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A
New Body
INTRODUCTION
There
is much discussion, questions and speculation among Christians regarding
the ‘coming age’ and not least among the various topics being
discussed, is this matter of the nature of our physical bodies; if indeed
we can speak of physical bodies. Paul
necessarily addressed this question and many others in his first letter to
the Corinthian church, a church in crisis on many fronts.
His comments on the nature of our future bodies however, were only
part of a much more important discussion, that of the resurrection of the
dead at the ‘Second Coming’ of Christ. The resurrection of the dead is
a consequent of the ‘Second Coming’ and should be considered in this
light. It is
the apostle's business in this chapter to assert and establish the
doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, which some of the Corinthians
had flatly denied, (1 Corinthians 15:12). It is
almost universally held among believers that there will be a Second Coming
of Christ and that this event will inaugurate the final phase of God’s
eternal program. Thus the Second Coming is the ‘door-way’ to all that
pertains to ‘last things’ and is the basis of the Christian’s hope.
There are many explicit and indirect statements to the certainty of this
event in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, more so in the New.
Also there might be some differences in beliefs among believers, relating
to the sequence of specific events but all hold that Jesus will eventually
return to the earth in bodily form. Many
of these statements were made by Jesus himself as in Matthew 24, where in
response to his disciples question of: Tell us, when shall these things
be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Jesus replied in part: then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they
shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory (verse 30). And
while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel; (Acts
1:10-11). Note,
the resurrection of Jesus was the signature event, the cardinal act;
God’s stamp of acceptance and approval of the redemption wrought by
Jesus’ death at Calvary. His resurrection is one of the basic planks of
Christianity, without which there would be no salvation for sinners. The
Corinthian church was plagued with many serious problems, which Paul
addressed, seemingly as if going down a list. As he neared the end of his
letter, questions about the resurrection comes to the fore; because among
the Corinthians more egregious errors, was a belief that there was to be
no bodily resurrection for believers. In
chapters 1 to 11 the Apostle Paul discussed at length the carnal things
that pervaded the church at Corinth.
These things ‘of the flesh’ were false, hurtful, and had caused
divisions among the congregation. They were discussed and apostolic
instructions given on how to eradicate these carnalities from their
prominent place in the life of the church. From
chapter 12 the Apostle then began to discuss the things that the Spirit of
God worked to bring about in the life of the believer.
In contrast to the carnalities, these were the
‘spiritualities’. Paul
began to deal with the matter of the indwelling of the Spirit which leads
the believer into exhibiting the life of Jesus and exalting and a
magnifying his glory. He
then went on to discuss the “gift of the Spirit”, which was given to
every believer, so that every believer had a personal ministry, and would
show the power of God in every individual life. The
Apostle then showed how the believer should exercise their “spiritual
gift” to help the world and each other and to show the special kind of
love that came with the possession of the Spirit. It is
in this context that the Apostle then turned to deal with the question of
the resurrection of the body and answer the desperate cry of many
including Mary Magdalene, who uttered her plaintive plea for help when she
found Jesus' body gone and the troubled Corinthian brethren, had raised. In
every age there have been people who have mocked at the spiritualities. In
the age of the Corinthians they had mocked that the Christian faith was
nothing but a dream, with unfounded hope based on wishful thinking.
The Corinthians church was therefore tempted to begin to enjoy
themselves now, in this life. Note
that they were not denying the overwhelming evidence, including the
testimony of living eyewitnesses, that Jesus was resurrected. They were
really denying that this resurrection meant that the body of Christians
would be resurrected also. This
was a capitulation to the commonly accepted philosophy of Plato in Greek
culture that the soul of man is immortal, but that the body of man is not
immortal. The body was really
only a prison for the spark of divinity in man, and thus the body and the
physical world only served to limit the soul. The body was therefore
essentially evil. Death was the only means for the soul to escape this
prison. At death the soul achieved immortality, since it was now free.
At that time the body, which had served its purpose, was no longer
needed, and that therefore was the end of the body. Logically
then, anyone who believed in this idea, would enjoy the life of the body
now, indulging in the benefits of power, pride, wealth and intellect.
The time to enjoy life was now and any ability or gifts one
possessed should be used to enjoy life now.
Note that it was therefore easy for a person, in focusing on the
things of the world, to then lose focus on what might happen after death. Note
that this viewpoint also denies that men depend on a personal God who has
created and sustained everything. There is therefore no need for a Saviour, for everybody ultimately becomes godlike on their own merits, or when a person got rid of their body, a good thing, “
limitless horizons beckon the once imprisoned soul to become like God
himself”. So
this philosophy told the Church that there was no need for a Mediator
between God and man, for man can make it by himself.
