“When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead.”
Acts 13:29–30

Earlier in Acts, Peter said, “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses” (Acts 3:14–15).

Here, Paul declares the same truth, giving us one of the most important “But God” moments in our series. Men crucified the Lord Jesus and buried Him—but God raised Him from among the dead.

Hebrews 5:7 tells us, “He offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear.”

This “But God” is the ultimate difference-maker! Paul reminds us that if Christ is not risen, “your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). But because of this “But God,” we have a Savior who can never die again: “Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more” (Rom. 6:9).

Peter explains that God raised up the Lord Jesus so that repentance might be granted (Acts 5:30–31). He also writes, “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” (1 Peter 1:3).

On the day of Pentecost, Peter boldly declared, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:32–33).

Because Christ is risen, “there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:34).

Another glorious result of this “But God” is that every believer is delivered from the coming wrath: “[We] wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10; cf. Rom. 5:9).

And because He rose, we are assured of our own resurrection: “[We know] that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into His presence” (2 Cor. 4:14; cf. Rom. 6:4; 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:20).

Anchor For Life:
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the basis of assurance for believers that we have been freed from all condemnation and it is the foundation of our hope that He will be bring us into His presence.