Pastor Chris, a respected televangelist and global faith leader, unpacks the mystery of death and resurrection in Christian teaching.
A renowed nigerian pastor Chris Oyakhilome teaches on Christ’s death and what it means to be spiritually dead and risen with Him.
In one of his sermons, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome addressed a question that has puzzled many: Why did Jesus have to die? According to him, the answer is not found in reason or logic, but in the spirit. “
You cannot understand God in your head,” he said. “
You understand God in your spirit.”
For Oyakhilome, the death of Christ isn’t simply a historical event, but a spiritual reality that must be personally understood and experienced. He emphasizes that many of the world’s greatest minds have attempted to explain God through philosophy, but have fallen short. That’s because God reveals Himself through His Word, not through human reasoning.
In his teachings he addresses Christ’s sacrifice and the believer’s identification with that death. His explanation focuses less on emotional imagery and more on spiritual clarity. To him, understanding Christ’s death is foundational to living the Christian life.
Pastor Chris teaching: Beholding Yourself in the Son
A recurring phrase in Oyakhilome’s teaching is “
Behold you in the Son.” He connects this idea to the passage in James 1:23–25, which describes God’s Word as a mirror. Pastor Chris argues that Christ’s death is not just something to believe in: it’s something to see yourself in.
He teaches that Jesus didn’t die alone; the believer died with Him. “
When He died, you died,” he explains. “
When He was raised, you were raised with Him.” In this view, Christ’s death is not symbolic, it is participatory.
Every Christian must see themselves in that death in order to fully live in the resurrection.
According to Chris Oyakhilome, the “
dead in Christ” are not just those who have passed away. The phrase also refers to anyone who has surrendered their life to Jesus. Death in Christ means death to sin, fear, and spiritual blindness. It is a crossing over: from human limitation to divine life.
Christ's Death: Not Just History
For those unfamiliar with Christian theology, questions often arise: Why was Jesus born of a virgin? Why was His death necessary? Chris Oyakhilome addresses these questions by pointing directly to Scripture.
He teaches that the virgin birth was essential because Jesus could not inherit the sin nature passed through human blood. His birth was a divine interruption into human history. God entering the world through pure means to carry out a rescue mission.
And that rescue required death. According to Oyakhilome, Jesus’ death was not a tragic mistake but a divine strategy. He was the Lamb of God, a sacrificial offering for the sin of the world. Without the shedding of blood, there could be no redemption. This is the spiritual law that governed the entire Old Testament and was fulfilled in Christ.
God's Wisdom Beyond Human Logic
Pastor Chris often challenges his audience to look beyond their natural senses. “
Some things God does won’t appeal to your logic,” he says. “
But that doesn’t make them wrong.”
He points to stories in the Bible that seem harsh or difficult to explain. Like the stoning of Achan in the Old Testament. To the natural mind, these acts may appear cruel. But Oyakhilome insists that divine justice must be viewed through divine eyes.
That same logic applies to the crucifixion. Jesus, who lived without sin, was condemned to die. To many, this seems unjust. But in God's justice system, Jesus took the place of humanity.
His death wasn’t failure, it was substitution. And this is what opens the door to salvation.
Obedience and Freedom
Another key aspect of Pastor Chris’ teaching is the balance between freedom and obedience. He says that when someone receives Christ, they are both free and constrained. Free to love and serve, yet under divine instruction.
“
Christianity is not lawlessness,” he teaches. “
Even when you want to worship freely, God tells you how and when.” This obedience is not burdensome, according to Oyakhilome. It is the pathway to power and victory.
In his teaching on the dead in Christ, he emphasizes that believers are not just saved from something, they are rather saved for something. They are now part of a spiritual army, accountable to the voice of the Holy Spirit. They are under command, but joyfully so.
Looking Into the Law of Liberty
In the book of James, the Bible refers to the gospel as “
the perfect law of liberty.” Pastor Chris calls this the mirror that reveals who we really are. Just as a person forgets their face when they walk away from a mirror, so can a Christian forget their identity when they drift from the Word.
The only way to remember who you are, he says, is to keep looking into that mirror. And that mirror shows a man who died and rose again with Christ.
His explanation isn’t centered on physical death, but spiritual transformation. The death he speaks of is one that sets the stage for real life:
God’s kind of life.
Who Is Pastor Chris?
For readers unfamiliar with him,
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is a Nigerian Christian leader, author, and founder of Christ Embassy, also known as LoveWorld Incorporated. He began his ministry in the 1980s and has grown it into one of the most influential Christian networks globally.
Christ Embassy is known for its vibrant worship services, global television networks, and extensive publication outreach. The ministry operates in multiple countries and reaches millions through daily devotionals, including the well-known Rhapsody of Realities, authored by Oyakhilome.
LoveWorld also engages in youth empowerment, online streaming platforms, music production, and teaching conferences. Pastor Chris’ teachings are widely broadcast via satellite, apps, and digital media. His messages often focus on spiritual growth, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the believer’s identity in Christ.
Christ Embassy and the Message of Resurrection
One of the distinguishing features of
Christ Embassy is its strong focus on the resurrection life. Pastor Chris teaches that the believer is not just forgiven, they are re-created.
This message draws directly from the belief that
Christ’s death was not the end, but the beginning of something entirely new. The old nature is dead. A new life has begun. “
You are not just a saved sinner,” he teaches. “
You are born of God.”
In this context, death is not feared—it is embraced as the doorway into eternal life. That message continues to shape how Christ Embassy trains its members, conducts its outreach, and teaches its doctrine.
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