There was no need for repentance and faith.
The work of Christ was denied. Christ had simply donned what all
men do when they die, but in his case we saw it happen. There
was also the view of endless reincarnations, which would raise the level
of a person's consciousness and expand their spiritual authority. These
people would seek to become gods in their own right. This of course would
also deny the resurrection of the body. Much
of this is found in the New Age Movement and in the teaching up the cults. In
total opposition to these ideas of iniquity is the teaching of the Apostle
Paul, that the resurrection of the body is a fundamental and
non-negotiable tenet of the Christian faith, and that if there is no
resurrection of the body Christians are to be pitied, and their faith has
been in vain. We can
sum it up this way. We should
not think that this life is the only place we will enjoy bodily pleasures.
We do not need to feel cheated if we cannot indulge ourselves in
every bodily pleasure that life offers. The
greatest opportunity for the enjoyment of the body lies ahead.
At the resurrection we will have new bodies that will be able to
perfectly interact with our spirits and with the new creation so that they
will be perfect satisfaction and glory. We
will be so radically connected with Jesus Christ that the glorious beauty
of the flowers, the hearing of music, the engaging in conversation, the
delights of feeling, the new sensation when we touch things, the new
beauty in everything around us, the real beauty of the landscape and the
stars, the glory of being near to God, we give us exquisite ecstasy. When
we sit and talk with someone in a resurrection bodies we will experience a
bliss and a delightful sense of union beyond anything we can imagine.
We will be surrounded with a glow of such glory, that everything
will be worthwhile, and the difficulties of our present life will fade
into trivialities, and finally into oblivion. “God
has a purpose for the body, as well as the spirit and the soul.
These bodies shall be transformed and enhanced and enriched, and
all that they are able to do will be experienced to a greater degree than
ever in the life to come”. The
importance of the hereafter and the fate of both sinners and saved is of
critical importance. Nobody in their right mind should risk losing turning
their potential glory into an eternity of horror. In his
book called, The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis indicates the serious
importance of evangelism and of not thinking too much of our own potential
glory, warning us that we should be careful of how we treat each other in
our out of the body of Christ, saying “
It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses,
to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may
one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would strongly be
tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now
meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All
day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or the other of
these destinations. It is in
the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and
circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings
with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people.
You have never talked to a mere mortal”. Thus
in strong and emphatic language, Paul presented an iron-clad case for the
resurrection of Jesus and the future bodily resurrection of believers. It
is in the context of this discussion that he reveals the marvellous and
radical transformation that awaits our bodies at the ‘Second Coming’. Therefore
it is important to consider the ‘Second Coming’ as a backdrop to our
study of the resurrected body, since the instantaneous transformation of
our bodies will occur as part of that event. Corinth
was a profligate and vile city, nonetheless the Lord established a church
there. The popular culture of the city seemed to have had an overarching
influence on the converted Corinthians, manifested in such things as their
tolerance of sexual immorality and their inordinate fixation with sign
gifts, pride and oratory. The
spiritual condition of the church at Corinth was cause for alarm both to
the Apostle and to some members of that congregation, who felt it
necessary to appraise Paul of the situation and maybe seek his
intervention (1 Cor.1:11). False teachers, cliques and factionalism
were some of their problems and it is not hard to see how a corrupt
understanding of the facts of Christ’s bodily resurrection and
the future resurrection of the saints could lie at the root of some of
their other problems. Clearly the Corinthian brethren had been taught and at one time at least did believe the facts of the resurrection as taught by Paul and other apostles. We are told they did believe the Gospel and there is no Gospel without the bodily resurrection of Christ. Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which
also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By
which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain. 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: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of
the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at
once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are
fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
And last of all he was seen of me also……. Paul,
as was his practice, centred his arguments on the gospel that he and the
other Apostles proclaimed. There were to be no deviations or modifications
from its teachings. Citing it’s historical and prophetic moorings, Paul
ties the Second Coming with the attendant resurrection of the dead, to the
final phase of God’s design leading to the consummation of the age. Such
is the centrality of the resurrection to the Gospel that deviations
inevitably lead to a spate of other spiritual problems. Not to be lost in
all this, is the insidious work of false teachers in the Corinthian
church. They were the corrupting influence and purveyors of the errors
about the resurrection that inevitably spawned a raft of other problems
and heresies. In
today’s lesson, Paul concludes his discussion on the resurrection with a
theological argument and rationale for the future bodily resurrection of
believers that will happen at the Second Coming, with Jesus’ own
resurrection being the prototype of our own future resurrection. But
now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them
that slept (verse 20). The
apostle will make it his business to assert and establish the doctrine of
the BODILY resurrection of the dead, which some of the Corinthians flatly
denied, (vs. 12). THE TEXT Verses
1-11. In this
comprehensive study on the triumph of life and the certainty of
resurrection Paul states certain facts which are the foundation of
Christian faith. These truths, when we commit them to memory and hold onto
them will make us stand firm. Christ
died as promised, predicted, and anticipated, by the Scriptures, not
an accidental death, but though innocent, he died for our sins.
