Resurrection
"But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved usso that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Titus 3: 4,7
This morning we come to the last in our series on the basics of the Gospel from Titus chapter 3 and our topic is Resurrection, the resurrection of believers, as we are thinking about the hope of eternal life we have in Christ Jesus, our resurrection on the day when Christ returns. And we're going to be looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Introduction Is there any sure and certain hope? Is there a future hope? Is there any point in worshipping and serving the Lord here this morning? No! Not if Christ has not been raised. BUT Christ has been raised. So yes there is forgiveness and eternal life, hope now and in the future. Those who die in the faith will be raised to eternal life in glory. Those who are in Christ will be transformed and live with God forever in heaven. Do we share in that hope? Do we have hope or do we just have fears? If the newspapers and other forms of media are to be believed there isn't much hope and we should all be fearing both an anthrax attack from Saddam Hussein and an asteroid which might hit the earth in 30 years time. Many people have hopes for their children's future but also fears for their children growing up in a world where 11 and 13 year olds walk into a school and gun down 4 classmates and a teacher as happened last week in Arkansas. Many people feel there is no hope of permanent employment again and they fear for the future. Perhaps you're feeling hopeless and fearful as you face an illness or as you come to terms with loss. Sadly some feel there is no hope and want to die while others fear death and put their hope in medicine and even in the science of immortality. And therein lies the key. Where is your hope? What do you put your hope in? If it's in this world, in the lottery or in Newcastle United getting to Wembley, in science and in the human race then there is nothing sure and certain apart from death and there is no future hope for the sinful human race without Christ. But in Christ and with Christ we are heirs and have the sure and certain hope of eternal life. There is hope if we're Christians because of what God our Saviour has done for us. As we've been learning throughout this series because of His mercy He saved us: we've been redeemed by the blood of Christ, we've been born again by the Holy Spirit, we've been justified by His grace and adopted as His sons if we've put our faith in Jesus Christ. And so we have eternal life, the fullness of which we will have when Christ returns to judge the world. Our inheritance which we by grace share with Christ. As Romans 8:17 puts it:
"If we are God's children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.
Yes sometimes our Christian life will not be easy and we have to be prepared for that and be willing to take up our cross daily - but we have a sure hope to hold onto. Peter picks this theme up in his first letter when he writes:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for youIn this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials"(1 Peter 1:3-4,6).
Believers have a living hope in spite of present suffering and trials and even death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead which secures their new birth and the hope that they will be resurrected just as He was. So let's now look at the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of believers, of our resurrection (unless Christ returns before we die in which case we will be transformed) by studying 1 Corinthians 15 under three headings: First, THE BASIS OF OUR RESURRECTION (vv.1-11); Secondly, THE FACT OF OUR RESURRECTION (vv.12-34); and Thirdly, THE NATURE OF OUR RESURRECTION (vv.35-58). Many people today struggle to accept the physical bodily resurrection of Jesus. That is true of some bishops and clergy who teach a spiritual resurrection which doesn't need an empty tomb as well as of non church - goers. There is confusion too over what happens when we die, even when we die in the faith of Christ and what exactly our hope as believers is. Some believe that our future hope as Christians is all in this life - here is heaven or hell. This is perhaps not surprising when they have a wrong view of the resurrection of Jesus. While outside the church there is a growing belief in reincarnation. Some were confused in the church at Corinth too even though they had believed in the resurrection of Christ. Some were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead (v.12). To Paul the issue at Corinth was clear: "Given that you believed in the resurrection of Christ (vv.1-2,11), how is it that some of you are denying the future bodily resurrection of believers?" (Fee, p.713) There were probably 2 major reasons for this. 1stly a false theology had developed at Corinth which denied the value of the body and which was expressed in an overrealized or spiritualized eschatology. 2ndly the Corinthians misunderstood what the resurrection of the dead actually meant - they thought that it meant reanimation. So Paul tackles these and other issues in this great chapter and starts at the beginning by re-establishing his and their commonly held ground, that Christ was raised from the dead which is the basis of the resurrection of believers. So first, THE BASIS OF OUR RESURRECTION vv.1-11
