Does Acts 5:30 Show that Jesus isn't God?

[FPerito]

Acts 5:30 says “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.”

This verse is commonly being referred to by those who questions the deity of Jesus…it is aptly supported by the following verse:

1 Corinthians 15:15 “Yea, we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised.”

so the question is, if Jesus is God, then why was there a need for God to raise Him up from the dead?

 

[Rv_Cain_Spencer]

Acts 5:30 says “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.”

This verse is commonly being referred to by those who questions the deity of Jesus…it is aptly supported by the following verse:

1 Corinthians 15:15 “Yea, we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised.”

so the question is, if Jesus is God, then why was there a need for God to raise Him up from the dead?

Come on now FPerito, you are playing games with me surely? Have you not read the verses both before and after this one?

1 Corinthians 15:13-18 (New International Version)
13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost

.

Do you see? This chapter is just like a sermon. It is clearly saying that if you fail to believe one thing in the sacred pages, then everything else falls down with it also. Like a Roman piller holding up a temple, if you remove one of them the rest falls down also.

Acts 5:28-32 (New International Version)
28"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! 30The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Perito, calm down and read things through before you panic. I’ve also had problems like this, but be still and just look on in more detail.

 

[NeedImprovement]

…
so the question is, if Jesus is God, then why was there a need for God to raise Him up from the dead?

You could try looking at it as the Father giving the command instead, which might make things clearer for you. Remember , in Luke 23:46 the last words of our Blessed Lord and Saviour on the Cross were:

**“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” **

This would imply that whatever happened subsequently would be at the command of our loving Father. Jesus had both a human will and a divine will. It was with his human will that He obeyed His divine will. It could further be said that Jesus’ divine will is transparent with the will of the Father.

Jesus’ own words :

**John 10: 17-18 **[DRV]

** "Therefore doth the Father love me: because I lay down my life, that I may take it again.

No man taketh it away from me: but I lay it down of myself. And I have power to lay it down: and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father." **

 

[JRKH]

Acts 5:30 says “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.”

This verse is commonly being referred to by those who questions the deity of Jesus…it is aptly supported by the following verse:

1 Corinthians 15:15 “Yea, we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised.”

so the question is, if Jesus is God, then why was there a need for God to raise Him up from the dead?

Simple.
If Jesus = God and God raised Jesus then Jesus Raised himself since Jesus = God.
Make sense??

Peace
James

 

[Coder]

Acts 5:30 says “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.”

In Acts 5:30 the reference to Jesus may be a reference to His human body. Jesus said that God is Spirit. His body was raised. Jesus raised His body of flesh.

 

[Benadam]

The fathers the Apostles were talking about began with Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob. God as He revealed Himself to Moses. Understanding the divinity of Jesus builds on the theology that precedes it. As Christians we believe that God is a trinity of divine Persons but this doesn’t exclude belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their God is our God even though God had yet to reveal His inner life to them.

God obeys God. So, Jesus obeys God.
God knows God. So, Jesus knows God.
God raised up God from the dead. So, God raised Jesus from the dead.

 

[FPerito]

Simple.
If Jesus = God and God raised Jesus then Jesus Raised himself since Jesus = God.
Make sense??

Peace
James

I find this one a little bothersome…

first, if Jesus raised Himself up, then why was there a need for Paul to say “God that he raised up Christ”? quite confusing, right?

 

[FPerito]

The fathers the Apostles were talking about began with Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob. God as He revealed Himself to Moses. Understanding the divinity of Jesus builds on the theology that precedes it. As Christians we believe that God is a trinity of divine Persons but this doesn’t exclude belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their God is our God even though God had yet to reveal His inner life to them.

God obeys God. So, Jesus obeys God.
God knows God. So, Jesus knows God.
God raised up God from the dead. So, God raised Jesus from the dead.

I do agree with the said analogy except for the last line…if indeed God raised Jesus from the dead, are we saying that Jesus can’t raise His own body from the dead? or was there a specific reason why Paul didn’t say “Jesus raised His body from the dead?”…

 

[Coder]

…or was there a specific reason why Paul didn’t say “Jesus raised His body from the dead?”…

I think there was. They were on “trial” with the Sanhedrin who did not fear Jesus as God but the Sanhedrin did respect the God of their ancestors. So they were likely showing them that they should respect Jesus (and perhaps His followers) if they respect the God of their ancestors because the God of their ancestors raised Jesus up.