The Scriptures said Jesus would rise again from the dead on the
third day and so it happened. It was
required in a court of law that for proof there must be several witnesses,
but in this case there was not just several but 500 people, most of whom
were still alive. This was most powerful, direct, and unquestionable
eyewitness evidence. In addition he names several people to whom Jesus
appeared after his resurrection, and gives his own personal testimony to
the truth of the resurrection. This event changed his life dramatically
and empowered him to his remarkable missionary work. There was
preponderance of evidence. The
gospel therefore rests on unshakable facts.
The foundation is firm and cannot be successfully undermined. He
reiterated the role of Jesus’ bodily resurrection in the gospel message;
the same gospel through which the Corinthians had been saved and which
they believed. Verse
12-19. It
was one thing for
heathens and infidels to deny this truth but quite something else for
Christians, for whom the teaching of the gospel was instrumental in their
conversion. This was a grave error that threatened the very faith of the
Corinthians. (See
2 Tim. 2:17) Here
Paul refutes the error directly. If Christ has indeed risen from the dead,
an accepted fact to the Corinthians and just now proven again, how then
can anyone reason that there is no resurrection from the dead? To say that
there is no resurrection of the dead, and yet to affirm that Christ rose
from the dead, is a logical impossibility. If there is no resurrection of
the dead, then we must also conclude that Christ did not rise from the
dead either. Paul
then outlined the absurdities that must follow from their error: -the
preaching of the Apostles was useless, a waste of time. -the
Corinthians faith and all Christian faith was useless and futile. -the
Apostles were false witnesses of God, hypocrites, deceivers. -the
Corinthians and all Christians for that matter were still in their
sins. -Christians
who had died had actually perished. Death
had triumphed over our loved ones, and would triumph over us too. -If
Christ had not been raised, then Christians are pitiful, wretched people,
who would have to give up their beautiful dreams and go back to darkness,
grimness, and misery. They had set their hopes on something that never
occurred. Verse
20-28. Paul
now transforms the argument and takes away all the possibility of
emptiness. The assertion, “Christ has been raised from the
dead’ is Paul’s argument in these verses. This
is a truth he has already outlined (vs. 1-11) with historical
authentication. In the Old Testament, the “first fruits” were
the first offspring or crop to be obtained by the farmer and this was
proof that there was more to come. This ritual given to Israel in
Leviticus 23 commanded that on the Feast of Unleavened Bread which
followed the Passover, there would be an offering of the first fruits of
the barley harvest and Jews would bring a sheaf of grain to the Priest who
would wave it before the Lord. So Jesus is the “first fruits of those who are asleep”; meaning whatever happened to him is what awaits those who died trusting in Him. Thus Jesus’ resurrection is the prototype and proof that more resurrections will follow. One
writer comments on the necessity for bodily resurrections: How
do we know that Christ’s resurrection guarantees a resurrection for
others? The answer to this can be seen when one understands the unique
relationship, which exists between Adam and our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom
Paul later refers as the “first Adam” and the “last Adam” (15:45).
By his sin, Adam brought about death for himself and the whole human race.
Christ, by His righteous life, substitutionary death, burial, and
resurrection, brings about life for mankind. Adam brought death upon all
men; Christ will make men alive. As
some falsely taught (2 Timothy 2:18), this resurrection of men from the
dead has not already occurred but is yet to come. Christ’s resurrection
will actually bring about a sequence of resurrections, with the last and
final resurrection abolishing death altogether (verse 26). Everything must
occur in its proper order, as ordained by God (verse 23). Christ has
already risen from the dead, and His resurrection is but the first fruits
of the other resurrections yet to occur. The next resurrection mentioned
is that of those who have trusted in our Lord for salvation, which occurs
when He returns to this earth to defeat all His enemies and to establish
His rule over all the earth (verse 23). Then, finally, the last
resurrection will take place, the resurrection of the unbelieving dead. Note
that this resurrection of Jesus marks the first time that a human being
was resurrected from the dead, for this event is to be differentiated from
those who had previously being resuscitated.
They had come back to the same life they left. But
Jesus was resurrected to a totally different kind of life.
