1 Cor. 15:35-49 Resurrected Body
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· 18 viewsChristians, who have died prior to the coming of Christ, will be raised with imperishable bodies when He comes.
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Resurrected Body
Resurrected Body
For weeks, the term “deadly corona virus” has been circulating across the airwaves. What was somewhere else is now here.
Daily death tolls have become the norm.
Daily death tolls have become the norm.
Sad and stressful reality.
We are all being forced to think about death…reveals what we think
Fear...
Anger
Despair
Denial
Epicureanism, a common way of looking on the world that focused on simplicity and pleasure, taught annihilation at death; people just cease to exist. A common epitaph on ancient tombs from this era is this simple inscription: “I was not, I was, I am not, I care not.” (Dever 165-166)
Faith in Christ
As followers of Christ we rest in the certain and living hope of Christ through his death, burial and resurrection from the dead.
Without the resurrection, only death remains.
Main Idea: Christians, who have died prior to the coming of Christ, will be raised with imperishable bodies when He comes.
Main Idea: Christians, who have died prior to the coming of Christ, will be raised with imperishable bodies when He comes.
The coming of Christ is not directly mentioned in the focal text, see v. 51-53
The next section also explains what happens to those how are still alive at his coming.
Today our focus is on the bodily resurrection and the nature of the bodies that are raised.
Christians, who have died prior to the coming of Christ, will be raised bodily when He comes.
Christians, who have died prior to the coming of Christ, will be raised bodily when He comes.
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person!
The questions that seem reasonable at first glance makes Paul’s response seem harsh. He is responding to the cynical assumption that the resurrection from the dead is a ludicrous idea.
The questions that seem reasonable at first glance makes Paul’s response seem harsh.
He is responding to the cynical assumption that the resurrection from the dead is a ludicrous idea.
Repeat v. 35 with brief explanation. But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”
Follows with an explanation through the use of illustration…stresses the importance of the body.
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
what you sow is not the body that it is to be all who die in Christ will be raised with a new body…does not mean that the current body is irrelevant of unnecessary.
And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
plant wheat…wheat comes up… Bury me…I will be resurrected.
What goes into the ground is seed…radical transformation to create a plant and stalk of wheat that produces a multitudes of kernals.
Illus: tomato seeds...
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies
Jesus uses the same illus for Himself.
23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Gospel…death, burial, resurrection…bearing much fruit. All Christians are the fruit of the redemptive work of Christ.
At our death, our bodies are placed in the ground, to be raised by the power of the resurrection on the last day with a new body fit for all of eternity.
continues the explanation with another extended metaphor/illus.
38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 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. 41 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.
38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, divine passive…God gives.God is the sovereign creator…appeal to Genesis mentions seed () then moves ahead and works backward in created order.
different kinds of bodies for different kinds of beings.
Man...
animals
birds
fish
heavenly bodies and earthly bodies…location not composition.
sun, moon, stars...
Makes sure we get the comparison...
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead…resurrection body made for new dwelling place.
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 imperishable, and we shall be changed.
Paul now moves to explain the nature of our resurrected bodies...
Christians, who have died prior to the coming of Christ, will be raised with imperishable bodies when He comes.
Christians, who have died prior to the coming of Christ, will be raised with imperishable bodies when He comes.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
Our perishable body will die(expiration date—result of sin)…
our resurrected body will never die, not subject to decay, will not wear out.
43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. does not mean that the body is evil but it is corruptible…resurrected body is incorruptible, full of glory.
It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. Human bodies are plagued with illness, injuries, tiredness and finally death, but in the resurrection they will go from strength to strength. (Schreiner 321)
resurrected body will not need a cure for Covid 19…no pandemics after the Coming of Christ and the resurrection from the dead.
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. Natural does not mean material and spiritual does not mean immaterial.
Our thinking is so saturated by the influence of Greek dualism that it is all too easy to think of the main difference between the natural body and the spiritual body as the difference between that which has a tangible and a substantial body versus that which is ghostly and nontangible. The body that has been raised will be different, but it will be a real body. It will be powerful, glorious, and imperishable. (Gardner 711)
We will be raised in the likeness of Christ. Not a spruced up version of our natural body. …
Christ’s appearances in his resurrected body demonstrated that he continued to be physical and material, but this physicality had special characteristics. He was able to appear suddenly (; , ), to vanish just as quickly (), he was able to break bread (), to eat fish (), to cook and distribute food (, ), and people were able to touch him (). (Pratt 269)
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
On final comparison for the sake of explanation...
Adam and Christ, he argues from the lesser to the greater that if something were true of Adam, then something greater must be true of Christ. (Pratt 270)
Adam and Christ are representative...
Christ gave his life in death to give us life everlasting.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 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.
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
Adam was made in the image of God. Gne. 1:27, formed form the dust of the ground. Adam was made human. Because of his disobedience sin entered the world.
Adam gave us life and death...
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Christ gave his life in his death to give us life everlasting.
Adam gave us life and death...
Christ gave his life in death to give us life everlasting.
49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
reread v. 42-44 42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.
The imperishable became perishable that the perishable might become imperishable. Jesus, the glorious one, experienced dishonor so that the dishonorable might experience glory. Jesus, the powerful one, became weak so that the weak might become powerful. Jesus who deserved life experienced death so that those who deserved death might experience new life. (Um 278)
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
To bear the likeness of Christ is to reach the zenith of human existence. (Pratt 270)
So What?
So What?
Not to scare you…let’s return to where we began…How are you facing the threat of Covid 19? Aside from the immediate threat, how do you process the thought of death?
Am I trusting in the resurrected Christ to raise me up at His coming?
14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
knowing…sure and certain hope. 1. Christ is risen. 2. He will raise us up. 3. He will bring us(resurrected) into his presence.
How?
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
We may be uncertain whether we will come down with the Corona Virus or what the effect might be…
We can know that if we have been united with Christ in his death by trusting in his finished work on the Cross, then we can be certain that we will be united with him in a resurrection like his when He comes.
Need further clarification on what it means to trust in Christ or if you need prayer…use Facebook or email me through the website. We would love to share with you.
Prayer
Giving: Thank God for his provision. Continue to be a generous people.
Easter week...
Easter as a family.
helps for celebrating as a family.
Easter as a neighbor
helps for being a good neighbor.
Easter as a part of the congregation.
Good Friday
Easter Sunday…online worship.
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