 

[FPerito]

I think there was. They were on “trial” with the Sanhedrin who did not fear Jesus as God but the Sanhedrin did respect the God of their ancestors. So they were likely showing them that they should respect Jesus (and perhaps His followers) if they respect the God of their ancestors because the God of their ancestors raised Jesus up.

this makes it more complicated…if we are going to take that notion, then it would likely raise the question more as to why Jesus needed the God of Abraham to raise Him up from the dead if He is God Himself, right?

 

[Coder]

this makes it more complicated…if we are going to take that notion, then it would likely raise the question more as to why Jesus needed the God of Abraham to raise Him up from the dead if He is God Himself, right?

Well, if some of them begin to understand that God who they do accept (who they did not think was Jesus) raised Jesus, it may open them and lead them to understand that Jesus Himself is God. Haven’t you yourself grown in understanding by learning progressively from where you were? St. Paul said he was all things to all people. They were communicating with people who spoke a certain “language” of theology.

 

[FPerito]

Well, if some of them begin to understand that God who they do accept (who they did not think was Jesus) raised Jesus, it may open them and lead them to the other message that Jesus Himself is God. Haven’t you yourself grown in understanding by learning progressively from where you were? St. Paul said he was all things to all people.

but then again, the question hasn’t been answered squarely, right?

if Jesus is God, then why the need for the God of Abraham to raise Jesus from the dead? this is the one big question normally being thrown around by members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo a.k.a. Church of Christ here in the Philippines…I believe that unless we come up with an indisputable argument rebutting the said point from them, then we would continue to have problems dealing with them…

 

[Coder]

Acts 2:24 But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts2.htm

Why was it impossible for Him to be held by death?

 

[FPerito]

Acts 2:24 But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts2.htm

Why was it impossible for Him to be held by death?

then again, if it was impossible for Jesus to be held by death, then why the need for the God of Abraham to release Him from it? same question, different perspective…

 

[Benadam]

then again, if it was impossible for Jesus to be held by death, then why the need for the God of Abraham to release Him from it? same question, different perspective…

The acts of God relative to creation are works of the divine unity of the three Divine Persons. The divine nature of Jesus remained in the unity of divine action. The Divine nature of Christ participated in the the act of raising His human body and soul fom death in that the personality of the Son is to know and reveal the will of the Father. The will of God is known because Jesus is the knower of God and the Holy Spirit who is the giver of Life carries out what it recieves from the Son.

Jesus’ body and soul were human and unable to raise themselves but the Divine nature of Jesus participated in the act of God and made known the will of the Father carried out by the Holy Spirit as when He revealed Himself to Moses.

 

[NeedImprovement]

I do agree with the said analogy except for the last line…if indeed God raised Jesus from the dead, are we saying that Jesus can’t raise His own body from the dead? or was there a specific reason why Paul didn’t say “Jesus raised His body from the dead?”…

I think this is the *magic question * in the above quote (highlights mine).

Because, reflecting on that question, and, if we really think about it : Anyone who believes that our blessed Lord Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, shouldn’t really have any problems believing that He could “take up” his own life again.

This question…

Acts 5:30 says “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.”

This verse is commonly being referred to by those who questions the deity of Jesus…it is aptly supported by the following verse:

1 Corinthians 15:15 “Yea, we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised.”

so the question is, if Jesus is God, then why was there a need for God to raise Him up from the dead?

… rests on an unstable foundation. Whoever originally came up with that question has skewed two passages of sacred scripture to try and prove an unprovable theory - that Jesus is not God …Yes, that’s right ! Look at the question again. It begins with the words, “If Jesus is God…” - so the implication is that He just may not be God.

Both St. Peter ( “Thou art the Christ - the Son of the living God” ; [Matt 16:16] ) and St. Paul ( “I am Christ Jesus whom you are persecuting” [Acts 26:15] ) knew Who Jesus was/is . Their mission was to explain Who Jesus is to those who don’t yet know Him. Their mission continues even today.

As St. Paul further says [Phil 2:5-8]:

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

So St. Peter and St. Paul were both aware that Jesus is God. Ultimately we would discover that it becomes detrimental to one’s own arguments to use St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s writings to attempt to prove that Jesus is not God.

The more we read scriptures, the more we understand that Jesus is God. To say He isn’t , is to deny Jesus’ own words. We need to be careful what we imply because to say Jesus is not God, is also heresy.