The Apostle Paul therefore tells us that Jesus’ resurrection
indicates the type of resurrection we will have, bringing us to a quality
and a dimension of life and existence which is much more marvellous and
higher than we can ever imagine. Now
note carefully that for real Christians Christ is the centre of
everything, and Christians are eternally dependent upon Jesus.
He is the first fruits of the resurrection and our
resurrection is in Him. Note
that any teaching which makes the resurrection lesser than it is, is a
direct and satanic attack on the central position of Christ in
Christianity. Because
he lives we will live. That
is all. Note
also we will be resurrected and his coming, when every eye shall see him,
and he will proceed to destroy the Antichrist and his cronies.
It will only be after his millennial reign of peace and
righteousness, and he has completed his work and subdued His enemies,
casting the Devil, Death and Hades into the Lake of Fire, that he will
then deliver the Kingdom back to his Father. Verse
29-34. Paul
further illustrated the contradiction inherent in the Corinthians
behaviour by their denial of a bodily resurrection. It
appears there were some misguided beliefs about baptism in Corinth. Some
might have regarded it as a sacrament and so there were vicarious baptisms
for people who had died. Paul wanted to know what was the point of this
practice, if these people would not be resurrected. Note
the comments of one writer “that the Apostle does not refer to this
proxy baptism as something that the Christians practiced, for he puts it
in the third person: “ Otherwise what do ‘ people’ mean (not what do
“ we” mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead), but what do “
they” mean, that is literally what he says. “ If the dead are not
raised at all, why are “ they” baptized on their behalf?
He returns to the first person in the next verse, so that it is
clear it is some practice that some people were engaged in that he does
not necessarily approve of or disapprove of.
He simply refers to it as a practice.” His
point certainly means that this practice motivated people powerfully to do
something on behalf of others. Whether
or not this practice made sense or was simple superstition, they believed
in it strongly and it led them to act to baptized themselves for others
because they apparently believed that one could not get to heaven unless they were baptized. Paul
does not argue that this behaviour was proof of the resurrection.
But he did now argue that His belief in the resurrection as taught
by Scripture also had a powerful motivating force which made him do things
to help others, and to be concerned with the salvation of others. On
a personal note, he asked why would he continually put himself in harm’s
way, risking his life daily for the sake of the gospel. It would have been foolhardy for him, unless of course there
is such a thing as the resurrection of the dead. Paul
here puts his finger on the Corinthians problem. They had been deceived
and this is why they had degenerated to the point where they could deny
even a fundamental a doctrine such as the resurrection of the dead.
Enamoured with their own conceit, they fell victim to a slew of errors
grounded in the flesh (chapters 1-6; 8-11). Not
surprising then at least to Paul, their doctrine had suffered in the
process. Paul
challenged the Corinthians to “sober up” and face up to their folly.
They needed to get their doctrine straight and then consistently
demonstrate their beliefs in godly behaviour. They needed to realize that
their false teachers had no knowledge of God and those they had led
astray, needed to admit their lack of knowledge, repent, and return to the
doctrine of the Apostles. Paul
was encouraged to endure tremendous suffering and physical affliction
because he believed that God raises the dead.
This belief should have the same impact on us. As
one writer puts it, we should consider
that: “The
resurrection is the ample recompense for all human suffering, no matter
how bad it may be.” Note
also what Paul says on the basis of this belief. We should reject this
idea of living it up, enjoying ourselves today, spending all the free time
we have on fun and pleasure, getting all we can now, and not bothering
with doing things for God. He
calls on the Corinthians and on us to be realistic, to move away from
deception, to stop running with people who are corrupt and full of
iniquity, who, though they might profess to know God, do not have any real
knowledge of God. We must stop sinning, and follow the path of righteousness and wisdom, knowing that we have the privilege of experiencing being in the presence and basking in the matchless glory of God. Verse
35-41. Apparently
the sceptics had been questioning the whole process of resurrection and
typical of unbelief, they implicitly denied the power of God. The
popularly held pagan belief that the body was inherently evil would also
raise questions about the very desirability of a bodily resurrection.
The
Greeks were teaching that it was an advantage to lose the body, the prison
house, which restricted and limited men.
