Who raised Jesus from the dead?

The Iglesia Ni Cristo teaches that it was the Father, and the Father alone who raised Jesus from the dead. Is this what the Bible teaches? When we examine the scriptures, we find that it was not just the Father, but all three persons of the Trinity that raised him from the dead.

The Father raised Jesus from the dead.

As every INC member knows. The Father raised Jesus from the dead.

Acts 30:32 (ESV) - 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead.

Romans 8:11 (ESV) - 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to our mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

We see here that we are raised to life through the Holy Spirit. The analogy given is Christ's resurrection. Through the Holy Spirit, he was raised to life from death as well.

Jesus raised himself from the dead.

Speaking of his life, Jesus said:

John 10:18 (ESV) - No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

So Jesus had the authority to take his life up, after he died. Did he use this authority? He did!

John 2:18-22 (ESV) - 18 So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us for doing these things?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." 20 The Jews then said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

So not only did the Father and the Holy Spirit raise Jesus from the dead, Jesus raised himself from the dead as well!

One might object on the grounds that a dead man can't raise himself, but the biblical definition of death is not unconsciousness or cessation of existence. To reject that Jesus raised himself from the dead is to reject the scriptures. We should be like the disciples that believed the scriptures and what Jesus spoke about raising himself.

Conclusion

The Bible clearly states that all three members of the Trinity raised Jesus from the dead. Most notably Jesus raised himself from the dead.

We should rejoice that we have such a powerful savior! To deny that he raised himself is to reject the scriptures and to mock our Lord.