You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies

Transcription

1 1 1 Cor. 15:35-49 The Resurrection Body Paul's point of reference is the resurrection body. Remember, he is answering the Corinthians' questions. There were some who said there is no resurrection of the dead (v. 12). And in vv Paul refutes this statement. In vv , after establishing there is a resurrection of the dead (based upon the resurrection of Christ), he addresses a more specific question concerning the actual body that will be raised. Today, I have 3 truths from the passage with some applications to follow. 1. The resurrection body must die before it can live. Starting in v. 35 Paul begins to answer one of the Corinthians main questions about the body (physical body). And in v. 36 Paul says, You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. You see, in Greek culture they had some interesting views on the resurrection of the dead. They believed the soul of the person would continue in the afterlife. But, the body (which most considered to be evil) would cease to exist. But the Christians had been taught differently, especially from Jewish teaching that yes, there would be a resurrection of the physical body but this body would be exactly the same as the old one. This is why Paul says, With WHAT KIND of body will be raised. It is a given: The body will be raised. But the question is with what kind. But before answering this question he says the body must first die before life can come. In other words, life comes forth from death. He uses the picture of a seed. What an awesome picture I think we can all understand. After the rain, much of my seeds were washed out, especially my beans. So I had to physically plant more seeds. And as I was planting I thought of this truth. And I thought, does the seed really die? As a horticulturalist may point out: No, it germinates. It changes. But Paul isn t that concerned with horticulture, but how a seed pictures what he knows about death and the resurrection. His point is that unless a seed is put into the ground and dies life will not come. I can keep seeds year after year and put them in the freezer. It isn t until I put them in the ground do they come to life. In the same way a dead body is put into the ground, it will come to life again. Even our confession says that the righteous will be raised to endless joy and the unrighteous will be raised to eternal retribution. From Paul s perspective, the seed must die before it can really live. You foolish Corinthians! Don t you know that the best is yet to come. And your physical body will be a part of that future! Jesus said the same thing in John 12:24. He says, Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. So for the Christian, death must come for life to spring forth. This is why Paul will say later Death where is your sting? Where is your victory? With this in mind let me make a quick point. In v. 36 Paul uses a passive verb for come to life. Maybe the best translation is to quicken. This is something that ONLY God can do. When I put my bean seeds into the ground on Thursday this week, I could only think how powerless I am in making it spring forth into life giving plants. This is a miracle. The creation of life (body and soul) is a miracle. God spoke and we came to life. It is the same with the resurrection body. Life comes from God. Let s move on.

2 2 2. The resurrection body will be a different kind of body. Let s start with v. 37. He says, And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. This is clear to me. The seed I put in the ground is very different than what will grow. This was evident as I replanted my bean seeds. Now, I know that what is in that seed is essentially is what will be produced in the plant. But, as concerns its body or its shell, it is clearly different. Now look at vv a: 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. Here Paul just uses another picture to say that God has chosen all different kinds of bodies to make up his creation. It is interesting in vv that he begins with humans and works his way backward through the creation account: Day 6 humans and animals; Day 5 Birds and fish; Day 4 Heavenly lights (sun, moon, stars). Though there is a lot here, Paul s point is this: Concerning our bodies, what will be in the resurrection will be totally different than what we have now. For the Corinthians and many of the world today, we can only think about our own bodies. And then, when you put them in the grave, what happens over time? Our physical bodies decompose, become a part of the soil, and some of the elements can even make their way back into the ecosystem, only to be ingested (and digested) by something or somebody else. Our bodies will be different! With this in mind Paul now turns to address the specifics of what our bodies will be like in the resurrection, which brings us to our 3 rd truth in this passage. 3. The resurrection body is a body fit for heaven. I get this from v. 49. He says, Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. Paul speaks of a great change that will happen with our bodies because of the bodily resurrection of Christ. Think of our bean seed. I plant it in the ground. But, when I plant it, it is not fit for the kitchen table. We don t eat bean seeds at my house. But those seeds change and fitted for something greater. We eat full grown green beans, ready to be cooked and eaten. In the same way, we were created for heaven. But these old bodies simply WILL NOT take us there. These earthly bodies are not fit for heaven. But, our resurrection body will be! In vv Paul compares the earthly body with the heavenly body that will come when Christ returns (see v. 52 at the last trumpet ). What is sown now in our earthly bodies (like a seed in the ground) will be changed into a body that is fit for heaven (full blown plant with fruit). As we will see in a moment, I believe Paul refers to Adam s body as the earthly representative of our bodies. And, he refers to Christ s body as the heavenly representative of what will happen to our bodies at the final resurrection. Let s look at Paul s comparison for a moment. V. 42: What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. The word for perishable is difficult to translate. The KJV translates it corruption. At the least I think he means that like Adam, our bodies are able to be corrupted (and they are because of sin) and they are able to perish. And this is exactly what happens to our bodies after death. As Adam came from the dust and so he returns (his body that is). But, not so

