The Nature of the Resurrected Body

Intro

Good morning and welcome everyone again to Iglesia Bautista Horeb. We thank you so much for joining us this morning as we continue to explore the resurrection of Jesus and what that means for us today. Please open your bibles to 1 Corinthians 15:12.

There was a video my brother in law sent me recently and they told this story:

There was a grandmother who asked her grandchildren what they new about Easter and they spent their time talking about the bunny and eggs and surprises and nothing about Jesus himself. She went to her son and asked why didn’t know anything about Jesus. He responded that it was because they thought the concept was too big for them to understand. The grandmother then took it upon herself to teach them about Jesus and his resurrection story and they started asking, so he’s a zombie, why did it take him so long to turn and a bunch of other zombie related questions. And grandma gave up and went to her son and told him, I see what you mean.

Two thoughts came to me hearing that story. People thought it was cute, but I thought, how do those kids understand more about zombies and how that works than Jesus and his resurrection. Then I thought, how about us? How much do we know and understand about the resurrection and what that means for us.

Context

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 ESV

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Just to Lay some ground work on original intent. How many were here two Wednesdays ago? Well, you can consider this as a review. One of the first things to consider is that this treatment of the resurrection is believed to be one of the earliest written accounts of the resurrection. And it is also one of the fullest and most important treatments of the resurrection of the dead.

This letter is believed to move between response and instruction. Meaning this, that some of the writing in this letter is a response to a letter he had recieved and some of it came to mind in the moment. It is believed that this portion is a response to something that had been wrtitten to Paul.

1 Corinthians Chapter 9: The Resurrection of the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:1–58)

The Greeks found the resurrection of dead bodies inconceivable, and it is not surprising that they ridiculed Paul’s proclamation of it in Athens (Acts 17:32). Greek philosophy taught the immortality of the soul; but the body, being matter, was considered evil.

This something we had talked about about a year ago when we had our series in 1 John, Stoicism and epicureans had a philosophy which lead them to believe that the physical realm, and all that was in it was evil. And there were some in Paul’s time, and if we’re honest some christians now, that believed this philosophy. Which is why paul spends his time as we learned last week that this is the linch pin of our faith. so much so that he goes to extent of saying that if this is not true, we are blaspheming against God and our faith is in vain. Cutting deep.

He establishes this importance separating the christian faith from the philosophies at that time.

Let’s head back to our text in v.20

First Fruits

1 Corinthians 15:20–26 ESV

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Here we’re able to see an idea of federal headship. To the Corinthians, and to pretty much anyone in that time, this idea would’ve been well known or at least common practice. I would us that are a bit more removed from kingships and representative battle it isn’t as quick to sink in. The king wasn’t simply a decision maker or a ruler, but a representative for his people. So, his choices were their choices. His wins were theirs and his losses were theirs.

One way to think of this is when david killed goliath. That was a moment of representative battle. We’ll put our strongest against your strongest and whoever’s guy is still standing they win the war. It was a great way to keep casualties down. Another way to think about it how we sports people talk. A casual fan will say that a team won or lost, but when they are a real fan of the team what do they say? We won, we lost, we sold this player, we bought this player, so on…The team is an extension and representative for this person.

So when someone asks why does all humanity suffer cause of one man, here you have that explanation. when it came to the original covenant with God of don’t eat this fruit and inherrit eternal life, Adam represented all of humanity that was to come as well as himself, he was the federal head of all humanity. This is where we see the beauty of the grace of God.

1 Corinthians 15:21 ESV

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

He gave us a new covenant representative in Jesus. How do we subscribe to this new covenant? By faith!!!! In Verse 45 which we’ll read in a bit

1 Corinthians 2. Nature of the Resurrection Body (15:35–49)

Paul quotes a passage that represents Adam as having been created a “living soul”; he became a psyche and had a body adapted to it. He was created for an existence on this earth and was given a body suitable for such existence. The last Adam (Christ) became “a life-giving spirit.” Christ is the “last Adam” because He is the second representative Man, of whom Adam is said elsewhere to be the type or pattern (Rom. 5:14).

Deuteronomy 7:9 ESV

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,

If that isn’t hope than what is?

1 Corinthians 15:35–49 ESV

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

I’m gonna break this up into a few points

Yes, Paul names the person that questions the resurrection and the possibility thereof a fool. So for all those who think that you automatically have to be the nicest person in the world when you because a christian, it’s verses like these that remind people like me that are a bit rough around the edges that it’s okay, just don’t leave the comment there, though this isn’t the point.

Paul then gives them great illustrations. Just recently my daughter was learning about plants in her preschool and she came home teaching me what she learned from it. she showed me all the different ways a plant grows and the different stages it passes. Here paul uses plant growth and the difference in bodies two prove two points.

The God who designed and gives life to a lifeless seed sown in death, does so to the believer and resurrects them spiritually and in the future, physically.

Paul also shows that God is capable of making different kinds of bodies, like the different animals and celestial bodies across the galaxies.

1 Corinthians 2. Nature of the Resurrection Body (15:35–49)

From this it is to be inferred that the resurrection body, though having some sort of continuity with the present body, will be different from it. Finally, verse 38 sums up the principal teaching of this section: the resurrection body will be the body God is pleased to give us; just as He gives to each seed (think of it!) a body of its own, He will give to each believing person a body suitable for his or her redeemed self.

How many here and online have aches, pains, sadness? Maybe some are clinically depressed. There’s a history of clinical depression and other mental health disorders in my family, caused in part by trauma and as a result a physical disregulation. I look at my last remaining grandma and fell her pain in my bones. Suffering from athritis, weakness, depression and an overall exhaustion. Wanna know the trippiest part? When I speak to her about God there’s a hope that arises in her being that reminds her that her station here, will not be her station in glory. And we don’t even talk about the resurrection to come. Just talking about God in general, stirs her soul to remember her maker and his faithfulness to his promises. This stirs hope in her.

As it should for us. I spent this time revealing evidences in scripture to give you the foundation to experience the same hope. The hope that Christ lived, died a sacrificial death and that he actually resurrected and that we, like him will resurrect on the last day. Not by our works but by the creative work of God, our creator. A hope that God will give us a body that will last for all eternity, physical yet spiritual and not deteriorating. From something Earthly and perishable to something glorified and imperishable.

In verses 47-49 we see that we will inherit a resurrection body like the one Christ has! For those of us that experience aches and pains, this should be an encouragement. He let people poke his side and the piercings in hie wrists and he didn’t flinch. In this life we will suffer, but we are not alone in our suffering. Hebrews tells us that Christ suffered like we do. and 2 Corinthians we read that God comforts us in all of our afflictions. Brothers and sister we are not alone in our suffeering and this suffering is not eternal. We will be resurrected on the last day from this perishable life and body to an imperishable life and body. Our physical bodies will finally match our eternal spiritual state in Christ!!

1 Peter 5:10 ESV

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.