Recently, a certain proven heretic has gotten so desperate in his attempts
to smear me has gone completely into the realm of absurdity by falsely
claiming that I deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ (you can see
what I believe specifically on an area of my own website
[http://www.nettally.com/saints/affirmat.html]
where I have my personal
affirmation of faith). Quite the contrary, I know that Jesus Christ was
bodily resurrected because the Bible is clear as crystal on the topic. God
warned us how wicked and evil these self-condemned individuals are (Titus
3:11). I've not only pointed out scriptures showing conclusively that the
Bible teaches Jesus' resurrection was indeed bodily (as opposed to the
Jehovah's Witnesses erroneous belief that He was only spiritually
resurrected) but I have posted excellent sermons (like the one below by
Doug
Goins) by Christian theologians who also show this Biblical fact. It's not
surprising how wicked heretics, radical atheists, etc. are in their words
and deed as well as how dishonest they become in regards to Christians and
Christianity. We, as Christians, need to pray for them in hope their
hearts
will be softened and they will turn to Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
THE CERTAINTY OF CHRIST'S BODILY RESURRECTION
by Doug Goins
The passage we're studying begins with a ringing affirmation of
resurrection
life. First Corinthians 15:20: "But now Christ has been raised from the
dead." Someone has written a great statement of that reality:
"The present age is Easter time. It begins with the resurrection of the
Redeemer, and ends with the resurrection of the redeemed. Between lies the
spiritual resurrection of those called into life through Christ. So we
live
between two Easters, and in the power of the first Easter, we go to meet
the
last Easter."
That last Easter is the bodily resurrection of all believers in Christ.
In the last two messages, we've been exploring the resurrection of Jesus
Christ as the watershed event of human history in 1 Corinthians 15. When
the
man Jesus Christ shattered the barrier of death, he transformed the
existence of everyone who believes in him, surrenders to him, and follows
him in loyalty. In verses 1-11 Paul placed the resurrection at the very
center of the gospel. Our faith is grounded in the resurrection. Paul
sup****ted its veracity with eyewitness testimony of some of the people who
had seen Jesus after his crucifixion and resurrection. In verses 12-19 he
surveyed some of the horrible consequences there would be if the
resurrection of Jesus Christ had not happened.
Now in verses 20-34 Paul continues to reflect on the absolute certainty of
Christ's bodily resurrection on that first Easter morning, and he shows
how
the future resurrection of believers is the logical outcome of Christ's
past
resurrection. He also strengthens his case by pointing out that both his
own
lifestyle and the actions of the Corinthian believers themselves
demonstrated a confident certainty in the resurrection.
This section is organized around three amazing affirmations concerning the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Verses 20-22 affirm the inclusive nature of
Christ's resurrection. We have been folded into that resurrection reality.
Verses 23-28 affirm the forceful purpose of Christ's resurrection. There
is
a point to it that we can anticipate as ultimate reality. And verses 29-34
affirm the motivating power of Christ's resurrection. Because of the
resurrection, we make choices as Christians to live our lives differently.
TWO WAYS OUR RESURRECTION IS TIED TO CHRIST'S
The first affirmation speaks of how closely our own resurrection is tied
to
Christ's. Look at verses 20-22:
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those
who
are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all
shall be made alive.
Paul uses two Old-Testament images to show that our inclusion in this
tremendous hope of the resurrection is guaranteed. The first image is that
of the first fruits in verse 20, and the second that of the analogy of
Adam
and Christ in verses 21-22.
The image of first fruits comes out of Leviticus 23. The law required that
every Israelite farmer, before he began to harvest his grain crop every
year, bring a representative sample to the temple and give it to the
priest
to be offered up to the Lord in anticipation of the full harvest offering.
Paul is saying that Christ's resurrection was the representative offering
of
our own resurrection from the dead, the first part of this great
resurrection harvest offering that we will all be included in. Jesus
offered
himself up to the heavenly Father in his death and resurrection. He was
both
the offering and the offerer. The first-fruits not only preceded the
harvest, but they were the first installment of the full harvest offering,
the guarantee or the down payment of the rest of the harvest offering that
was going to come. So the fact that Christ is the first fruits indicates
that we will be resurrected, because Christ's resurrection must not exist
in
isolation from ours. We can count on that.