the basis of the resurrection of believers namely the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In these verses Paul clearly lays down "the commonly held ground from which he will argue against their assertion that there is no resurrection of the dead" (Fee, p.718). Look at vv.1 & 11. The Corinthians had received, believed and taken a stand on the gospel which Paul had preached to them. Now he wants to remind them of the gospel they had believed so that they will hold firmly to it and not put their existence as believers at stake (v.2). He wanted to remind them of the objective reality of both the death and bodily resurrection of Christ and he does so in vv.3-8. This was no spiritual resurrection. Look at vv. 3-8. First Paul stresses the heart of the gospel and its objective reality. He passed on to them what he had received as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried (which was confirmation that he had really died) and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, again emphasising the bodily resurrection of the dead Jesus. Then in vv. 5-7 with the list of resurrection appearances Paul again emphasises the objective reality of Christ's resurrection. Peter, then the Twelve, then 500 at the same time, then James and then the apostles all saw the resurrected Christ as lastly did he himself. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that the resurrection of Jesus, which they believed, had objective reality, Jesus' resurrection was a bodily resurrection. It wasn't just him telling them so from only his own experience. Perhaps some of you here this morning are not sure what you believe about the resurrection of Christ. The evidence for the bodily resurrection is great and compelling - so many eye witnesses saw Jesus walking, talking and eating after he had died and risen. It's worth commenting at this point that, "in
today's church many claim to be believers who deny what for Paul was the same as denying the faith itself. Such a denial meant to believe in vain. It was the Resurrection after all that made it possible for them to say, "Christ died for our sins." And it was the Resurrection, as Paul will go on to argue in vv.20-28, that guarantees our own future as the people of God. To deny the objective reality of Christ's resurrection is to have a faith considerably different from Paul's. One wonders whether such faith is still the Christian faith." (Fee p. 737)
We who are believers are called to proclaim the Resurrection of Christ with conviction of its reality and significance. That will also lead to the proclamation of the gospel - the good news that through Christ's death and resurrection we might have forgiveness, a relationship with God and a sure hope for the future. The basis of our resurrection on the last day is the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus as we shall see more forcibly in the next section. As Prior puts it, "If God raised Jesus from the dead, He will also raise all those in Jesus." So. Secondly, THE FACT OF OUR RESURRECTION vv. 12-34
the fact of the resurrection of believers
Paul now answers the main issue at Corinth by showing how illogical their position was and then emphatically states the certainty of the resurrection of believers. Look firstly at vv12-19. Some at Corinth were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead - that there is no bodily resurrection. So Paul shows them the logical conclusions of what they were saying - vv. 13-19. If there's no resurrection of the dead then Christ himself has not been raised, v.13. And if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless, v.14; our faith is useless, v.14; we are false witnesses about God, v.15; our faith is futile, v.17; we are still in our sins, v.17 and therefore still carry the guilt and condemnation of sin; those who have died in Christ are lost, v.18; and we are to be pitied who only for this life hope in Christ and put up with persecution and hardship for His sake, v.19. If some at Corinth were right that there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ was not raised and so we cease to exist as believers altogether and therefore there is no future hope of eternal life and no resurrection of believers. If we today deny the bodily resurrection of the dead and so the bodily resurrection of Christ then we are saying there is no Christianity. BUT, exclaims Paul - using one of the biggest buts in the Bible, v.20 "Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep". I.e. Christ, who has been raised, is the guarantee of the resurrection of all of God's people. (cf. 1Thess. 4:13-18) If we are in Christ then our resurrection is certain and our loved ones who have died in Christ have a sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life. Vv.21-23 - The resurrection of the dead comes through Christ, the second Adam, who was raised. All who are in Adam suffer death - even Christians die- but all who are in Christ will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits and then all whose faith is in Christ will be raised at the second coming. Again Jesus' resurrection is the pledge that ours will follow. So since Christ has been raised from the dead then God has set in motion the resurrection of all who are in Christ (vv.20-23) and thus the final destruction of death itself (vv.24-28). This destruction of death will happen at the end of the events of His second coming after Christ has destroyed all the dominion, authority and power of his enemies, when death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev.19&20). Then Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. We will be raised. Death will finally be destroyed. What tremendous news. Are you in Christ? And if you are surely this truth about the resurrection of Christ and our resurrection should impact our lives and the way we live now. As Fee puts it:
"The resurrection of Christ has determined our existence for all time and eternity. We don't merely live out our length of days and then have the hope of resurrection as an addendum. Rather Christ's resurrection has set in motion a chain of events that determine our present and future. Christ is the firstfruits of those who are His, who will be raised at His coming. That ought both to reform the way we live and worship." (p.760)
