Transcript

The Glory of The Resurrection Body

1 Corinthians 15:35-49
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Pastor Randy Smith

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Between 1986 and 1993, artist/photographer Jim Goldberg gradually entered the underworld of runaways and street kids in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Through his ten years with these disadvantaged teens, he brought a world few are aware of into view through a series of gritty but compassionate photos and interviews and artifacts. The work expanded the traditional boundaries of documentary photography and urged the viewer to confront the reality faced by homeless children. His documentary was entitled "Raised by Wolves."

In speaking of his work, reviewer Sarah Wichlacz commented, "The teens seem to forget about him and allow him to record their most private moments. From sexual encounters to drug use, fights to prostitution, the kids are very open. Transvestites and crack pipes mix with cut heads and bruised necks to form a backdrop where children aren't children anymore and numbing the pain is more important than survival."

One adolescent named Dave wrote: "Born a wicked child/ raised by wolves/ a screaming kamakazi/ I will never crash." Born to a young mother and a politician father who tossed him away, Dave was found and raised by a homeless junkie prostitute.

Imagine being raised by such a mother. No doubt a much different encounter than most if not all of us in this room has experienced. No one to drive you to piano recitals and soccer practices. No one to tuck you in every night and ensure your safety. No protection, consistency and dependence. No one to sit by your bed when you are sick. No one to make your favorite meal. No warmth, compassion and love. No one to drink hot chocolate with you when you can't sleep. No one to always listen, making your concerns her concerns.

This day and every day we offer a tribute to God's wonderful gift. We praise the Lord that He has blessed us with someone who shaped us and nurtured us and sacrificially made us her priority. We thank God for our mothers.

Such a concept of mothers must be desirable, but is probably inconceivable to the homeless children living on the streets. Compared to what they have learned and experienced, their wildest imagination probably couldn't conjure up something so wonderful of a reality.

The same was true for the Corinthian church we have been studying. They too had received poor spiritual parenting as they were strongly influenced by their culture and the false teachers. They were in grave doctrinal error concerning the resurrection of their bodies. This wonderful truth was beyond their imagination as a reality too.

Paul has already spent 34 verses defending not only the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also the bodily resurrection of Christians as well. But after he finishes his powerful defense and the necessity to be raised in bodily form, he pauses in anticipation of their objections (cf. 15:12). Verse 35, "But someone will say, 'How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?"

Let's remember, like the homeless children, these Corinthians were ingrained with wrong thinking. They were taught all their life that matter, for example the body, was evil. Salvation to them was escape from the body. So why do we want a body and why would a holy God accept a body throughout eternity? Moreover, even if He did, how could He resurrect a body that was already buried and subjected to years of decay and decomposition? They could not imagine how a body fit for glory could arise from one that will be in much worse shape than the one we currently possess. Such a feat would be impossible for God. In other words, since I don't understand it, it can't be done. To such a response, Paul says in verse 35, "You fool!"

For the past few weeks we have examined in depth the necessity of the resurrection. This morning we'll cover Paul's continued defense as he now gets more specific and describes the nature of our resurrected bodies.

1. THE ILLUSTRATIONS (vs. 36-41)

Let's begin with the first point: The Illustrations.

The Greeks loved to pride themselves on their knowledge. So as a good teacher, like Jesus Himself, Paul takes three earthly items that they claimed to know so well and used them as teaching devices to make a spiritual point. Paul provides three illustrations arguing from the known world of creation to the unknown world of resurrection.

An Illustration from Botany

The first illustration comes from botany, the study of plants. Beginning in verse 36 we read, "That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else" (1 Cor. 15:36-37).

Paul attempted to point out how foolish their objections were with this simple illustration. All of them were well aware that in order for a plant to grow, a seed must first be sown. Then the seed must die. Then a new and more glorious product will be produced. Remember Christ's words in John 12? "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" (Jn. 12:24).

Joni Eareckson Tada once said, "Have you ever seen those nature specials on public television? The ones where they put the camera up against a glass to show a dry, old lima bean in the soil? Through time-lapse photography, you watch it shrivel, turn brown, and die. Then, miraculously, the dead shell of that little bean splits open and a tiny lima leg-like root sprouts out. The old bean is shoved aside against the dirt as the little green plant swells. The lima bean came to life because the old bean died."