It is not that the Greeks were against the idea of resurrection,
for they believed in a spiritual resurrection but for them a bodily
resurrection was undesirable. Remember
also that the Sadducees, the party of the rich and powerful political
leaders that controlled the priestly caste, believed that the resurrection
was impossible. It
is said that the ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died they
had a kind of strange life in the underworld but this was not very
enjoyable. Certainly there
was no coming back. Whenever they had a big banquet, they would carry a
wooden image of a man in a coffin around the table, thus telling people
that they should enjoy themselves now, because one day they'd be dead and
not able to enjoy life. Others
influenced by Oriental religions were teaching that many bodies were
needed in the process of salvation and that one had to live on earth many
times in many bodies before achieving the preferred status. Since
the Christian doctrine was that resurrection was not simply life after
death but continuation of life after death in glorified bodies, which were
transformed and glorified from our present bodies. Some of the Corinthians
were arguing that the resurrection of the dead that Christians taught was
impossible or undesirable. Paul
now had to answer both these
questions, “ How are the dead raised?, and “ With what kind of body
do they come?” Note
that this question raised about the resurrection demonstrates a lack of
faith and Paul treats it as such, calling on the brethren to display
courage in maintaining their convictions. Paul
reasoned from analogy, using these verses to set up his discourse on the
resurrected body. He employed the example of a seed that is planted (died)
and the plant (different life form) that emerges from that seed. So rather
than death being an insurmountable barrier to resurrection life, it is the
means to it. It is an essential and necessary part of the process. Look at
the farming cycle; every year seeds are sown in the soil to undergo the
process of “dying”, that is, they lose their consistency, so that
another kind of body which is still identified with the seed, new plants
can be produced through their “death.” When
a seed ‘ dies’ a body emerges that is different from the one that was
planted but there is an undeniable tie between what had gone into the
ground and the body that emerged. It
is not the same, but it is the “same” without being similar. This
answers the first question, for Paul points out that when men
die and are put in the ground, they will be resurrected or raised
as very different beings, not looking the same as when they were put in
the ground, but there is continuity and predictability, because God has so
established it. These new bodies will be fitted for a very different
environment of glory. Paul
makes the definite statement that resurrected bodies are directly given by
God. Paul
is careful to note that all bodies are not alike and that human bodies are
different from those of other life forms.
In addition this difference results from a difference of nature or
personality. Moreover
there are two main kind of bodies, ‘celestial bodies’ or ‘heavenly
bodies’, and ‘terrestrial bodies’ or earthly bodies each with their
own functions and glory, adapted to its own particular environment and
needs. Clearly then our resurrection bodies will be adapted to the
environment of eternity and the presence of God. Verse
42-43. The
resurrection of the dead is likened to the process where a sown seed
germinates and grows into a plant (vs. 36-38); such as an ugly looking
bulb is planted and flowers into a beautiful tulip. Importantly, the
transformation process produces a decidedly superior form than the seed
that was planted. The
seed decays (corruption) as part of the process but a continuity
and identity is maintained, despite the radically different life-form that
emerges; different seeds produce their own kind. The
Corinthians were careful not to ask if God could raise the dead and
restore their bodies but looked at resurrection as a purely natural
phenomenon and so Paul’s illustration in demonstrating ‘life from the
dead’ in purely natural terms is most apt. Given that the resurrection
and all it’s accompaniments are the direct work of God, any questions or
doubt about a bodily resurrection is in fact to doubt the power of God,
something the Corinthians would be reluctant to do. Paul
moves from the ‘possible’ to confidently assert the certainty of the
bodily resurrection. The
contrast between the natural body and the resurrected could not be more
striking; in fact the resurrected appears to be the exact opposite of all
that the natural body is. Regardless of how grand a funeral might be,
there is nothing very noble about the process of dying or about death
itself. For the Israelites, contact with a dead body made one unclean,
death was defiling. The new body however will be glorious, all the effects
of the curse removed, it will be like Jesus’ glorified body. There
are four contrasts between the present body and the resurrection body.
First, one is corruptible, constantly losing its ability to function,
perishing, decaying, gradually slowing down, while the other is
incorruptible, enduring, surviving, never decaying. While
lifelong decay accelerates exponentially at death, the new body will not
be subjected to disease, illness, decay or death (corruption). All the
present ills, aging, deterioration and limitations that afflict our bodies
are banished in the new body. The
present body is one of dishonour, that is groaning, subject to
embarrassing troubles and breakdowns, even in life smelly, so that one has
to bathe often and use deodorants, while in death it has to be buried
quickly or disposed of in haste. On
the other hand the resurrection body will always be cleaned and fragrant,
always fresh and functioning perfectly. The
present body is weak. One
tiny virus can strike out the strongest bodybuilder and the healthiest
person and end life. Man even
has to run away from animals and cannot face even a bear without weapons. Men might boast but human life is very fragile.