 

[Coder]

then again, if it was impossible for Jesus to be held by death, then why the need for the God of Abraham to release Him from it? same question, different perspective…

What is the point of Acts 5:30? Is the point of Acts 5:30 that Jesus is not God? No, the point is that He rose from the dead! Like Jesus, we too can be raised! The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus and has obediently told all nations about this.

God became a man. God is eternal and the resurrection refers to the flesh that God took on for our sake. Jesus indicated that He lays His life down and no one takes it from Him. I think that He is referring to His body (and of couse not His being who is God and who lives eternally). When Jesus died on the cross, His body died. So when the apostles refer to the resurrection of Jesus are people saying that they are they referring to His Spirit and not only His body?* **The ***Spirit of God lives eternally.

It could be confusing to phrase this as “God raised God” because the meaning of this is not theologically clear and perhaps could be misleading. The phrase “Jesus raised Jesus” is also not theologically clear and also could perhaps be misleading.

God became man and allowed His fleshly Body to die and raised His fleshly Body (for our sake).

 

[FPerito]

I think this is the *magic question * in the above quote (highlights mine).

Because, reflecting on that question, and, if we really think about it : Anyone who believes that our blessed Lord Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, shouldn’t really have any problems believing that He could “take up” his own life again.

This question…

… rests on an unstable foundation. Whoever originally came up with that question has skewed two passages of sacred scripture to try and prove an unprovable theory - that Jesus is not God …Yes, that’s right ! Look at the question again. It begins with the words, “If Jesus is God…” - so the implication is that He just may not be God.

Both St. Peter ( “Thou art the Christ - the Son of the living God” ; [Matt 16:16] ) and St. Paul ( “I am Christ Jesus whom you are persecuting” [Acts 26:15] ) knew Who Jesus was/is . Their mission was to explain Who Jesus is to those who don’t yet know Him. Their mission continues even today.

As St. Paul further says [Phil 2:5-8]:

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

So St. Peter and St. Paul were both aware that Jesus is God. Ultimately we would discover that it becomes detrimental to one’s own arguments to use St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s writings to attempt to prove that Jesus is not God.

The more we read scriptures, the more we understand that Jesus is God. To say He isn’t , is to deny Jesus’ own words. We need to be careful what we imply because to say Jesus is not God, is also heresy.

the problem is, Acts 5:30 shows clearly that Jesus is not able to raise Himself up without the help of the God of Abraham…

this verse is the sticking point…and they throw something else like Jesus didn’t claim Himself as God, that Jesus was always mentioned as the Son of Man, etc.

if only there’s a valid verse to completely refute or clearly explain Acts 5:30, then it would have ended the issue right then and there…

 

[FPerito]

What is the point of Acts 5:30? Is the point of Acts 5:30 that Jesus is not God? No, the point is that He rose from the dead! Like Jesus, we too can be raised! The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus and has obediently told all nations about this.

God became a man. God is eternal and the resurrection refers to the flesh that God took on for our sake. Jesus indicated that He lays His life down and no one takes it from Him. I think that He is referring to His body (and of couse not His being who is God and who lives eternally). When Jesus died on the cross, His body died. So when the apostles refer to the resurrection of Jesus are people saying that they are they referring to His Spirit and not only His body?* **The ***Spirit of God lives eternally.

It could be confusing to phrase this as “God raised God” because the meaning of this is not theologically clear and perhaps could be misleading. The phrase “Jesus raised Jesus” is also not theologically clear and also could perhaps be misleading.

God became man and allowed His fleshly Body to die and raised His fleshly Body (for our sake).

pretty sound argument…

but the follow-up question would be like this…are we saying that when Jesus died on the cross, He was separated into two forms, one which is the eternally living spirit and the other is the mortal body? If this is the case, then how come the Creed says that Jesus descended to the dead? another dilemma would be, RCC claims that Jesus was raised both flesh and spirit, right? so when did the union happened?

 

[Benadam]

I do agree with the said analogy except for the last line…if indeed God raised Jesus from the dead, are we saying that Jesus can’t raise His own body from the dead? or was there a specific reason why Paul didn’t say “Jesus raised His body from the dead?”…

…if indeed God raised Jesus from the dead, are we saying that Jesus can’t raise His own body from the dead?

This question is not asked from a purely Trinitarian understanding of God. It is a question that rises from the false notion that di9vine action is sometimes an act that this divine person does another time it is the other divine person acting. Jesus would never raise His own body from the dead BecauseGod is a trinity of persons. The father and the Sprit and Jesus would raise His body from the dead.Can Jesus do it? that can’t be answered because it’s not God’s nature to act apart from Himself.