This is the third week of our series on the Apostles’ Creed.[i] Today, we are focusing on this section:
- On the third day, He rose again from the dead.
- He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
- From there, He will come to judge the living and the dead.
First, I want to share my personal conviction about why I believe in Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and second coming. Some may feel that these beliefs are mere superstitions, accepted only by those with blind faith. To be honest, I am generally a rational person, sceptical of anything outlandish, whether it’s conspiracy theories, supernatural occurrences, or alternative medicine. By sharing my thought process, I don’t intend to convince anyone who has already made up their minds, but to offer a perspective on why someone like me, who is rational about most things, chooses to believe in this part of the Apostles’ Creed.
First, let’s talk about the resurrection. Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 says, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
Paul wrote this as an expansion of an earlier creed from the very first Christians, showing that from the beginning, there was a consensus on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. There were many witnesses to the resurrection, many of whom were still alive when Paul wrote about them. The proof of these claims was based on eyewitnesses, including church leaders like Peter and the other Apostles. However, for me, that wasn’t enough. What if they were all in cahoots?
Ironically, what convinced me were the resurrection accounts from the Gospels, written a couple of decades after 1 Corinthians. The first witnesses to the empty grave were women, and each Gospel account differs slightly from the others. Let me explain why this convinced me of the resurrection’s truth.
Firstly, if the early church had been in cahoots, they wouldn’t have chosen women as their first witnesses. In those times, women had no legal rights as witnesses. Claiming that women were the first to see the empty grave would have made their testimonies legally worthless. Secondly, if they were colluding, they would have coordinated their accounts. The fact that the resurrection accounts in all four Gospels differ suggests that these were real-life testimonies, passed down by those who experienced them. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John recorded what they were told by these honest but admittedly imperfect witnesses. In short, these Gospel testimonies felt earnest and real to me, not like a fabricated story.
Next, let’s discuss the ascension to the right hand of God. Unlike the resurrection, where many witnessed it, only one person in the Bible witnessed Jesus at the right hand of God: Deacon Stephen, as recorded in Acts 7:55-56. After he declared this vision, he was stoned to death for implying Jesus’ divine status, a claim so blasphemous that those present covered their ears and yelled to avoid hearing it. Now, who later repeated this exact claim multiple times in his letters, knowing it could cost him his life (Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1)? It was Paul, the same man who had authorized Stephen’s stoning before he encountered the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. This willingness to risk their lives for their testimony convinces me of Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God.
Lastly, we come to the second coming. Honestly, since it hasn’t happened yet, there is no proof for this, except Jesus’ own declaration that He will come again to judge the living and the dead. This is also backed by Old Testament prophecies, such as the coming of the Son of Man in Daniel 7. Belief in the second coming rests on faith in the promises of God the Father and the Son. I am aware that nearly two thousand years have passed, making it seem like a forgotten promise. Yet, I hold on to this promise because I believe in a God of justice. There must be a final judgment for God to bring true justice to all the good and evil in this world.
Brothers and sisters, the theological significance of Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and second coming is profound. Both Peter (Acts 2:25-28) and Paul (Acts 13:35) declared these events as a fulfilment of Psalm 16, a prophecy of King David. Let’s now examine this Psalm in detail and see how it deepens our understanding of these crucial elements of our faith.
Psalm 16: 1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
In verses 1-5, we see David’s confession that God is his one and only god, and hence the only form of security that he truly trusts. God is his only refuge.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
In verses 6-10, David goes on to say that he will obey God’s words since he believes that is the path of life. Since God is the one true God, he believes that walking on God’s desired path should also lead to divine rewards, such as joy, blessings, as well as protection from harm. Therefore, Psalm 16 allows us to envision what a people of God would look like. Allow me to summarize of the key tenets of such faith:
- There is only one true God.
- Therefore, His words are the guide to righteous living.
- If we live accordingly, we will have life.
- Rewards would include divine protection and future inheritance.
However, the reality is that since the time of David, no Jew in history has ever fully fulfilled the Law and been counted as completely righteous. No Jew has ever conquered death as described in verse 10, not even David himself. No Jew can claim to eventually sit at the right hand of God. Is Psalm 16 just the wishful thinking of David? Thankfully, there is one exception that has made Psalm 16 a fulfilled prophecy: Jesus Christ. The early apostles were right when they declared that something extraordinary had happened—Psalm 16 was fulfilled in full through Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and second coming.
