The Resurrection Demands
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Introduction
Introduction
Hannah More once said, “The soul on earth is an immortal guest, compelled to starve at an unreal feast; a pilgrim panting for the rest to come; an exile, anxious for his native home.”
Hannah More was a Christian writer who died in the early 1800s, and she believed that heaven is place for Christian souls.
She’s right, but she’s also wrong because she’s missing an important piece of the picture. Yes, Heaven is a place for souls, but heaven is also a place for (exalted/glorified)bodies. So, heaven is not just a place for disembodied souls.
A lot of Christians believe this today, but this isn’t a new problem. It goes back to the first and second centuries.
Justin Martyr writes that there are “some who are called Christians… who say there is no resurrection of the dead, and that their souls, when they die, are taken to heaven.” Martyr says, “do not imagine they are Christians.” They are “godless, impious heretics.”
So, Martyr says that these Christians who believe that souls go straight to heaven are denying the resurrection of the dead, and they are, because the soul is not what dies… The body dies. So, the soul is not resurrected, the body is.
The problem that Justin Martyr addresses is very similar to the problem that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 15:12.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
These Christians don’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. This can have two possible meanings.
They could be denying the afterlife.
They could deny the resurrection of the body.
I don’t think that they are denying the afterlife. IMO, The problem is that they don’t believe in the resurrection of the body.
The Christians in 1 Corinthians believe that the body is not important because it is corrupt. For them, the only thing that is important is the soul. We see this idea in 1 Corinthians 6:13 (NIV).
13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
Throughout the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul refers to arguments that the Corinthian Christians are making.
This is one of those instances, and the NIV correctly captures the idea. These Christians believe that food doesn’t matter. Why? Because God is going to destroy both food and body.
This is why Paul argues for the resurrection of the body. 1 Corinthians 15:35-44, 50-53.
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.
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.
The point that Paul is making, is that the body is going to be raised. This is a core aspect of the gospel. The same body that went into the ground is going to come out of the ground, but it’s not going to come out of the ground perishable; it will be imperishable. It’s not going to come out of the ground mortal; it will be immortal. Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that the resurrection is a crucial part of the gospel, and if you don’t believe in the resurrection, then you won’t truly live by the gospel.
That’s what we see in this letter. These Christians don’t truly understand the resurrection, and this failure to truly understand the resurrection has an impact on how they live… – “If the body doesn’t matter, then we can do what we want”. 1 Corinthians 15:32-34.
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
You see, since these Christians deny the resurrection, they believe that they can live how want. Since the body doesn’t matter, we can do what we want with it.
This is why the Corinthians had so many problems. They had a lot of issues, didn’t they?
In my opinion, every issue that Paul raises in this book can be traced to their failure to understand the resurrection (gospel).
This is what I want to talk about with the time that we have left. Paul tells these Christians that they aren’t living right, but why? It’s because they don’t truly understand the resurrection. There are things that the resurrection demands of us. That’s what we are going to talk about with the rest of our time.
The resurrection demands unity
The resurrection demands unity
1 Corinthians 1:10-13.
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
The Corinthian Christians were divided, but why? Part of the reason is that they didn’t truly understand the resurrection.
This is why Paul says, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?” Paul wan’t crucified. Paul wasn’t raised from the dead. Jesus was.
They didn’t understand the death and resurrection of Jesus.
They didn’t understand the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Why did Jesus go through the cross? Ephesians 1:7-10.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Jesus went through the cross to unite all things in him. The idea is that all things would be put in subjection under his feat.
Part of what this means is that Jesus died to create one people… one kingdom. He didn’t die to create multiple kingdoms, he died to create one unified people under his rule.
They didn’t truly understand Jesus’ resurrection, so they didn’t truly understand the demand for unity.
They didn’t understand their own resurrection.
They didn’t understand their own resurrection.
As we said earlier, if the body doesn’t matter, then we can do what we want. That’s what these Christians believed. They failed to understand their resurrection, and because of this, they failed to understand unity.
We see this in 2 Timothy 2:8-18.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
There were some Christians who were divisive… Why? It’s because they failed to understand the resurrection.
That’s exactly what was going on with the Corinthians. They failed to understand the resurrection, and because of this, they weren’t unified.
We understand the resurrection, so what does it demand of us? It demands unity.
We understand the resurrection, so what does it demand of us? It demands unity.