Paul goes on to argue the absolute certainty that this will happen by
comparing the two men Adam and Christ. Just as the one man Adam brought
death to the entire human race, including each of us, because every one of
us is a son (or daughter) of Adam, in the same way, the one man Jesus
Christ
brought resurrection from the dead for those of us who believe in him.
Both
Adam and Christ were instruments of change. Adam disobeyed God, and he
brought disaster, death, and destruction into the world. But Christ, in
contrast, perfectly obeyed the Father, and he brought us deliverance,
righteousness, and life. So we as mortal human beings are in Adam, and
we're
going to die; that's reality. But if we belong to Jesus Christ, we have
the
absolute conviction of resurrection life. Every one of us knows, if we're
honest, that our physical bodies are deteriorating. Nobody is going to get
out alive, that's absolutely certain. As you get older, you feel it more
physically. But the corresponding reality is that we get more and more
confident of the hope that we have of the resurrection. This is not the
end
of all things.
Kim Fenech, our Volunteer Coordinator in Discovery Publi****ng, was talking
to me last week. She mentioned two of the volunteers, our dear brothers
Woody Norman and Ron Thompson. For both of them, the outer man is fading
because of serious physical problems that face them with their own
mortality. Woody has terrible heart problems, and it's hard for him to get
to church on occasion. Ron Thompson is losing lung capacity. Yet, Kim was
saying, both of these men, the closer they come to the reality of their
mortality, the more vibrant and alive and beautiful they are becoming
spiritually. The inner man is being renewed; they are anticipating this
absolute certainty of being forever with the Lord. That confidence is what
gives them life and energizes them, even though it's more and more
difficult
to live physically.
RESURRECTION EVENTS LEADING TO GOD'S VICTORY
Let's look at the second affirmation concerning Jesus' resurrection in
verses 23-28. Here Paul focuses on the eternal purpose of the
resurrection.
Christ's resurrection has, in a sense, set in motion an inexorable chain
of
events that absolutely determines our present cir***stances and our
future,
and it's a future full of hope. His victory over death promises the
ultimate
victory of God in all things. When God raised Christ from the dead, he
took
sides for the truth and against lies, for love and against hate, for life
and against death. Verses 23-24 summarize what Paul calls the order of
events leading to the end. Let's read verse 22 again as well:
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But
each
in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are
Christ's
at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the
God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and
power.
The expression in verse 23, "each in his own order," stresses the
different
times involved. Christ was made alive three days after his death. Those of
us who die belonging to him will be made alive in our order, which will be
when he comes back for us. First Thessalonians 4:16-17 says, "For the Lord
Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise
first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always
be
with the Lord." (And we won't have to worry about air sickness at all when
that resurrection takes place!)
After that resurrection of Christians, Christ will defeat the powers of
satanic evil in the world, and he will hand over the secured kingdom to
his
Father. That is the end that Paul mentions in verse 24, the ultimate
purpose
that began with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That delivering up of
the
kingdom is the key event in the end times. Sin will no longer reign in the
world. God will rule supremely. There will be no enemy, no challenge to
his
authority in the world. There are many events detailed in Scripture that
are
part of this process of final conquest, but chronologies are not im****tant
to Paul here. What he really wants us to catch is the certainty of
Christ's
final conquest. That is central.
THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST'S FINAL CONQUEST
Paul goes on to amplify that centrality in verses 25-28, where the Son
delivers the kingdom back to his Father. Look at verses 25-26. It's not
focused just on the future but on the present; Christ is reigning right
now,
as hard as that may be for us to accept at times.
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The
last
enemy that will be abolished is death.
Notice that the reign of Christ doesn't begin after his enemies are
subdued.
He is reigning now, and he will continue to reign until all demonic
opposition is finally defeated. That's absolutely central for us to grasp
right here and now, because it will counter personal discouragement, a
sense
of defeat, and spiritual oppression. Jesus is in control now on the micro
level in our personal lives, and on the macro level in all the forces
swirling around us in the world at large. The death and resurrection of
Jesus turned the tide of the battle. The final outcome is certain. Christ
has been declared victorious over sin and death and hell, and that means
when we look at the world around us and we see Christ's enemies, the evil
rule and authority and power ravaging our world, we don't have to be
afraid.