On the other hand, with the resurrection, it is raised in power meaning
it will no longer be liable to the frailties of mortal bodies. Verse
44. The
comparison is then made between the natural body as against the spiritual
body. Paul extends the agricultural metaphor of the seed (vs. 36-37) with
the word ‘sown’, also implying something will come from
whatever is ‘sown’. By
natural is meant all that is associated with our present bodies,
particularly in the physical realm: the senses, natural processes, growth,
aging, eating, sleep, motion etc. Note
that this body was first created and then to breath of life was put into
it. It was therefore designed
to function under the control of the will and the emotions, suited for
this kind of life on a earth, potentially subject to sin. The
Scriptures give limited information on the nature of the spiritual
body. But note that this new body will be joined into a spirit that had
been made right and perfect before and this new body will be able to
respond to this perfected spirit; souls made perfect. To
the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in
heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect,
Hebrews 12:23. So
while we do not know the exact nature, we know spiritual does not
mean we will be spirits, (John 20:26-27; 1 John 3:2). The ‘new body’
will be qualitatively different and in every way be of superior material
but clearly not subjected to the natural laws and processes associated
with our present bodies (natural). There
is a natural…This
is an assertion that Paul will develop in the coming verses and is tied to
man’s relationship to the “first Adam” and the “last Adam,”
Jesus Christ. Verse
45-46. Both
Adam and Jesus are presented in Scripture as unique representative of the
race and prototypes of the natural and spiritual bodies
respectively. One writer comments in part: The
origin, nature, and destiny of both the natural body and the spiritual
body can only be understood in terms of their relationship to the “first
Adam” and the “last Adam,” Jesus Christ. Verses 42-44 contrast the
nature of our earthly, physical bodies with that of our heavenly,
spiritual bodies. Verses 45-49 link our earthly bodies with the “first
Adam,” and our heavenly resurrection bodies with Jesus Christ, the
“last Adam.” This connection which we have with Adam and with Christ
is a crucial one. Both
the “first Adam” (the Adam of Genesis) and the “last Adam” were
men (this is the meaning of the word Adam) who were prototypes. The
actions of both men impact all men. How can the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ affect all men? The answer: The same way
Adam’s sin and death affected all men. The “first Adam” became a
living soul; the “last Adam” became a life-giving spirit. The “first
Adam” was a natural man; the “last Adam” became a spiritual man. The
“first Adam,” through his sin and death, brought sin into the world
and caused all men to be under the sentence of death. Jesus Christ, the
“last Adam,” through His righteousness, death, burial and
resurrection, has brought about resurrection for all men. It
is manifestly clear that there is a natural body; and with equal certainty
Paul declares there is a spiritual body. Though the physical
evidence is not nearly the same for both, based on revelation and his
apostolic authority, he makes the declaration. In
the broad sweep of the history of humanity regarding God’s dealing with
men, Adam and Jesus are uniquely the representatives of the race in a
fashion that cannot and will not be duplicated. Thus they are the ‘first
Adam’ and ‘last Adam’; meaning there can be no other who can
impact the destiny of man in the same way, one bequeathing death to the
race and the other bestowing life to men. A
quickening spirit….This
is consistent with what is taught of Jesus: For
as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have
life in himself;
John 5:26; In him was life, John 1:4.
So unlike Adam who was only a living soul, Jesus is one who actually gives
life to, he makes alive. According
to Paul, it follows logically then, that as our first state was like that
of Adam (natural Gen. 2:17) so our resurrected (last) state will be
spiritual, like that of the ‘last Adam’ Jesus. As is the
observed pattern, seed-time
precedes harvest,
the superior succeeds the inferior. The
best example of what a resurrection body will be like, is to look at what
Jesus’ post resurrection body was like. Note
that this flatly contradicts the Mormon doctrine that we were once spirit
beings who came to earth and became men.
God designed that the physical was first, and then came the
spiritual, with death being a
stop and a necessary part of the process of transition. Verse
47-49. Further
contrasts between Adam and Christ buttress the logic for the resurrection
and regarding Christ’ person, in line with what was said on him in the
scriptures, Old and New Testaments. Jesus
said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded
forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. John
8:42 And
he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this
world; I am not of this world. John
8:23. And
of Adam: And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in
his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: Gen.
5:3 And
the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen.
2:7. In
the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the
ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust
shalt thou return. Gen.
