.
CONCLUSION
Here are some key points from this lesson for you to remember:
MAIN POINTS
TO BE BORN AGAIN: For believers to be born again, they must die, rise, and be revived as happened to Jesus.
JESUS DIED: Jesus died physically when His inward parts (soul and spirit) departed from His body. He also died spiritually when the Holy Spirit left His soul and returned to heaven.
CHRIST ROSE: Having paid the penalty for sin through suffering the pains of death and hell, God raised Jesus from the dead in hell. The reuniting of Jesus’ soul with the Holy Spirit gave Him power over death.
CHRIST REVIVED: Jesus was raised to life in the lower parts of the earth by the Holy Ghost, as His soul did not sin. His body was revived when His Spirit re-entered it.
GOD’S LOVE: All that Jesus endured physically, emotionally, and spiritually serves as evidence of the depth of God’s love for lost humanity.
ENDURING CHALLENGES TO FAITH IN CHRIST: Born- again believers are called to persevere through trials with unwavering faith, drawing strength from Christ, who reveals what dedication and sacrifice entail.
Jesus’ body lay in the tomb for three days and nights, awaiting His return. The final step was for Him to re-enter His body. Before doing so, He first sanctified it from the sins that had been atoned to it. Then, He entered His body—reviving it.
The self-evaluation serves as a tool for you to examine how you have been applying that which is taught in the lesson for your own life and/or to further probe your knowledge of the lesson. Please answer honestly and thoroughly.
SELF-EVALUATION
- How has this lesson deepened your understanding of God’s plan of salvation through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection?
- What does it mean to you that Jesus was separated from the Holy Spirit as part of His suffering for your salvation?
- How have you shown gratitude to God for saving Jesus from “the pains of death and hell?
- What challenges or trials are you currently facing that require you to endure with faith? Why is it easy or difficult for you?
- How has this lesson strengthened your faith in God’s promise of eternal life?
EXTENDED STUDY & LEARNING RESOURCES
Task 1 – Examine the diagram below and use The Bible Teacher App and the following scripture verses 2 Samuel 22:5-6, Hebrews 5:7 and Psalm 16:10-11 to complete it.
CHRIST’S SUFFERING IN THE GRAVE AND HIS UNWAVERING FAITH IN GOD THROUGHOUT
Learning Resources: The King James Bible, The Bible Teacher App A Key Point on Jesus’
Unwavering Faith in God:
A Key Point on
Emotional Pain:
A Key Point on Physical Pain
Supporting Scripture:
Jesus is dead, his body is in the tomb and his soul is in hell.
CHRIST DIED CHRIST ROSE JESUS’ SOUL JESUS’ SOUL GOD
God Goes to Hell and puts Jesus’ soul in himself.
Jesus’ Soul is Risen
The body is atoned with the sin.
CHRIST REVIVED JESUS’ SOUL IN GOD’S SPIRIT JESUS’ BODY
God returns to the tomb.
He sanctifies the flesh from sin and enters the body, reviving it.
He is resurrected from the dead, his make-up is the same as it was before he was arrested.
He is a Holy sacrifice.