We do need to be prayerfully active in working for the kingdom, of course.
Now, I'm certain there are many things we're afraid of. There's the mess
that our country is in right now. I have read pundits who have said that
in
the moral vacuum right now, we will lose credibility as a world leader,
and
we will be marginalized in global affairs. There is concern about the
economic forces that might lead us into recession. There is our president
and the concern about his life. There is concern about unemployment amid
much talk about what our valley faces in the near future. Perhaps the
possibility of bankruptcy or even homelessness concerns you personally.
There are the tribal allegiances and ethnic battles on this globe and the
violence that flows from them. There is the religious fanaticism around
the
world. There are floods of refugees on so many continents on our globe.
There is violence in Rwanda, Kosovo, Indonesia. Perhaps you are fearful of
jihad in the Middle East and how that might even affect us in terms of
terrorism in our own country or our own community. Some are very fearful
about the effect of the Y2K crisis on us personally and culturally and
socially.
But the point of this passage is that we don't have to be afraid because
"...He [Jesus] must reign until He has put all His enemies under His
feet."
Although the battle continues, its outcome is absolutely certain: Christ
is
victor. Earlier in this chapter we talked about the fear of death that we
all live with. At present, nobody can resist the touch of death. But death
as well will ultimately be robbed of all its power. The promise of the
resurrection is that in the end, after Christ has finally and completely
triumphed, death will not be able to touch us.
THE CLIMAX: CHRIST HANDS THE KINGDOM OVER TO THE FATHER
Then Paul broadens the vision in verses 27-28. This is a beautiful picture
of the Son, who has been given tremendous authority to reign and rule,
handing all of the created order and all of redeemed humanity back to his
heavenly Father.
For He has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when He says,
"All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who
put all things in subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to
Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected
all things to Him, that God may be all in all.
What Paul is showing us here is how God is ultimately responsible for this
whole chain of events that began with Christ's resurrection and that
culminates in the destruction of death. God the Father has given Christ
the
Son unlimited sovereignty over all creation, and there is therefore no
infringement on the Father's own authority.
The climax of this process of putting all things in subjection comes with
the Son's being subject to the Father. Paul is not saying that the Son is
inferior to the Father in his essential nature. He is speaking of the work
that the Son accomplished and will accomplish. Christ has died for men. He
has been raised. He will return again. He will continue to subdue all the
enemies of God. The climax of his whole work will come when he offers up
the
kingdom to God, who is the source of everything and that includes us. We
will be tenderly, gently delivered to the Father by the Son.
When we step back and look at verses 23-28, they call us to several
things.
They call us to the same submissive spirit that Jesus had. He was willing
to
serve the Father, and we are called to subjection to our heavenly Father
and
to the Lord Jesus. By nature none of us are submissive people. We don't
like
surrendering to anybody, yet Jesus is a powerful example of submission.
This passage also helps us lift our vision above our own immediate
personal
cir***stances, the things that frighten us in our personal world or in the
larger world around us. We are part of something cosmic. History is going
somewhere. Now, there are things I struggle with. For example, we've got
three children to put through college over the next eight or nine years. I
can get very fearful about whether I can follow through on that
responsibility, whether God is big enough. But whether I put my kids
through
college or not is in a sense irrelevant. What is relevant is that God is
absolutely in control of cir***stances in my life and in all of our lives
collectively, and we are in a process that he is taking us through. And we
can be absolutely convinced that the outcome, when all things finally fit
together the way they're supposed to, will be good.
MOTIVATED TO SHARE THE GOOD NEWS
Those first two affirmations were doctrinal, but the third is very
personal.
Paul lays out how he views life. He says that if we're convinced of the
resurrection, it ought to drastically change how we live. Verse 29 focuses
on the issue of evangelism. If we're convinced of the resurrection, it
ought
to be an incentive for us to share the good news with other people out of
concern for their salvation.
Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead
are
not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?
Now, what does this verse mean? Let me say up front that I don't
know-nobody
really does. I read that there are forty different interpretive approaches
to this verse (without even including that of the Mormons, who do practice
baptism for the dead). The problem is that there is nothing in the Bible
except this one verse about being baptized for the dead. There is also
nothing mentioned in first-century extra-Biblical history about this
practice. Apparently it refers to some kind of proxy baptism or vicarious
baptism by a living person on behalf of a dead person to secure the
supposed
benefits of baptism for them.