Tada goes on to say, "Not even a Ph.D. in botany can explain how life comes out of death, even in something so simple as a seed. But one thing is for sure: it's a lima bean plant. Not a bush of roses or a bunch of bananas. There's no mistaking it for anything other than what it is. It has absolute identity. Positively, plain as day, a lima bean plant. It may come out of the earth differently than when it went in, but it's the same."

She concludes, "So it is with the resurrection body. We'll have absolute identification with our body that died" (Heaven Your Real Home, p. 36-37).

In other words, just as we look upon a beautiful flower this Mother's Day, we must remember that the flower's glory was produced by an unattractive seed that was first planted in the ground. Due to that seed's death a glorious flower was produced.

We drop a seed into the ground,
A tiny, shapeless thing, shriveled and dry,
And, in the fullness of its time, is seen
A form of peerless beauty, robed and crowned
Beyond the pride of any earthly queen,
Instinct with loveliness, and sweet and rare,
The perfect emblem of its Maker's care.

This from a shriveled seed? -

Then may man hope indeed!

For man is but the seed of what he shall be,
When, in the fullness of his perfecting,
He drops the husk and cleaves his upward way,
Through earth's retardings and clinging clay,
Into the sunshine of God's perfect day.

No fetters then! No bonds of time or space!
But powers as ample as the boundless grace
That suffered man, and death, and yet in tenderness,
Set wide the door, and passed Himself before-
As He had promised-to prepare a place.

We know not what we shall be, only this -
That we shall be made like Him, as He is.

John Oxenham, source unknown

Is it too much for God, says the Apostle to this church, to work the same remarkable actions in human lives upon death as well? Upon the death of our bodies, can't He who created the whole universe out of nothing bring those bodies back in glorious form (1 Cor. 15:38)? If God wills it and God has the power to do it, why is this concept so difficult to believe? Just as a farmer doesn't know how a seed will grow, but yet trusts God, Paul exhorts these foolish Corinthians to do the same and learn this invaluable lesson from nature (Psm. 14:1).

An Illustration from Zoology

From botany where we learned that what is sown will come back to life in a more glorious form, Paul moves us to another illustration, this time from the world zoology. His point before was to show the continuity between the old and the new body. Now his point in verse 39 is to contrast the old body with the new one. Again, these Corinthians could not understand how a weak and wasting away earthly body could be made fit for heavenly habitation. How can the "perishable inherit the imperishable" (1 Cor. 15:50)? The answer: Just as God transformed the body of Jesus, He will transform our bodies as well.

In verse 38 Paul made it clear that there are different kinds of bodies. In other words, the body of a cat is different and will never be the body of a cantaloupe. Just like the seed, the body that dies will be the body that raises.

So the objectors ask, "How can God create a different body in humans?" Building on the thought of verse 38, Paul lists four different bodies in descending order from the world of zoology: Humans, beasts, birds and fish.

His point is clear. If God is able to create different bodies as witnessed by all the species in the world, why would it be too difficult for Him to create resurrected bodies out of our bodies that died? Creation testifies to variety.

An Illustration from Astronomy

Lastly a final illustration is made from the world of astronomy. Paul would agree with the Corinthians that our earthly bodies are not fit for heavenly existence and he proves it to them by citing other "heavenly" bodies much different than our earthly bodies. In verse 40 he says, "There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. Those heavenly bodies are specified as he contrasts the "flesh" of the earthly bodies in verse 39 with the "glory" of the heavenly bodies in verse 41. There he says, "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." We too one day will be given the glory of the heavenly. Our bodies in heaven, like the heavenly bodies above, will dazzle with brilliance.

The point here is not only that change is possible through an omnipotent God who can do all things according to His will, but that change is also necessary because as verse 50 teaches, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."

So using three illustrations from nature, Paul makes the following points: First, our bodies like plants must die in order to produce a better resurrected body and those resurrected bodies will be in continuation from our earthly body. Second, God is able to produce different bodies as He has done throughout creation. And third, God will produce a completely new body from the old to make us fit for our heavenly existence. Continuation from the old, yet contrast from the old and conformity to the heavenly.

