Article IV
The resurrection of Christ
The risen Jesus lives bodily and will return.
The Article
OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST
Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man’s nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all Men at the last day.
In modern English
Christ truly rose from the dead and took up his body again, with flesh, bones and everything belonging to complete human nature. In that body he ascended into heaven, where he remains until he returns to judge everyone at the last day.
Scripture readings
- Luke 24:36–39, 41–43
- Acts 1:9–11
- 1 Corinthians 15:12–17, 20
Understand the teaching
The resurrection as a public claim
Article IV insists that Christ truly rose from death. Christianity makes a claim about something God did within history: the crucified Jesus became bodily alive. The Article's language about flesh and bones deliberately makes that claim concrete. His disciples did not simply discover that his teaching remained inspiring. They encountered their Lord alive after his burial. This confession belongs to the earliest Christian proclamation and provides the foundation for the church's hope, worship and mission.
The Article also moves beyond Easter morning. Jesus ascended in his humanity, reigns in heaven and will return to judge. These belong together as the continuing life and work of the same person. The incarnation has permanent significance. The Son's human nature was never a temporary disguise discarded when the difficult part of his mission ended. Our risen Lord remains fully human, and his glorified humanity is a promise that God's salvation includes the embodied people he created.
A transformed, recognisable body
Luke 24:36–43 records Jesus inviting his disciples to examine his hands and feet, and eating in their presence. Their surprise and fear are addressed through bodily encounter. John 20 likewise connects his identity with the wounds of crucifixion. The risen person is continuous with the one who suffered. Yet the resurrection accounts also show a transformed mode of existence. We should honour both continuity and transformation instead of forcing the event into the categories of ordinary recovery from serious injury.
First Corinthians 15:35–49 uses the image of seed and resulting plant to describe continuity through radical change. Paul's spiritual body is a body transformed and empowered by the Spirit. Spiritual does not mean immaterial in this argument. The contrast concerns mortality, dishonour and weakness giving way to imperishability, glory and power. Jesus' resurrection establishes the pattern for believers. The future God promises includes a renewed embodied life that can no longer be destroyed by decay or death.
Why resurrection changes the gospel
In 1 Corinthians 15:12–20, Paul makes the stakes explicit: without Christ's resurrection, Christian preaching collapses, faith is futile and believers remain in their sins. Resurrection belongs to salvation itself. Romans 4:25 connects Jesus' being raised with our justification. God publicly vindicates the crucified Messiah, and the living Christ brings his people into the benefits of his saving death. An account of Christianity that keeps Jesus' moral example while removing Easter loses the gospel's central announcement.
Paul also calls Christ the firstfruits of those who have died. In agricultural life, firstfruits announce the harvest that follows. Christ's resurrection therefore reaches beyond one exceptional individual to the future of his people. Those united to him will share his life. This hope does not remove present grief: death still wounds relationships and interrupts cherished plans. It gives grief a future horizon. First Thessalonians 4:13–18 encourages sorrow that remains open to reunion and resurrection through Jesus.
Ascension, reign and judgement
Acts 1:9–11 connects the ascension to Christ's promised return. Heaven should not be imagined simply as a distant location above the clouds; the ascension marks Jesus' exaltation into God's heavenly presence and rule. His sitting expresses royal authority and the completion of his sacrificial offering. Hebrews 7:25 also speaks of his continuing intercession. The enthroned Christ actively sustains his people. Distance from his visible bodily presence does not mean absence from the church's life or indifference to its struggles.
His return includes judgement. Acts 17:30–31 links God's call to repentance with the appointed judge whose resurrection gives assurance of the coming judgement. This gives moral weight to history. Exploitation, cruelty and concealed wrongdoing cannot finally escape the Lord's notice. Christians should receive this with humility: we too answer to him. Confidence rests upon his mercy and righteousness, and the expectation of judgement should make us truthful, repentant and careful with whatever power has been entrusted to us.
Embodied hope in ordinary discipleship
Imagine a church supporting someone whose disability or ageing has made them feel disposable. Resurrection teaching gives a strong basis for patient care: this person is loved by the Creator who intends bodily renewal. Their present body deserves dignity, attention and protection. Christian hope should deepen practical service through visits, accessible buildings and support for carers. We should avoid promising a present healing that God has not specifically promised, while praying boldly and trusting his final victory over decay.
Paul concludes his resurrection chapter by calling believers to steadfast work in the Lord, because their labour has lasting significance. Easter generates endurance for ordinary faithfulness: preparing a meal, resisting corruption, teaching children and sharing the gospel. Ask where discouragement has made you assume your service achieves nothing. Read 1 Corinthians 15:58 in the light of the whole chapter. The risen Christ gives a reason to persevere, and his return gives a reason to use today's opportunities with hope and care.
Bring it into everyday life
- Where could resurrection hope change your response to suffering or injustice?