Jesus Christ, Raised From The Dead, Descended From David

Jesus Christ Really Existed

There is no real argument from scholars that the man known as Jesus Christ existed. The reality of the historical Jesus has been well attested by friend and foe alike. 

A Roman historian, Tactitus, who lived between 56AD – 120AD writes, “Christus, from whom the name [Christian] had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of…Pontius Pilatus…”. 

Another early first-century personality, Pliny the Younger (c AD 61–113), when writing to Emperor Trajan about how to deal with Christians, says “[Christians] were in the habit of meeting on a fixed day before it was light…and sing a hymn to Christ as to a god…”

Finally, but not exhaustively, we have the commentary of Lucian of Samosata (c AD 125 – after 180), who was a Greek-speaking satirist and rhetorician from the Roman province of Syria. He was not a Christian – in fact, he was openly critical and mocking of many religions, including Christianity, Greco-Roman paganism, and the philosophical schools of his time. He writes: “[Christians] worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account…“

Most respected modern historians and scholars – including non-Christian and secular voices – affirm the historical existence of Jesus. This is primarily based on extra-biblical sources and historical methodology, not on the basis, as might be thought, of the New Testament gospels and letters, although they are considered compelling historical documents in their own right. These sources do not necessarily confirm every theological claim (like his resurrection), but they do affirm key details such as his existence, crucifixion, influence, and followers. 

Even scholars who are atheist or agnostic, reject the idea that Jesus was a fictional or mythical figure (a position known as mythicism), considering that theory to be fringe and not supported in peer-reviewed historical scholarship.

As Maurice Casey, secular historian and scholar of Aramaic at the University of Notthingham notes, “It is simply not plausible to deny Jesus’ existence. The sources are too many, too early, and too consistent.“

So Jesus Christ really existed. The historical existence of Jesus is well-attested and widely accepted. But simply believing that he lived isn’t what defines Christianity. The early creeds make clear that Christianity is rooted not just in his life, but in believing who he is and what he accomplished.

The Resurrection [Of Jesus]

It’s no overstatement to say that if the resurrection didn’t really happen, Christianity unravels.

No matter how profound Jesus’ teachings or how compassionate his miracles, without the resurrection, there is no victory over death, no assurance that sin has been dealt with, and ultimately, no enduring hope. Without it, Christianity becomes merely a philosophy or moral framework – interesting, perhaps even inspiring – but ultimately powerless to transform or save.

And this is the key shift between affirming Jesus as merely an astonishing historical figure – perhaps even a remarkable and inspiring teacher and role model, to affirming him as the resurrected saviour and Son of God, divinely appointed and sent by God into the world to save us from our sins. 

Scripture teaches that Jesus didn’t come just to show us a better way to live, but as the final and special revelation of Who God is and how we are able to be reunited with Him. 

Throughout human history, God had been revealing His means of salvation for humanity, imparting this knowledge through the people of Israel and their prophets. Finally, in the perfect fulness of time, this plan was fully revealed and brought to completion in His Son, who was shown to truly be the divine Lord and Saviour by virtue of his resurrection. 

As Paul the Apostle writes in Romans 1:3-4, “…regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Believing in Jesus as ‘Lord and Saviour’ shifts a person from admiration to allegiance. It’s not merely about respecting his teachings or valuing his example – it’s about trusting in his identity, submitting to his authority, and receiving the life he alone can give. 

His resurrection is the divine declaration that he is not just a wise man or moral teacher, but the risen King through whom God has acted decisively to rescue the world.

Jesus Christ: Bodily Raised From The Dead

The resurrection of Jesus that the early Christians proclaimed – and the creeds affirm – was not symbolic or spiritual alone. It was a bodily resurrection. Jesus did not merely live on in the hearts of his followers; he physically rose from the dead.

The gospel accounts go out of their way to emphasise this: Jesus ate with his disciples (Luke 24:42–43), he invited Thomas to touch his wounds (John 20:27), and he was visibly recognised, even as his risen body bore marks of transformation. 