Whereas, as Paul argues in vv.29-34, if there is no resurrection, if we don't believe in the bodily resurrection of believers and therefore of Jesus, why should we live for Christ and suffer persecution? What we do with our bodies will have no bearing on our future. We might as well simply eat and drink for tomorrow we die. And of course there is a link between what people believe about the future and how they behave in the present. In the church false teaching about this crucial point of Christian theology is often accompanied by a lax attitude to Christian ethics. Christ has been raised bodily, so stop sinning, use your bodies today for the glory of God and live in the light of your glorious future and inheritance, to which we now turn in my final heading. So, thirdly, THE NATURE OF OUR RESURRECTION vv. 35-58
the nature of the resurrection of believers, not vv.35-58
Some at Corinth were asking, "But how are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" (v.35). With their Greek mindset they were struggling to come to terms with the bodily resurrection of believers. As we've already seen they considered this to be foul and impossible. "How foolish", says Paul. And he goes on to argue that resurrection is not reconstruction. At the resurrection God won't put together the pieces and return us to our former bodies. Yes, there will be continuity because its our body but there will also be transformation. Christ's resurrection was not reanimation but rather transformation of his physical body into a glorified body adapted to his present heavenly existence. So as with Christ our resurrected body will be the same but not the same. It will be this body but adapted to the new conditions of heavenly existence. Sown one way, it is raised another, but the same body is sown and raised. Furthermore v.50 "flesh and blood cannot inherit God's kingdom". The only way we can enjoy the glory of heaven is to have a body suited to that environment. Paul uses 3 analogies to clarify the nature of the resurrection body: seeds, fleshly beings, and heavenly bodies (vv. 37-41). From the seed analogy Paul argues that when you sow seed, you do not expect that same seed to come up at the harvest. The seed dies, but from that death comes life. From the fleshly beings analogy we can conclude that:
"If God is able to make different kinds of bodies for men, animals, birds and fish, why can He not make a different body for us at the resurrection?" (Wiersbe,p167)
And finally not only are there earthly bodies, but there are also heavenly bodies; and they differ from one another. Also the heavenly bodies differ from each other in glory. So what does Paul conclude from these analogies? Look at vv.42-44. At the resurrection God will take a perishable, dishonourable, weak and sinful natural body and make it an imperishable, glorious and powerful spiritual body. It will still be physical and organised similarly to our natural bodies but also radically different. As we've already said there will be continuity and change. What joy! In heaven with our changed imperishable bodies there will be no more decay or death. And what is more we shall be like Jesus (v.49). Now we have a natural body which we received through Adam but through the last Adam, through the death and resurrection of Christ we will be given a spiritual body, similar to the resurrected, glorified physical body of Jesus (44-49). The resurrection body will complete the work of redemption and gives to us the image of the Saviour! And so to the last few verses of ch.15, vv.50-58 as Paul concludes his argument. And what a tremendous few verses they are! He begins by stating that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. I.e. Those who are in Christ must have newly organised, imperishable bodies in order to live with God. He states that, as he does the rest of these verses, to counter the idea at Corinth that by the gifts of the Spirit and especially the manifestation of tongues, that they had already entered into spiritual existence. So it is vital that all believers bodies are transformed whether dead or alive at the second coming of Christ to enter their heavenly existence. "Listen", Paul goes on in v.51-53:
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- {52} in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. {53} For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
"So when Jesus returns, the bodies of living believers will instantly be transformed to be like his body, and the dead believers shall be raised with new glorified bodies" (Wiersbe, p.164).
And when the transformation does take place then vv.24-28 will be realised - death will not only be defeated but will be swallowed up in victory. "Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting?" (v.55) It was Sigmund Freud who wrote:
"And finally there is the painful riddle of death, for which no remedy at all has yet been found, nor probably ever will be".
Well he obviously had not read 1 Corinthians 15! Christians have victory in death and over death! Because of the victory of Jesus Christ in His own resurrection. Look at vv.56 & 57. Thanks be to God. He gives us the victory over the condemnation for sin that the law brought and over death and the grave, through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, v. 58, stand firm. Stand firm in the gospel. There is hope. We don't have to fear death. What we do for Christ here will not be in vain. Why? "Because of the assurance of Christ's victory over death. We can be steadfast in service, unmovable in suffering, abounding in ministry to others, for we know our labour is not in vain" (Wiersbe, p.165). Because of Christ's resurrection and the sure and certain hope of our resurrection to eternal life then we know that serving Him is not pointless, useless or hopeless.