But look carefully at the personal pronouns in verse 29. Paul doesn't
include himself in this practice. He also doesn't condone it. He doesn't
say, "we who are baptized for the dead," or "you who are baptized for the
dead." It was a practice that some people were engaging in, and he knew
the
church there would know about it. It was a misguided practice, one that
was
misinformed about the nature of salvation. Those who followed it didn't
understand that we are saved by faith alone and nothing else. But these
people were concerned enough about the salvation of their dead family
members to do something about it.
Paul is not evaluating this practice of being baptized for the dead; he
only
mentions it in passing. His point is that the hope of the resurrection and
concern for the salvation of loved ones moved people to drastic action.
His
burden here is for our believing in the resurrection to have a profound
effect on us, to change our lives, to motivate us to do things we wouldn't
otherwise do out of concern for the salvation of other people.
I read a wonderful story in the Mount Hermon Log (1) of a mother who came
to
Christ because of a letter from her teenage daughter. She found the letter
on her pillow as she was packing for her first Mount Hermon weekend
women's
conference. It was a beautiful letter about her daughter's love for her
and
how much she needed to know the love of Christ to forgive her sins. The
mother shared at the conference how God broke her heart through that
witness
of her daughter, and how she came to faith that weekend at Mount Hermon.
That's the kind of extraordinary effort that ought to be normal for us.
That's Paul's challenge: What are we willing to do for the sake of the
salvation of people we love and care about?
HOPE IN DANGER
Paul goes on in verses 30-32 to argue that it's absurd for him to undergo
the dangers that he does for the sake of the gospel if there's no hope of
the resurrection.
Why are we also in danger every hour? I protest, brethren, by the boasting
in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If from human
motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If
the
dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.
Eugene Peterson's paraphrase The Message makes these verses much more
vivid:
"And why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I
look
death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I'd do this
if
I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the
resurrected Messiah Jesus? Do you think I was just trying to act heroic
when
I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it wouldn't be the end of me?
Not on your life! It's resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection,
that
undergirds what I do and say, the way I live. If there's no resurrection,
'We eat, we drink, the next day we die,' and that's all there is to it."
(2)
Paul has written openly in his letters about persecution for preaching the
gospel. We don't really know what events he is referring to here. Perhaps
he
did fight wild beasts at some point. There is no other mention of it, so
we
don't know if he is speaking metaphorically or if it really happened. But
the point that Paul is making is that our belief in a God who raises the
dead is tremendously motivating when we are suffering or deprived or in
danger, whether we're being affected physically or emotionally or
spiritually. Whatever Paul went through, even fighting beasts in the
arena,
the hope of the resurrection strengthened him.
About a year ago Craig Duncan and I went to Pakistan with Ron Ritchie to
do
a pastors' conference in Lahore. During the day we were in the safe
confines
of the church meeting with other pastors. But every evening there was an
outdoor evangelistic crusade in an amphitheater. Five to eight thousand
people came each night. The host knew that there would be Muslims there,
some of whom were investigating the gospel, but some of whom were spying
out
what the Christians were doing. They told us up front that there was an
element of danger in the whole thing. We sat on the platform each night.
The
one who was really in danger was Ron Ritchie, who stood in the center
spotlight and preached the gospel each night of that crusade. On about the
third day, the host got a telephone call, and he told us that they had
been
threatened with violent disruption of the crusade that night. He said,
"Brothers, it's your call. Do you want to go through with this or not?"
We prayed with the brothers who were hosting us. We ended up saying in
essence, "What's the worst thing that could happen? We could get killed.
But
God is in charge of that. And we believe in the resurrection." So Ron
stood
up that night and preached the gospel. People were saved. Nobody got
killed,
at least none of us or anybody else that I knew of. But if we hadn't had
that hope, we would not have had the courage or the confidence to walk
into
that arena so that Ron could preach the gospel.
MOTIVATION FOR A HOLY LIFESTYLE
In the last two verses Paul makes a strong appeal in a series of commands.
In essence he says, "If you believe in the resurrection, then you will
live
a holy life. You will be sold out absolutely to Jesus Christ in all your
values and priorities."
Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." Become
sober-minded
as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak
this to your shame.
Paul is quoting a line from a comedy in Greek literature. But who is the
bad
company he is concerned about who might corrupt the morals of these
Corinthian Christians? From whom should they separate themselves? The
answer
is in verse 34: "...Some have no knowledge of God." Back in 15:12 Paul
wrote, "...How do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the
dead?" The "some" who were corrupting them were those who questioned the
resurrection, and their corrupting influence wasn't just about doctrine.
What you believe about the resurrection, Paul says, controls how you live
your life, how you spend your money and use your time, how you invest
yourself. People who think wrongly invariably behave wrongly. So just as
hoping in the resurrection is an incentive for obedience and holiness, so
denying the resurrection is an incentive for disobedience and immorality.
As
Paul says in verse 32, "We might as well eat and drink, for tomorrow we
die.
If death is the end, then what difference does it make how we live our
lives?" We could paraphrase this appeal in verse 34 this way: "Those of
you
who do believe in the resurrection know better, and you should be leading
those who do not believe in the resurrection into a true knowledge of God,
rather than allowing their heresy and immorality to mislead and corrupt
you."
I wrestled with this last week in terms of how it challenges us. It's a
tragedy when we Christians, the people of the resurrection, end up being
influenced by the nonbelievers around us who have embraced a material
philosophy that denies resurrection life. Now, few of our materialist
friends are going to advocate a life of sheer gluttony or drunkenness or
wantonness. But they tempt us with "the good life"-cultivating the fine
arts
of dining and music and theater, even treasured friend****ps. Ultimately
all
of that is self-centered, since it isn't concerned with any continuing
existence beyond the grave. Self-interest can even express itself in
humanitarianism, although in the final analysis it produces nothing
permanently satisfying if this life is all that exists.
As Christians, we must have a radically different mindset. We must
recognize
that a far better life awaits us than anything we can experience here. So
we
can risk our lives, our well-being, our resources for the sake of the
gospel. We can do it in ways that our material friends wouldn't even
consider. In our ethical framework, physical death cannot be the greatest
tragedy or the most powerful determinant of correct human behavior.
Instead,
we must always be asking the question, "What is likely to have the
greatest
spiritual advantage for the most number of people?" We want to think like
the apostle Paul.
I read a quote this week by Gordon Snyder:
"The resurrection addresses those who insist on protection and security of
the individual, of institutions, and of the country. Such persons set up
mechanisms of defense along economic lines, racial lines, and national
lines. In sharp contrast, the life of the Spirit with its hope in the
resurrection does not, indeed cannot, dwell on preservation of the flesh,
of
personhood or institutions or nations. Rather, the cor****ate life of the
Christian becomes one of risk. A Christian can risk his or her life
because
a Christian knows this life is not the end." (3)
If we believe that Christ has now been raised from the dead, we will stand
out in the world around us. Are you convinced that because of Christ's
resurrection, your future is totally secure and you have been included in
the hope of the resurrection? Can you live fearlessly in the midst of all
the swirling currents and forces at work in the world around you? Are your
eyes set on the goal, which is for God to ultimately reign? Finally, and
practically, is the way you make choices about your budget, discretionary
time, resources, and energy driven by passion for the resurrection and the
difference it makes?
Notes:
1. Mount Hermon Log, Volume 54, Number 3, August, 1998. P. 2.
2. Eugene H. Peterson, The Message, © 1993, 1994 by Eugene H. Peterson.
NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. P. 364.
3. Gordon F. Snyder, First Corinthians: A Faith Community Commentary, ©
1992
by Mercer, Macon, GA. P. 211.
The Scripture quotations in this message are all taken from New American
Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
1995
The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Copyright © 1998 Discovery Publi****ng, a ministry of Peninsula Bible
Church.
This data file is the sole property of Discovery Publi****ng, a ministry of
Peninsula Bible Church. It may be copied only in its entirety for
circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must
contain
the above copyright notice. This data file may not be copied in part,
edited, revised, copied for resale or incor****ated in any commercial
publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other
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Publi****ng. Requests for permission should be made in writing and
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to Discovery Publi****ng, 3505 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto, CA. 94306-3695.
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