God's People Must Be United and Growing in Holiness
1 Corinthians 15:35-58[1]
In Paul's day there were a few different thoughts about the afterlife that we might find helpful to know.
1) Many Jews from Greek backgrounds thought that their spirits or souls (both) were trapped in this earthly, sinful body of matter, and they would be immortal once they were free of it. Bodiless forever. This kind of connected with Gnosticism, dualism (matter = evil, spirit = good). Paul called this, "to be found naked", and obviously abhorred the idea (2 Cor 5:3).
2) Some believed that there would be a general resurrection; that God would indeed resurrect their bodies.
3) Some thought that their souls would simply die when their bodies did, ending their lives.
4) Romans and Greeks has all kinds of weird afterlife beliefs.
5) Paul came teaching, as had Jesus, John, and Peter, that there would be a complete resurrection – body, soul, and spirit.[2] Example: 1 Thess 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It was into such a crazy mix of beliefs that Paul marched with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth about the resurrection of Christ AND of the church. A complete resurrection.
1 Cor 15:35-58
35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"
36 You foolish person! 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.
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.
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. 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.
49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
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.
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power 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 brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Message: In full faith that Christ will resurrect you when He returns, leave your fears and devote yourself to fruitful, useful ministry on earth!
Now since Paul began this talk with a supposed question which he obviously was annoyed with (You foolish person!). Paul's not against questions, just… foolish ones. So…
V 54-58: Question #1: How can we devote ourselves to Christ's kingdom work when death hovers over us?
Answer: it does not. You will live. Death has been defeated. You will receive a new body.
V 51-53 Question #2: When will we get this new body?
Answer: a) after you die and sow the old one, and b) on the day of Christ's return!
Matt 24:31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
V 35-50 Question #3: What type of bodies will we have?
Answer: A new body, like that of Jesus after the resurrection, not like Adam's. Let's compare the bodies, just based on this text:
Present bodies are..
Natural, of the dust, mortal, perishable, sown in weakness, before the spiritual. Must die (be sown) in order to give way to the spiritual, new, resurrected body.
Resurrected bodies are…
Spiritual, immortal, imperishable, raised in power, given after the natural (death) is sown, of, in, and for heaven. It won't come to life unless it dies. It is not like what was sown. It will be as God has chosen; to each kind of seed it's own body.
Folks; let us neither worship nor disdain this body. Let us care for it wisely, but not put all of our hopes or confidence in this body. It is frail, weak, and it will pass. We will receive an eternal body!
Because of the Second, Superior Adam, we can know that we will live forever.
First Adam became a living being; Second Adam a life-giving spirit.
First Adam from earth, a man of dust: the Second Adam from heaven.
As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust. As is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.
We have borne the image of the man of dust: we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. Which Adam are you in? Which Adam carries your hope?
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Folks, today isn't a day to shrink back because of building resistance and brewing rejection. Today isn't a day to play it safe; today is a day to live in Christ, to serve Christ, to remain steadfast despite the drift that opposes us. We don't have to. Our lives are hidden with Christ, in God.
Steadfast. Immovable. Your anchor holds, despite the currents or winds of doctrine. Christ has you anchored – if you're indeed tied to him. If you're just tied to church, boy – the winds and the waves of USA 2012 will seem very, very fierce indeed!
Instead of shrinking back we are always abounding. We are full-crop service. There will be fruit from the seeds we sow. When we sow our earthly bodies, then so be it.
We will experience a complete resurrection.
Well done! We look forward to putting on the spiritual, immortal, imperishable, raised in power body!
In full faith that Christ will resurrect you when He returns, leave your fears and devote yourself to fruitful, useful ministry on earth!
[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.
[2]Elwell, Walter A., Ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Baker, Grand Rapids, 2001. 1017-1019.
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