As Christians, we are a part of a diverse group, aren’t we?
Jesus tells us to go into all of the world and preach the gospel to all nations.
This means that Jesus’ kingdom is a diverse group of people. This is a kingdom of many cultures. Because of this, unity is not always easy...
… But God calls us to be unified. Christ died and was raised to create a unified people. We must be unified. How do we do this?
We need to make sure that we aren’t allowing the beast to divide us. Satan would love it if we allowed politics to divide us, and looking at the state of the church in the US, Satan is surely smiling.
If Paul were writing a letter to churches today, he might say: Was Donald Trump crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Joe Biden?
Christ died for us, so we need to be unified.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13.
1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
We have a right to say/post/vote whatever and however we want. Let’s just make sure that we aren’t tearing down our brother in the process.
If we aren’t unified, then we aren’t doing justice to the resurrection. If we aren’t unified, it’s like we are ignoring the power of the cross to unite all things in Jesus.
The resurrection demands morality
The resurrection demands morality
1 Corinthians 6:12-20.
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
It’s evident from this text that the Christians had a problem with sexual immorality, but why?
It’s because they denied the resurrection of the body. I’ve said it so many times already, but if the body doesn’t matter, then I can live how I want.
That’s what the Corinthians believed. They believed that the spirit/soul was the only thing that mattered. Paul tells them that they are wrong… we even see this in the next letter. 2 Corinthians 5:10.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Paul tells them that they are mistaken. He tells them that Christians must take care of their bodies because our bodies will be resurrected on the last day.
So, what does the resurrection demand of us? It demands morality, but digging deeper, it demands that we treat our bodies with respect. We must glorify God in our body.
So, what does the resurrection demand of us? It demands morality, but digging deeper, it demands that we treat our bodies with respect. We must glorify God in our body.
It’s interesting to me that their culture sounds a lot like our culture.
Looking through the letter, it’s evident that the Corinthians lived in a culture of sexual excess. 1 Corinthians 5:1.
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.
Here, Paul talks about the sexual immorality in this church… They obviously lived in a culture of sexual excess.
This sounds a lot like our culture, doesn’t it? We live in a culture of sexual excess as well, but why are things this way? Maybe it’s because our culture misunderstands the resurrection as well. Our culture believes that heaven is filled with disembodied souls.
Maybe our culture has fallen into the same trap that the Corinthians fell into.
We’ve got to be different from the culture. We’ve got to understand that our bodies are important.
This means that we don’t use our bodies for sexual immorality, but let me take this further, we don’t sexualize our bodies.
We live in a world where young girls are taught that you have to sexualize your body in order to get attention (in order to feel special).
The world is just wrong on that. It’s a shame that this narrative has been pushed on young women. We shouldn’t be sexualizing our bodies. They should be used to glorify God.
Typically when we talk about modesty, we go to 1 Timothy 2, but this passage is not about under-dressing. It’s about a lack of humility (overdressing). If we want to talk about misusing our bodies, then we need to look at 1 Corinthians.
In an over-sexualized culture, we need to understand that our bodies are important. We must glorify God in our body.
The resurrection demands victory
The resurrection demands victory
1 Corinthians 15:54-58.
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.
Here, Paul tells us that death doesn’t win… We do. We have victory because we are raised...
… But if heaven were a place of disembodied souls, and if our bodies stayed in the ground, then death would win, but Paul reassures us that death does not win because the body that goes in to the ground dead also comes out of the ground alive and destined to live eternally with God.
Paul wants these Christians to understand that their faith is not in vain. They have victory because of the resurrection, and this is the lesson for us as well.
Paul wants these Christians to understand that their faith is not in vain. They have victory because of the resurrection, and this is the lesson for us as well.
There are some who would tell us that our faith is a waste of time. They would say that our belief in God really amounts to nothing. “you are losers.”
They are just wrong. We have victory over death because our King had victory over death. This is the only victory that really matters.
The people of the world may have military victory.
The people of the world may have economic victory.
The people of the world may have social victory.
The people of the world may have some victory, but the people of the Kingdom have the only victory that really matters. We have victory over death.
Conclusion: Unity… Morality… Victory
Conclusion: Unity… Morality… Victory
Our resurrection demands victory because one day, our bodies will be raised, and we will dwell with God for eternity.
Are you ready for that day? Are you ready for the resurrection?