The resurrection is the event by which God declared Jesus to be His Son in power (Romans 1:4).
Scripture connects the Father's decree, 'Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee' (Psalm 2:7), to Jesus' resurrection, not to Bethlehem. Romans 1:4 states that Jesus was 'declared to be the Son of God with power... by the resurrection from the dead.' Les Feldick teaches that this resurrection power is the very basis of the gospel and of salvation.
Romans 1:4 — Paul directly states that Jesus was 'declared to be the Son of God with power... by the resurrection from the dead.'
Psalm 2:7 — This decree, 'Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee,' is the Old Testament statement that Acts 13 applies to the resurrection.
Acts 13:33 — This verse shows the decree of Psalm 2:7 fulfilled in God's raising Jesus from the dead.
The Bible places the declaration of Jesus' sonship at the resurrection. In Acts 13:33, Paul quotes Psalm 2:7 — 'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee' — and applies it to God having 'raised up Jesus again.' The next verse adds that God raised Him 'from the dead, now no more to return to corruption' (Acts 13:34). Paul then declares in Romans 1:3-4 that Jesus Christ, 'made of the seed of David according to the flesh,' was 'declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.' The resurrection, therefore, is the scriptural event of that declaration.
Les Feldick teaches that the 'begotten' of Psalm 2:7 points to the resurrection, not to Bethlehem. He says the phrase 'only begotten Son of God' is a reference to His resurrection, where Jesus 'became the truly, only begotten Son of God.' For Les, Romans 1:4 proves this: Jesus was 'declared to be the Son of God with power' by the resurrection from the dead. That is why Les puts the resurrection at the core of the gospel. He says a person who can believe Christ died but cannot accept that He was raised 'has nothing' and 'is totally lost.' The gospel Paul delivered is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures. We know Christ as the resurrected Lord, not merely as the One who lived a good earthly life.
Psalm 2:7 records the Father's decree, 'Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.' In Acts 13:33 Paul applies this decree to the resurrection: God 'hath raised up Jesus again.' Les Feldick teaches that the terminology of the 'only begotten Son of God' is not a reference to Bethlehem but to His resurrection — that when Jesus 'became the truly, only begotten Son of God' in resurrection power.
Romans 1:3-4 says Jesus was 'made of the seed of David according to the flesh,' but was 'declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.' Les repeatedly points to this verse, saying the resurrection is what proved His sonship. He calls it 'the power of resurrection,' the same power by which God works in salvation.
Les says that if we cannot accept that Christ was raised from the dead, we 'have nothing' and are 'totally lost,' because the resurrection is the very basis of His power. He defines resurrection as Christ rising into the eternal, never to die again — unlike Lazarus or the widow's son, who were merely brought back to life. The gospel, he says, is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures. We know the resurrected Christ, not just the Jesus of a good earthly life.
The Father's Decree
God the Father speaks the decree, 'Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee' (Psalm 2:7), and Les locks this in as the verse Paul quotes in Acts 13 when speaking of Jesus' resurrection.
Resurrection, Not Bethlehem
Les teaches that the 'only begotten Son' terminology is not a reference to Bethlehem but to the resurrection, when Jesus became the truly only begotten Son of God in resurrection power.
Declared Son of God
Les points to Romans 1:4 and asks 'What proved it? Resurrection from the dead,' declaring that the resurrection is the proof that Jesus is the Son of God.
Power of Resurrection
Les reads Romans 1:4 as showing that Jesus was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection, and he connects that same resurrection power to salvation.
Resurrection Defined
Les explains that resurrection is not merely being brought back to life, as with Lazarus, but rising from the dead into the eternal, never to die again.
Resurrection Is the Gospel
The gospel, for Les, is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures, culminating in the resurrection as He came forth in power.
The Resurrected Christ
Les says we know Jesus as the resurrected, glorified Lord who died for our sins, and that simple belief in His earthly goodness is not enough.
Sonship Alone Not Enough
Les says believing Jesus is the Son of God and Israel's Messiah is foundational but not enough in this age of grace; the cross and His shed blood are necessary.
Psalm 2:7: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
This is the decree God the Father makes concerning His Son, which Paul applies to the resurrection in Acts 13:33.
Acts 13:33: God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
This verse links the Psalm 2:7 decree of sonship to the raising of Jesus from the dead.
Acts 13:34: And as concerning that he hath raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
It clarifies that the resurrection is from the dead with no return to corruption, the event in which the sonship decree is fulfilled.
Romans 1:3: Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
This shows Jesus' human lineage from David, setting up the contrast with His declared sonship in the next verse.
Romans 1:4: And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
This is the key verse: the resurrection is the event by which Jesus is declared the Son of God in power.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The gospel includes Christ's death and resurrection; Les cites this in presenting the core of the gospel.
Les Feldick teaches that the scriptural phrase 'only begotten Son of God' is not a reference to Bethlehem but to the resurrection. He says that at the resurrection Jesus became the truly, only begotten Son of God in resurrection power. The Bible says He was 'declared' to be the Son of God by the resurrection (Romans 1:4).
Les says if a person can believe Christ died but cannot accept that He was raised from the dead, that person 'has nothing' and is 'totally lost.' The resurrection is the very basis of His power. Paul's gospel, as Les reads it, includes Christ's death, burial, and resurrection according to the Scriptures.
Les teaches that believing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, is foundational but by itself not enough in this age of grace. We must also believe that the Son of God went to the cross and shed His blood for sin.
Les defines resurrection as Christ rising from the dead into the eternal, never to die again. People like Lazarus and the widow's son were merely brought back to life and later died again; only Christ began resurrection.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "Only Begotten Son of God" Really Mean?