I touched on this core teaching of the early church in Part 1, noting that this is not a secondary issue but one of primary importance. To depart from this belief – as in the case of the church I mentioned – is to step outside the core tenets of Christianity: the very things that make Christianity Christian.

The Christian hope is not disembodied or abstract, based on some hyper-spiritual explanation of a risen saviour. It is anchored in the belief that Jesus truly overcame death, not as an idea, but as a physical reality.

And it further cements our own faith and trust as it relates to us personally: the belief that what God began in Jesus Christ, he will do for all of creation, including the literal, physical resurrection of our own bodies. 

This belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus is not optional. It is foundational. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” This is a truth enshrined in the ancient creeds that defined orthodox Christianity across Christendom, both then and now.

Jesus Christ: Descended to the Dead

The Apostles’ Creed includes a line that might sound strange to our modern ears: “He [Jesus] descended to the dead” (or, in older versions, “He descended into hell”). This is not a statement about further punishment or judgment, but, rather, about the completeness of Jesus’ death. Jesus did not simply appear to die. He truly died, entering into the realm of the dead as every human must. 

Some early Christian interpretations suggest that in doing so, Jesus proclaimed his victory over sin and death even to those held in death’s grip (see 1 Peter 3:18–19). Others see it as an affirmation of his complete human experience, including death and burial.

However one understands the details, the meaning is clear: Jesus fully entered into death so he could fully defeat it. He went as low as humanity can go, identifying with us completely even unto death – and then rose again, breaking death’s power forever.

(An an interesting side thread to pull, if one is so inclined, if Jesus himself descended to hell, how does this shape our understanding of what hell is? You might be interested to read more in my article ‘Three Reasons Why I Don’t Believe In Hell‘.)

Jesus Christ, Truly Human: Descended from David

In Romans 1:3–4, Paul writes that the gospel is “regarding his [God’s] Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

These two truths – descended from David and raised in power – hold together the full identity of Jesus as both fully human and truly divine.

To be “descended from David” meant more than just claiming a famous ancestry. It grounded Jesus in the long-awaited story of Israel – the promise that God would raise up a king from David’s line to rescue and rule his people (2 Samuel 7, Isaiah 11). But it also meant Jesus was a real man, born into a real family, with a body, a lineage, and a history. He was truly human, fulfilling the essential requirement of being made “like his brethren”  so that he could conquer sin and death for all those who shared in his humanity.

The early Christians rejected any idea that Jesus merely appeared to be human (a heresy later called Docetism). Instead, they affirmed that Jesus was fully and truly human – he experienced hunger, joy, suffering, pain, and, finally, endured death. His humanity was not a disguise. It was part of God’s rescue plan.

As the church father Gregory of Nazianzus famously said, “What is not assumed is not healed.” Jesus took on real human nature to heal and redeem it fully.

Jesus Christ: Lord of All

The resurrection was not the end of Jesus’ story – it was his coronation. The earliest Christians proclaimed not only that Jesus rose from the dead, but that he ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of God, and now reigns as Lord over all. As Peter declared at Pentecost: ‘God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36).

This belief stands at the centre of the Christian creeds. Jesus is not just alive – he is King. He is the one to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given (Matthew 28:18), and before whom every knee will one day bow (Philippians 2:10–11). He now rules with the Father, and one day he will return in glory to judge the living and the dead, and to bring about the final renewal of all things.

To be a Christian is to live now under his lordship, while waiting in hope for his return and the restoration of all things.

Looking Ahead: The Spirit and the Church

But Jesus did not leave his followers alone. Before ascending, he promised the gift of the Holy Spirit – God’s own presence to dwell with and in his people. And through the Spirit, he established the Church: a community of faith, worship, and mission, carrying his life and message into the world.

In Part 3, I’ll explore the role of the Holy Spirit and the identity and purpose of the Church in God’s unfolding plan.