Apostles Creed #12

You’ve probably read a book, watched a movie, or even thought to yourself while sitting in the middle of math class, “There’s got to be more to life than this.” Meaning, there’s got to be something more significant an meaningful to this thing call life than what I’m doing right now. However, what I want you to ask today is, “Is there more to this than life?” Now, what I mean when I ask that is is there more to our existence than what we’re living in right now? Is there something eternal?

You see, in the early church, this creed included the resurrection of the dead part. But the portion that speak about everlasting life wasn’t added until a little bit later on. Apparently, there were concerns floating around the church that yes, they believed that these bodies would be brought from the dead again, but would that mean they would simply die again like Lazarus did? They were asking the question of whether or not there more to this thing that this life that is so fragile that it cannot escape the reality of death.

Now, why should we even care about this at all? The reason that this is such an important doctrine is that, according to Paul, if we are in Christ, we will be raise again, but also, if we don’t have this doctrine we are misguided. He says this in 1 Corinthians 15:32

1 Corinthians 15:32 NKJV

32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

So, the doctrine of resurrection and eternal life are a compass for the believer, an assurance to the believer, a source of strength in the face of agony for the believer. The statement “and life everlasting” was added as a source of comfort and assurance to doubting and struggling with the thoughts of being resurrected to merely suffer and die again. This may sound weird to us, but this makes more since as we understand our first point which is

Christianity and Pagan Thought

The thought of life after death is not something that only belongs to Christians, as a matter of fact, even the Greek philosophers Plato and Socrates thought that there was life after death. However, these thinkers believed that while their souls would life on forever, their bodies would die forever and they would go on to be eternally free from them. This led to teachings that the suffering or death of the body is a good thing and that when it dies the soul is free from its prison. The Gnostics, who the New Testament wages war on, taught that the soul lived forever, but it was a spark of divinity trapped within these fleshly prisons we call bodies. And one man named Marcion in history, taught that “life eternal” was the soul being freed from the bondage of the material world that God created.

So, I think a good question for you to ask yourself right now is if you’ve fallen into those sort of beliefs? I know I did early in my Christian life because much of the preaching I heard made it seem that these bodies were insignificant and that the physical world didn’t matter but the only thing that mattered was spiritual. However, this is not the position of the Christian faith.

The difference between the Christian position and the worlds position here is that we believe that eternal life is a gift given to us by God and that God’s final purpose, when everything is said and done, includes both the spiritual and physical worlds. This is what the Apostle Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15:20-26

1 Corinthians 15:20–26 NKJV

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

Later on he says this in 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

1 Corinthians 15:51–58 NKJV

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

What Paul is teaching us here is that there will come a day when Christ will return and all the dead will rise again, their souls will be reunited with their bodies and we, who are in Christ, will put on incorruption, we will be given the fullness of that eternal life that we have longed for and we will never die again.

Justo Gonzales wrote, “The difference [between life and everlasting life] is in the joy and the continuous blessedness of that future life in contrast with the constant struggle, pains, and tragedies of the present one” (Apostles Creed, 88).

He goes on to quote Augustine who said, “Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (Apostles Creed, 88).

So, this resurrection life isn’t merely a spiritual, floating, idea but it is the teaching that these very bodies will one day rise from the dead and will be totally free from all sin and misery and that we will enjoy true, pure happiness which is found in the everlasting enjoyment of the presence and glory of God.

Resurrection and the OT

In 1 Kings 17:17-22, there is a widow who’s son dies in Zarephath and while she is mourning, the prophet Elijah appears and God uses him to bring the boy back from the dead.

In 2 Kings 4:18-37, there is a Shunammite woman who’s son died from a head injury and so she takes his body to Elisha and he is used to bring the boy back to life.

Another example is found in 2 Kings 13:20 where a dead man is thrown into a grave where Elisha’s bones are and miraculously the man is brought back to life.

Now, what’s interesting here is that in the life of Jesus there are three resurrections as well. In Mark 5, Jesus raised a young girl to life. In Luke 7, Jesus raised a widow’s son back to life. And in John 11, Jesus called Lazarus from his tomb.

What’s even more interesting is that the language and actions of Jesus and the Prophets in the Old Testament tie these events together and point to Jesus being the greater Prophet. Jesus Himself claimed to be the resurrection and the life, so much so that when Elisha died, he wasn’t brought back. But when Jesus died, He rose again from the dead.

We also see resurrection in Hosea 13:14

Hosea 13:14 NKJV

14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes.

Paul quotes this passage in 1 Corinthians, but here the prophet is making fun of death and claiming that God’s sovereign control over death is sure and that He will redeem His people from it.

Another place we see it is in Ezekiel 37 where Ezekiel comes across a valley of dry bones to which God uses him to prophesy over them and they are brought back to life from the dead.

Application

This teaches us to see God’s active role in our Christian hope.

Bodies don’t just rise from the dead, it’s not natural. But it is supernatural. This doctrine teaches us to see that God is active and invested in the life, deaths and resurrection of His people and that He really will never leave us or forsake us.

It changes how we see the physical world.