On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. As Paul says in Romans 4:25, he rose for our justification. But what happened after he rose from the dead?
That’s the question I want to answer here, because we often miss the importance of what happens next. And apart from Jesus’s resurrection and ascension to heaven, building on his atoning death, we would not have our sins forgiven, the Holy Spirit guiding our lives, or an unshakeable hope in life after death.
So I am cheating a bit because this article is about the ascension of Christ, not the resurrection per se. I hope you will indulge me, however, because knowing why Jesus rose and also ascended into heaven afterwards clarifies the Gospel, gives us hope in the future, and brings us closer to God.
Without further ado, here are three reasons why Jesus ascended into heaven after his resurrection from Acts 1 and 2.
First, Jesus ascended to give us the promised Spirit
When Jesus rose from the dead, he immediately showed himself to his disciples. In Acts 1, we learn he spent 40 days “speaking about the kingdom of God” to them (Acts 1:3). But then he says something intriguing in Acts 1:4: “wait for the promise of the Father.” Actually, he had already said something similar in Luke 24:49: “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
What is this promise? Well, it evidently involves the Holy Spirit because Jesus says the Father would give them the Spirit in Acts 1:8. And Peter says in Acts 2:33 during Pentecost, “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God [in his ascension], and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, [Christ] has poured out [the Holy Spirit] that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
But notice the order here: Jesus rose and ascended to the right hand of God. Then Jesus first receives the promised Holy Spirit from the Father. Last, Jesus gives us the promised Holy Spirit. In other words, if Jesus had not ascended up to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, he would not have received the promised Spirit. And we would not have either.
So we must recognize the ascension of Jesus, because without him ascending, we would not have the Spirit. And without the Spirit, our new life could not begin in Christ, nor could we walk or live by the Spirit. And perhaps most importantly, we would not have the Spirit of Christ uniting us to Christ, so that we could receive forgiveness of sins.
Second, Jesus ascended to grant us forgiveness
Look at Acts 2:38. During Pentecost, when the Father sent the Spirit through Christ, Peter preached a sermon, saying, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
After Christ ascended into heaven, his apostles and disciples began preaching the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’s name. So if Jesus did not rise and ascend, then the day of Pentecost would not have come. And so the Spirit would not have come. And neither would forgiveness be preached.
Notice two further points here. First, Peter tells us to repent and be baptized “for the forgiveness of your sins.” The word “for” here indicates purpose. You repent and get baptized for the purpose of forgiveness of sins.
Okay, then, second, ask: how does repentance and baptism get us to the forgiveness of sins? And the answer seems to be through “the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Now, sometimes we can do ourselves a disservice by over-specifying details that the Bible doesn’t.
I’ll try to avoid that here, and make the simple claim: the promised Spirit was given from the Father to the Son on Pentecost, so that we could be forgiven. On the day of Pentecost, the apostles started preaching the Gospel and offering forgiveness. That only happens after Jesus ascended into heaven, and it seems tied to the Holy Spirit.
So Jesus ascended to give us both the Holy Spirit and to grant us forgiveness of sins.
Third, Jesus ascended to give us hope
In Acts 2:26–32, Peter highlights the resurrection of Jesus. And in verse 26, he recounts a prophecy where Christ says, “my flesh also will dwell in hope” because of the resurrection of his flesh.
Now, the amazing thing is that Jesus rose into heaven, so that we might hope that we too might ascend into heaven. Because he rose, we rise. Because he ascended, we ascend.
That’s why Paul in Colossians 1:27 speaks of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Or why Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
Or again, Peter says in 1 Peter 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Notice that Jesus is our living hope because he rose from the dead? The fact that he rose and the fact that he triumphed in the ascension mean we can hope in him. He died for us, yes, but he also lives for us.
So what?
What does any of this mean practically? A few things.
First, ask the Father in the name of Jesus for His Spirit. He has promised his Spirit. If you do not yet know God in Christ through the Spirit, then ask, and you shall receive. Our heavenly Father loves to give his children good gifts, and the Holy Spirit is his favourite gift to give.
Second, repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. Yes, ask the Father in prayer, but then listen to messengers of his Son. Peter in Acts 2 does not exclude faith; virtually every sermon in Acts calls for repentance and belief. My point is simply that the Christian life is one of repentance, which means turning to God. One way to do that is in baptism. If you haven’t taken the plunge, now is a great time. Talk to your leaders.
Third, live in hope. Jesus rose. But more than that, he ascended. He took his seat at the right hand of the Father. He sent his Holy Spirit to earth. And so when we pray, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are also praying that the empire of the Holy Spirit would come down from heaven to earth. And it will. And it does. Because the kingdom of Christ has no end.
He wins. Even if we lose in life, Christ has won. So our hope cannot be placed in our ability, our success, our prestige, or anything like this. Christ alone is our living hope, because he alone rose from the dead. And the ascension shows just how sure that resurrection hope is; it’s not hidden in a room somewhere. Christ lives. And he reigns. And his Spirit covers the whole earth.
So we do not live without hope. We live in hope. Hope that because Jesus rose, we will. And because Jesus ascended to heaven, so we will go to heaven. We simply need to ask God for the promised Spirit. Turn to him. Believe in him. Be baptized. Be forgiven. Live in hope. Because Jesus rose.
Happy Easter!
