We the Church 7 - 1 Corinthians - Dealing with the Resurrection

Introduction

It almost unbelievable that in five short years the christians at Corinth began to doubt the resurrection. It’s a warning to us about letting philosophers of our age shape our thinking.

I Cor 15:12- 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” The word here “useless” or “vain” is empty. So either the tomb is empty or our faith is. There can’t just be forgiveness of sins, there has to be complete victory of sin and death. Otherwise more sacrifices would be required. Sin is dealt with at the cross but death is dealt with at the empty tomb.

1 Co 15:35-44 - Read

What happened to the church in Corinth that they were actually doubting the resurrection.

Again, probably the works of Plato that made a distinction between the spiritual and physical. In this Greek thought the body is unredeemable.

The Corinth Church was using their doubts of resurrection as an excuse to sin. It does’t matter what you do in the body because the body doesn’t matter. But if our current bodies are worth redemption and they will be literally resurrected, it changes present morals.

Why is it important to believe in a bodily resurrection?

Jesus was raised into a resurrected body. The tomb is empty. All the claims of 500 seeing Jesus at one time would be lies and there would be no victory in the physical, just spiritual.

Since He is the firstborn among many, our bodies will be resurrected to fulfill God’s plan on a new heaven and earth. A glorified, yet physical existence.

Without our full redemption of spirit, soul, and body the enemy wins at least in part with the body. I assure our enemy will win nothing over God’s plan to bring heaven to earth.

Dealing with the Resurrection

The Bodily Death

Death can only be defined in light of it’s partner sin and it’s opposite which is life. Sin is seeking life apart from God and the result is always death. Death is a separation from life and life is a person…

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

The ultimate goal of sin and death is to separate you from loved ones, but ultimately the greatest love one which is Christ. He is life and resurrection!

1 Co 15:25-26 “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Perhaps we have become to comfortable with death, it is the enemy. An enemy that is defeated but not destroyed. Which means we all must face it and be victorious.

1 Co 15:54-55 “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”  “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 

The Bodily Resurrection

1 Co 15:20-23 “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”

Jesus is the original prototype of a resurrected body. It is similar but far more glorious. It’s still a body but somehow sustained different.

Car Restoration - Original to Resto Mod - take a classic car and restore it not back to the original but a restoration with upgrades. We will have resto mod bodies. What is really cool is what our new bodies will run on..

1 Cor 15:44-46 “If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.”

The root word for the word “natural” or “unspiritual” is the greek word for the soul. In other words the truly unspiritual part of you is not your body but your un-sanctified soul that needs to be transformed by your spirit.

The fuel of the body now is the soul,. We are now run by our thoughts, attitudes, and desires of our souls that are not fully sanctified. We are constantly checking the octane levels of flesh vs spirit to see if we are motivated correctly.

The new body will be fueled by the spirit which is completely aligned with the will of our Father. A fuel that will keep the engine running forever.

The Resurrected Life Now

1 Co 15:32-34 “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.” Two quotes here..

“let us eat, drink for tomorrow we die.” Were chants of gladiators with no hope to really live past tomorrow in the arena. Paul is exploring here a life with not a resurrection belief. Without the continued hope of resurrection there is motivation for anything except present pleasures.

“Bad company corrupts good morals” is from a modern Greek poet, Menander. Paul is using this this popular quote to show the worst thing you can do for your morals is hang around people who don’t have the motivation of the resurrection.

If you believe you won’t die eternally, just temporally. It gives you the luxury of dying in your present to your own selfish and fleshly desires. Each time we deny ourselves and little more of the future resurrection life invades the present.

But not only the negative but the positive. If there is continuity between this body and the new one, this life and the next then somehow we have to believe that what we do in our present day lives will last.

“God will somehow take our prayers, our art, our love, our writings, our social service, our music, our honesty, our daily work, our pastoral care, our teaching and whole selves and weave its various strands into a glorious tapestry of his new creation.” (NT Wright - Paul for Everyone 1 Corinthians.)

Conclusion and Invitation

What is your theology of the resurrection. Do you believe Jesus’ literal body was raised from the dead and your’s will too one day? Do you believe since that is secure you have the freedom to die to yourselves today and live for eternity?

Jesus died and gave you the opportunity for the forgiveness of sins, but He didn’t stop there. He became victorious over death so you to could live a new life now and a resurrected life later.