3 3 with the resurrection body. He says, what is raised is imperishable (not able to perish or be corrupted). Next in v. 43 he says, It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. Where is the honor in death? Now, we may honor the memory of a person, but the corruption of the human body when committed to the grave is the ultimate humiliation for those who were created good and crowned with glory and honor to rule over God s creation. Ps. 8:4-6 says, What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet. Next, in the same verse, he says, what is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. I can t think of anything more weak than a lifeless corpse, which will be the fate of all our bodies (except for those who remain when Christ returns). When death separates the soul from the body, the remains are completely powerless. But, the resurrection body will be full of power, unimaginable. Then he says in v. 44: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. Here, Paul begins to transition to the next verses by comparing the natural body with the spiritual body. The SEED of our body NOW, as it is earthly and natural to the earth will be raised as a spiritual body fit for heaven. Now take a look at vv , where he compares Adam with Christ. He begins with It is written. With these words he is clearly referring to the creation account from Genesis. Gen. 2:7 says, 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 (living soul ). But, what happened with the first sin. Death and separation from God came to Adam and all who are born after him (all of us). And yes, we are living, but concerning our status before God, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. And yes, the image of God in us remains, but it is tainted and marred, and is not fit for heaven. But, Paul says, concerning the 2 nd Adam (Christ) that He is a life-giving spirit. Remember, Paul is developing OT themes. And I am sure he is thinking of Ezek. 37 when God showed Ezekiel a valley of dead and dry bones. And God asked him, Can these bones live? And Ezekiel said, God, you know. And God said, Prophesy over these bones and hear the word of the Lord. Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. In our verses today Paul knows that Christ is the one who gives life, and this by the Spirit. Paul goes on to compare Adam with Christ in vv : 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. Adam was natural, that is, from the earth. Christ is not from the earth, but from heaven; he is the true spiritual man. And then he concludes in v. 49 by saying, Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. For the Christian, there are two different kinds of bodily existence. So far, in these bodies, we have experienced only the one that is common to all of Adam s children. We are the seed of Adam. But, we will be raised like Christ. And our bodies will be fit for heaven. And one day

4 4 when Jesus returns, He will give us a new body fit for heaven. And when you think about it, this makes the incarnation of Jesus so amazing! He took on the flesh of Adam (of us). And though he did not have our sin natures, his body was still the same as ours. He hungered. He thirst. He was tired. He slept. He died. He body was buried in the grave. But, death could not hold him. And he was raised. And, He was raised with a new body. And his new body was no longer limited by time and space. Locked doors did not prevent him from entering the room where his disciples were staying in Jerusalem (John 20:19, 26). He appeared many times to different people and different places. Later, he ascended to heaven, which is where He is now, at the right hand of God. And because he is risen, so will we (Christians) rise with him in the same way. And our resurrection bodies will also be fit for heaven, where we will live forever with Him. Phil. 3:20-21 say, 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. WOW! There is soooooo much more here. But, I want to stop there and end with some comments and applications. 1. I can t imagine a topic more important then the resurrection of our bodies if you really think about it. Let me ask, Do you like your bodies now? That s almost like a trick question because we are told to care for our bodies as God has created them for us now, to house our souls. If you are a young man you might like your body. But I promise you if you make it to 50 or 60 or 70 or 80, you will not like it so much. (I think God uses old age to prepare us for glorious new bodies. For when we are old, we are ready to put them off. Another sermon for another day.) I am looking forward to that day. 2. There will be similarities between our bodies now and our resurrection bodies. This is a mystery. But, I say this because of the example of Christ. His disciples recognized him. They knew him to be Jesus because of his appearance. There will be continuity and discontinuity in our resurrection bodies. 3. Remember, we are in process, somewhere between the seed and the full-grown plant. Everything that happens with Christ will happen with us. This is amazing. 2 Cor. 3:8 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Think about the changes that take place from a seed to a full grown plant. (justification, sanctification, glorification) We are not what we will be. Therefore, be content. Be patient. This truth helps us as we try and live together. (spouses, families, children, co-workers, etc.) And, this is why we need Christ every day, every hour, every second. We are not what we will be one day. But, Christ is the power of God, by the Spirit, working in us to transform making us fit for heaven. 4. With this in mind, God is in control. Think of the lack of control of the seed and the control of the ONE who makes the seed grow and change. We think we are something. But, God is the one who is making us into what we will be. Jon the seed. 5. The body of Christ is greater than Adam s even before the fall; greater than Adam in the Garden. Adam s body (and ours) was fit for the earth, even the Garden of Eden. But, the

5 5 resurrection body will be more glorious. (And this is hindered by our language. We really can t say more glorious. For it will be a completely different kind of glory.) 6. This means that the fullest life is yet to come. (I cannot fathom this truth.) One theologian wrote: The afterlife to which Christians ultimately look forward is not like the experience of a leaf after it has died and fallen from a tree only to rot away, but more like the experience of a seed that germinates and then enters into a flourishing life of color and beauty to which its previous existence is hardly capable of being compared. 7. In the end think of the great creative power of God, rule over all things, and his purpose to bring all things to pass, and this in light of the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection completely swallows up the broadest and deepest effects of the fall of creation and humanity. This should bring great awe to our lives. I will end with Paul s prayer for the Ephesians (and for us). For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.