Resurrection (ἀνάστασις)

Resurrection (ἀνάστασις) means “to stand again” and is rooted in the concept of setting, placing, or establishing. Its origin is from the Latin resurrectio, meaning “to rise again,” and it became firmly established in English around the late 1400s, particularly in reference to the resurrection of Christ. In English, the term refers to the act of rising from the dead or being restored to life. In a broader sense, it can also signify a revival or restoration of something that has been inactive, forgotten, or destroyed.

Although in Scripture resurrection (ἀνάστασις) is predominantly used to refer to the resurrection from the dead, ἀνάστασις (anastasis) is not restricted to this meaning. In Luke 2:34, when Simeon eulogized Christ, he stated, “Behold, this Child is appointed to the fall and rise (ἀνάστασις) of many in Israel.” Here, Simeon is not referring to resurrection from the dead but to the setting or establishing of some, while others fall due to unbelief.

The Sadducees were a Jewish religious group composed of priests, elders, and scribes who did not believe in the resurrection (Matthew 22:23). In their unbelief, they attempted to outsmart Jesus by asking a question about seven brothers who, having each died before fathering a child, had all been married to the same woman. “In the resurrection, whose wife will she be?” they asked. Jesus corrects them, stating that they are mistaken, not knowing Scripture or the inherent ability of God. In the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels, who do not propagate (Matthew 22:28–29).

The most significant event in human history was the resurrection of Jesus Christ out from the dead. He was taken by lawless hands and crucified, but God raised Him from the dead, loosing the pains of death (Acts 2:23-24). Through His resurrection, all who believe in His death for sins and resurrection three days later are justified (Romans 4:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). This Jesus is the promised seed of David, the One declared to be the Son of God, Who was raised out from the dead (Romans 1:4).

When God raised Christ from the dead, He created a new man (2 Corinthians 5:17). In this new man, Christ is the head, and the Church is His body (Ephesians 1:22-23). This new man is created according to God in righteousness and piety of the truth (Ephesians 4:24). Those who are immersed into the body of the Christ are immersed into His death and resurrection, enabling them to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4-5). In Christ, slavery to the strong desires of the sin nature has been rendered ineffective because we possess a saved spirit and a new mind (Romans 6:6; 12:2).

Some, even today, say there is no resurrection. However, if this were true, how could Christ have been raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12)? Paul asks this question after providing substantial historical proof that Christ was raised out from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:6-9). If there is no resurrection, then Christ is not raised, and we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:13-17). However, Christ did rise from the dead; therefore, He is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. All died in Adam because of his sin, yet all who believe in Christ’s death for sin and His resurrection three days later will live in Him because of His obedience (1 Corinthians 15:22).

In Philippians 3:8-11, Paul writes that he counts all things as loss compared to the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ. Because of this knowledge, His desire is to attain to the resurrection—knowing Christ and the inherent ability of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering—while being conformed to His death. Paul is speaking about living a life of righteousness that is free from slavery to the desires from the sin nature. In Christ, the sin nature has been rendered ineffective because we are immersed into His death (Romans 6:6). In Christ, we have been raised to walk in newness of life, no longer slaves to sin. Therefore, we are not to let the sin nature rule as king in our lives, but to present our members to God as instruments of righteousness, as those alive out from the dead (Romans 6:13). Let us follow Paul’s example and put on the new man, who is created in righteousness and piety of the truth.