3:19. One
writer comments: As
certainly as people are like Adam and have the same physical nature that
Adam possessed, that certain are they to bear the image of Jesus Christ
and to possess, ultimately, exactly the same kind of spiritual body that
Jesus displayed after the resurrection. A little is known of Jesus' body
after the resurrection, despite the fact that it is but LITTLE: (1) He had
flesh and bones. (2) He could appear and disappear at will through closed
or locked doors. (3) He could ascend or descend. (4) He could vanish out
of sight. (5) He could even change his appearance (Mark 16:12). (6) He
could be recognized or not, at will. (7) He was not merely a spirit (Luke
24:39). By the words of this clause, Paul clearly stated that just as our
physical bodies are like that of Adam, our spiritual bodies shall be like
that of Christ. Significant also is the fact that Christ was the same
person after the resurrection as he was before, indicating that there
shall be no loss of personality in the resurrection state. Verse
50. This
statement wraps up the foregoing. It is for this reason that there must be
new and different bodies. The eternal state is pristine, incorruptible and
imperishable; clearly our present frail, sick and decaying bodies could
not be admitted to such an environment. We are not told why but the
absurdity of natural men as we are living in such an environment is
apparent. Our mortal bodies are just not suited for the Kingdom and must
undergo a radical change and un-natural change that only God could effect. Flesh
and blood refers
to men (mankind), and in this context it refers to the natural human body. The Christian’s place in God’s eternal kingdom is sometimes said to be an inheritance, 1 Peter 1:4; Rom. 8:17. Verse
51. Paul
here addressed an issue not previous discussed. This
was likely an answer to what would happen to believers that are alive at
the time of the second advent. Mystery…
does not refer to something mysterious or hard to understand but means a
truth which human perception, human sense or scientific investigation
would never discover, for this is something that would only be understood
by the spiritual.
The word here does not have the typical meaning.
This kind of knowledge comes only by revelation from God himself. We…refers
to all Christians in all ages and not just to Paul and those of his day.
Some have interpreted this passage to mean Paul expected Christ to return
in his Paul’s lifetime. Apparently some in Thessalonica had been under
this impression, however Paul set them straight in his second letter, (2
Thes.2). …..not
all sleep…All the saints would not die but would experience a
radical change as discussed earlier. (see
John11:11, 13 for a similar use of sleep.) Verse
52-53. The
resurrection of the dead is a truth that was revealed in the Old Testament
(see Job 19:25-27; Psalm 73:23-24; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:1-2). What was
not so clearly revealed was the transformation of those who are alive at
the time of Christ’s return. This is what Paul calls a mystery. A
massive trumpet blast (Matt.24:31; 1 Thes.4:16) will signal the opening
act of the ‘Second Coming’ drama and instantaneously, in the
twinkling of an eye; simultaneously, the bodies of those saints alive
at the time will be changed and those dead and buried will be resurrected,
both groups in glorified new bodies like that of the Descending King. One
writer notes: There
will be no one waiting in line for this change! There
is much speculation as to when this last trump is.
Some believe it is at the last trumpet of judgment in Revelation
11:15-19, while others believe it is not this one but a different last
trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4:16. These
distinctions revolve around whether the first resurrection of Revelation
20:5-6 is an ‘event’ or ‘a class of people’.
Some also like to distinguish between the trumpet of an angel and
the trumpet of God. The
fact is that the trumpet will sound and resurrection will and must happen.
This truth should never be forgotten. The
change and obvious need (verse 50) for such a change is again mentioned in
this verse. Corruption and mortality will give way to in-corruption and
immortality. Verse
54. The
resurrection of the dead and transformation of those alive will signal the
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and underline another accomplishment
of Jesus’ death on the cross, the defeat of death itself. Death, which
has held men in fear and captivity since Adam, will be abolished at
Jesus’ Second Coming. Here
Paul has in mind the prophecy of Isaiah 25:6-8 And
in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of
fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of
wines on the lees well refined. And
he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all
people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. Speaking
of the restoration of Israel at the institution of the Kingdom of God,
brought about at the return of Messiah, Isaiah described the kingdom as a
lavish banquet set before the people of God. There
is however the continuing and strong belief in many quarters that the
celebration banquet of Messiah will be a literal one which will take place
on earth. A spiritualized
meaning, as well as the idea that this banquet will be held in heaven is
thereby rejected. Many
believe the veil and covering of verse seven are allusions
to a shroud, like that which is put over a dead body. If so, this is a
symbolic way of saying what will be clearly stated in verse 8, that God is
going to swallow up death by His victory. Paul employs the same language
to show that the resurrection and transformation of bodies is the event
that abolishes death according to Isaiah’s prophecy. Note,
Jesus does not abolish death at his ‘Second Coming’ but its effect are
so muted that when anyone dies during the Millennial reign of Christ at
age one hundred it would be considered as a baby dying. At the Coming the
bodies are not only resurrected but in a glorified new state and are no
longer liable to death or its precursors. Verse
55. Here
we have a reference to Hosea 13:14. I
will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from
death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction:
repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Isaiah’s
prophecy and his own revelation indicates Jesus’ victory will mean the
defeat and complete eradication of death as a reality and threat to
humanity and so the Apostle uses a near quote of Hosea to strike a
triumphant note on behalf of the people of God. When
one considers the tyranny, inevitability, pain, grief and sorrow wrought
by death on all humanity, it is hard to resist a shout of triumph at its
demise. Our Lord has rendered death more than impotent and since the dead are to rise; since all the graves are to give up their contents and since no man will die after that, the question can rightly be asked: where is thy victory? Verse
56. Death
and sin have been inextricably linked in a cause and effect relationship
since Eden. Jesus will
eventually banish death from creation but the groundwork for its
destruction lay in His sacrificial death for the sins of His people. Death
is the ultimate manifestation of sin (Rom.5:12), the ‘big blow’, the
payoff! Jesus has dealt with sin and death in one fell swoop at Calvary. Everyone
fears death because by ourselves we cannot control it or be delivered from
it. The
good news is however that there is a way that the power of sin can be
broken. The law has laid down
the penalty for sin, and it is death.