2. THE EXPLANATIONS (vs. 42-49)

Now, as we move to the second point, Paul takes what he has taught in the illustrations and begins to explain it more fully. The first explanation is found in verses 42-44 and it comes by way of contrasting the earthly and heavenly bodies. As we already learned, the heavenly body that will be raised will be radically different from its earthly counterpart that was created "good" but as been marred by sin. One day we will get a new heavenly body and just as the heavenly bodies above have glory, verse 42, "So also is the resurrection of the dead."

How different will those bodies be?

The Contrasts

The first contrast, still in verse 42, says we were born with a "perishable body" but we will be raised with an "imperishable body."

As we know, the physical body we have is subject to deterioration. Time only makes the body worse regarding its durability and excellence; bones become more fragile, muscle mass declines, appearance fades. While we are growing in Christlikeness on the inside, we are degenerating on the outside (2 Cor. 4:16). From the moment we are born, we begin to die.

Unpleasant news, but the good news for the Christian is that such a body is only temporary. One day God will craft an eternal body for us that is imperishable, a body that will never face sickness or pain, decay or death.

Verse 43, the second contrast, says the body is born in "dishonor" but it will be raised in "glory."

As verse 22 teaches, we are all born in Adam. Though we as Christians have been redeemed by Christ, our bodies are not serving God with the full potential for which they were designed. Before Christ our natural gravitation was toward sin. Even with Christ, we battle the flesh on a daily basis. Dozing off during a sermon, minds wandering while praying to God, misunderstanding while reading the Scripture.

But the day will come that we will be raised in glory. Our bodies will be like Christ's (1 Jn. 3:2). He will transform our bodies into conformity with the body of His glory (Phil. 3:21). Due to our new bodies, we will spend eternity worshipping, pleasing and serving God with our bodies as He intended.

For the third contrast, verse 43 says the body is born in "weakness" but it will be raised in "power."

Our bodies in the grand scheme of things are extremely wimpy. Even the strongest man on earth needs just the right temperatures to survive, is dependent on food and water on a regular basis and must consume air immediately. Injuries are frequent, illness are unavoidable.

Yet when we are raised, the Bible says we will be raised in power. Our bodies will be indestructible. Specifically how powerful? We don't know, but we can get a good idea when we examine the resurrected body of Jesus Christ as He moved from place to place without limitations.

The fourth contrast, verse 43 says the body is born with a "natural body" but will be raised with a "spiritual body."

Our bodies are not only tainted because of sin, they were also created only for life on this planet. They are limited to existence in this physical world. Don't love them too much. On the grand scheme of things, they are only temporary!

Yet our resurrection body will be a spiritual body. It will be perfectly suited for our eternal heavenly existence. Christian, you should be excited about your future body. You should be longing for your spiritual body!

Paul did! In 2 Corinthians 5:1 he compared our earthly body to a tent. It's temporary and easily destroyed. But he says when this tent is folded up, it will be replaced with a heavenly building from God not made with human hands. He said, "For indeed in this (tent) we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:2).

We were born in Adam. Our original father was created from the dust. We, like him, will one day return to the dust. But that body that was born for its earthly existence, weak and flawed by sin, will one day be transformed to a spiritual, glorious existence.

The Chronology

The final explanation of the resurrection of our bodies deals with the chronology or order. Basically, not only how, but when do we get our resurrected or as this section says our spiritual bodies.

Beginning in verse 45 we read, "So also it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit."

"As it is written" often denotes an Old Testament quotation. In this case the quotation comes directly from Genesis 2:7. But what is unique about this quotation is Paul's addition of a couple key words. Genesis 2:7 reads, "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Whereas Paul says, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." Why did Paul add the words "first" (before "man") and "Adam?"

Reason: Paul is seeking to make a comparison for his readers between the first man, Adam, and the last man, Christ. The first man, Adam, (through God) gave us physical life. But through the second man or the second Adam or the last Adam, all synonymous with Jesus Christ, we get spiritual life.