This is the theological significance: Jesus’ resurrection from the dead proves that death can be overcome. His Father in heaven did not abandon Him when He remained faithful to God until the end. God was Jesus’ timely refuge, as envisioned by David in Psalm 16. Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God proves that He is the chosen Messiah. The God of refuge has anointed His King, who is now enthroned in the heavens and has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. And his second coming will be the time when the risen King exercises final judgment on all mankind.
In short, Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and second coming are living proof that God is truly the one true God.
In light of the revelation of Jesus, the tenets of our faith can be transformed as follows:
- There is only one true God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
- His words as manifested through the incarnated Word (Jesus Christ) is the guide to righteous living.
- If we live accordingly, we will have life (in Christ).
- Rewards include divine protection and future inheritance (in Christ).
Dear brothers and sisters, when we say we believe in the resurrection, ascension, and second coming of Jesus, these beliefs should transform us as a community. We trust that through Jesus, God will set everything right and fair. This deep faith in God should change how we view the evils we encounter in this world.
I know many of you feel anger and frustration when you see the greed and corruption in our world. Just this week, some of you might have read about companies in China using unwashed tankers that once carried toxic chemicals to transport cooking oil. It’s beyond infuriating. We’re also deeply disturbed by the actions of corrupt political leaders around the world, dictators and those who aspire to be, and the money that taints politics, especially those who wage needless wars. We feel a mix of helplessness and heartbreak at the horrible things we do to each other and to our planet. Sometimes, it feels like God is absent in this chaos.
For some, feeling like God is absent leads them to join in the wrongdoing, believing there will be no consequences. “If you can’t beat them, join them,” they say. This is the danger of living without the fear of God in a world full of temptations toward evil. For others, an absent God means taking justice into their own hands, using their own methods to retaliate. Many turn to violence to get even. However, violence only leads to more violence. Personally, I believe the collective punishment of all Palestinians in Gaza cannot be God’s way, no matter how heinous the acts of terrorism from Hamas.
But for us who believe in what God has done through Jesus, as followers of the risen King, we must trust and obey. Trusting means staying away from evil and living righteously. Obeying means responding to evil in God’s way, not our own. Sometimes, God’s way might mean repaying evil with kindness and forgiveness, like how David responded to Saul. Other times, it might mean standing firm and confronting wrongs, like David did with the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30). No matter the situation, even when seeking justice, God’s way ensures it is done with love, justice, and perseverance, not out of personal vengeance or pride.
As a Christian community, we must trust and obey, and be submissive to God’s way of dealing with evil. Our faith in the risen King means that God is not absent; we will ultimately be accountable to Jesus, our risen King, who shall come again to judge all humankind.
This brings us to Psalm 16, where David proclaims, “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.” David knew that amidst chaos and danger, God was his safe haven. The psalm beautifully expresses a trust that God is our refuge, our safe place in a turbulent world. Just as David found security and peace in God, we too can find comfort knowing that God is our refuge. This is the God who walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death, who lifts us when we are weary, and who promises to set all things right through Jesus.
Dear friends, our faith isn’t just a list of beliefs—it’s a source of strength and hope in the darkest times. When we believe in the resurrection, ascension, and the second coming of Jesus, we are saying that we trust in a God who loves us deeply and is actively working to make the world right. This faith should inspire us to act with love, justice, and kindness, even when it’s hard.
Imagine a world where we all live out this faith. Instead of joining in the corruption and violence, we stand firm in our trust in God’s justice. Instead of taking matters into our own hands, we respond to wrongdoing with God’s love and wisdom. This is how we become a beacon of hope in a world that often feels hopeless.
Let’s hold onto this faith and let it transform our lives. Let’s be a community that embodies the love and justice of God in everything we do. And let’s find refuge in God, just as David did, knowing that we are never alone, and that God is always with us, guiding us, and giving us strength.
Brothers and sisters, I hope you will join me in being a community of such faith and hope in God. Let’s lean on God as our refuge and trust in His way of justice, love, and peace. Let’s pray.