The only way to escape the penalty of the law is by living through
our Lord Jesus Christ. We
can try to deny our sinfulness and rationalize our weakness, or learn how
to manage sin and its consequences. In
both cases we remain under guilt, and we will never be able to escape
physical death and spiritual death. God
has revealed the law through his word and it is consistent, demanding and
has great purpose. The
purpose is to point us to Christ, who as Hebrews 2:14-15 advise has
provided the way of escape from the sting of death, and the penalty of sin
that the law contains. If
we try to meet the demands of the law by ourselves we will never
succeeded. We can only escape
by experiencing the ‘New Birth’, for then we will have the law written
on our hearts and we will have the Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, and
intercede for us. We
then live and confess the sins that we do, so that the blood of Christ
will keep on cleansing us from our sins. Let
us not fool ourselves by thinking that we can continue in sin that
grace may abound. As
new creatures, we should not violate the Commandments of God which have
been written down for us and which the law declares. These laws are written on our hearts and the Spirit must not
be grieved. If we love Jesus
we must keep all his Commandments. We
cannot be disobedient to the Word of God and create our own way of life.
The law represents a boundary that we should never cross. The
strength of sin…God
gave the Law which is holy and righteous and good (Rom.7:12),
nonetheless because sin is a violation of the Law, sin can only exist
against the background of the Law. Here
again sin is emasculated, as the One that kept the Law perfectly has made
the efficacious sacrifice for the sins of his people thereby nullifying
the rigor the Law gave to sin and it’s ability to condemn believers.
Let us therefore behave appropriately and not give way to the
desires of the flesh and make excuses for doing the many things of the
flesh that we follow. Unfortunately
all of us believers treat this matter casually and routinely go against
the word of God, living in an unholy fashion. Wherefore,
my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ;
that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the
dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. (Rom.
7:4) Verse
57. Us…meaning
all his people, we have the victory over sin, death and the grave;
accomplished through the sacrificial and vicarious death of our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ. We
gave thanks, worship and praise to God because we have been given to
victory of the resurrection. Note
that the phrase is in the present tense. He ‘ gives’, or keeps on
giving us victory, for we are no longer in bondage but live in Christ with
all his resources. We have
full assurance of salvation and then live life to the fullest, our
activity always abounding in the work of the Lord. There
is no need to fear death, have it drive us, worry us, haunt us, for we
have life in Jesus and can celebrate continually.
Nothing we do for God is in vain.
We can work for the Lord knowing that everything we do counts right
now. We are therefore
unmovable and steadfast. CONCLUSION Let
us all remember that something fantastic has already happened to those who
know Jesus Christ. We are
guaranteed that the day will come when we shall all be changed, becoming
radiant, spectacular. All
Christians should be Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus
2:13). All
Christians should be eager in anticipation of our new body, for as we live
this hope is a source of purification in this present life. Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall
see him as he is. And
every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
1 John
3:2-3. Paul
as was his custom, reverted to the gospel as the starting point and
standard for all Christian teaching and practice, to reinforce the vital
role, which the resurrection of our Lord plays in our salvation and
Christian life. This is an example for as we endeavour to live out and
teach the word of God to others. Suffering
for Christ, and taking up our cross in this life, makes perfect sense if
there is a new body and crown awaiting us after the resurrection. Paul’s
belief in the resurrection inspired and enabled him to live as he did
(Philippians 1:12-26; 3:7-14), may we be no less willing to live
sacrificially for Jesus.
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