Paul also explained this concept to the church in Rome. Possibly comparing Scripture with Scripture will help clarify our present text. Beginning in chapter 5, verse 12. Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned." Skip to verse 17. "For if by the transgression of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression (Adam's) there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness (Christ's) there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience (Adam's) the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (Christ) the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:12, 17-21)

Before the Fall Adam was created with a "good" soul and a "good" (not glorified) body (Gen. 1:31). After the Fall, both his body and his soul were ruined - his body being subjected to physical death, his soul being subjected to spiritual death. We are all born in Adam and as we learned last week, "(All) in Adam die" (Jn. 15:22a; cf. 1 Cor. 15:21). But through Christ we can have life. Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). All in Adam die, but all "in Christ…will be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22b). Immediately upon trusting Christ, our souls are transformed. And then at the return of Christ, our bodies will be transformed as well (1 Cor. 15:23). Just as Christ rose from the dead, He is the "first fruits" of those who will not only rise, but share similar bodies" (1 Cor. 15:20, 23).

That's why Paul concludes this section beginning in verse 46 by saying, "However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:46-49).

In autumn 2002, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, a priceless 15th century marble statue of Adam toppled and shattered while no one was in the room. Although vandalism was initially suspected, curators determined that the life-sized Venetian sculpture "buckled of its own accord." According to the museum's director. "It will take a great deal of time and skill, but the piece can be restored" (Museum to mend shattered statue, BBC News, 10/10/02).

Adam fell in the Garden. If given the opportunity, we would have committed the same act of treason against the Almighty. He toppled and brought sin into the world, sin that is transmitted to all his decedents. It took time, but the children of Adam can be restored. Thanks to the work of the Second Adam, we can be restored in Christ. And that restoration includes a not only a new soul but one day a new body as well.

Death and darkness, get you packing,
Nothing now to man is lacking,
All your triumphs now are ended,
And what Adam marred, is mended.

Henry Vaughan, Source Unknown

Pinocchio is based on a 19th-century children's story about a lonely old woodcarver named Geppetto who carves a little puppet boy and names it Pinocchio. Whenever he sees the marionette, he thinks how wonderful it would be to have a real son. Upon seeing the wishing star in the sky, Geppetto wishes Pinocchio would become real. That night, the Blue Fairy brings Pinocchio to life, removes his strings, and instructs the wooden boy to shun evil and follow good. But although he has life, Pinocchio is not fully alive - his body is still made of wood. He longs to be a "real" boy.

One day Pinocchio discovers a gigantic whale has swallowed Geppetto and the family pets. Pinocchio dives in the sea in an attempt to save his father. After helping to free Geppetto, Figaro the cat, and Cleo the goldfish from the belly of the whale, Pinocchio drowns and is washed to shore. Geppetto is brokenhearted and kneels over the boy sobbing.

The Blue Fairy speaks above Pinocchio, "Awake, Pinocchio, awake." Pinocchio is supernaturally transformed from a wooden boy into one who is fully alive, complete with flesh and bones. He sits up and rubs his eyes. Seeing Geppetto weeping over his bed, Pinocchio calls out, "Father! What are you crying for?" Unable to comprehend what has transpired, Geppetto answers, "Because you are dead, Pinocchio." Released from his former life, Pinocchio replies, "No, I'm not. I'm alive. See? I'm real. I'm a real boy." Finally Geppetto is able to see the truth. What appeared to be death was just the opposite. Pinocchio is at last complete.

Before Christ, the Bible says we like Pinocchio were dead. But when we came to Christ, we were given spiritual life. We are born again. We are forgiven, renewed on the inside and granted fellowship with God.

Yet we are not fully complete. We are still in some ways like Pinocchio. Our bodies are limited and perishable and weak. We too will die. We too must die. But the day will come when our Lord returns. Then we will be made complete with new bodies. Then the fullness of our salvation will be realized.

Like those homeless teens, a caring mother might be too good to imagine. The Corinthians believed the resurrection of the body was too good to imagine as well. Even the great theologian, John Calvin, once said, "(It is) difficult to believe that bodies, when consumed with rottenness, will at length be raised up in their season. But then he wrote, "No one is truly persuaded of the coming resurrection unless he is seized with wonder, and ascribes to the power of God its due glory" (Salvation Now, Salvation Forever, Christian History, issue 61, Vol. 18, No. 1, 1999).

Will we be foolish as were the Corinthians who doubted God (1 Cor. 15:36) or will we have faith in the Word and power of God for our glorious future?