Grace Bible Church
Brian Fisher
“Your Best Life... Is Not Now”
1 Corinthians 15
I. The necessity of resurrection
– 1 Cor. 15
Dead in our sins – 1 Cor. 15:12-19
No motivation for holy living – 1 Cor. 15:30-32
Bodies physically broken – outer man is wasting away
Bodies inhabited by indwelling sin; “flesh”
Resurrection solves all of these problems
II. The meaning of
“resurrection” – 15:42-45
“As a child, I took it for granted that Easter meant that Jesus literally rose from the dead. I now see Easter very differently. For me, it is irrelevant whether or not the tomb was empty. Whether Easter involved something remarkable happening to the physical body of Jesus is irrelevant.”
—Marcus Borg, a leader of the Jesus Seminar
“Make no mistake: if He rose at all it was as His body; if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit, the amino acids rekindle, the Church will fall….”
—John Updike
Not myth, allegory, analogy; literal; not just your spirit
1. Jesus rose bodily – John 2:19-21; Luke 24:36-43
2. Your body will be recreated and inhabited by your spirit
Created bodily; Genesis 2:7; became “nephesh” (soul or person)
Disembodied spirit is definition of death for humans
3. Our future body will be like Christ’s resurrection body
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
—Philippians 3:20-21
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
—1 John 3:2
Creeds
Reformed: Westminster Confession (1646) “… [Jesus] was crucified, and died; was buried, and remained under the power of death, yet saw no corruption. On the third day he arose from the dead, with the same body in which he suffered; with which also he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth at the right hand of his Father, making intercession; and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world.”
Methodist: Articles of Religion (1784) “Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man’s nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day.”
Grace Bible Church: “We believe that Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our redemption is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; 4:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:20; 1 Corinthians 15).”
You, as you were originally designed to be, will be perfected
1. Resurrection body – 1 Cor. 15:42-44
Imperishable; “incorruptible”
Glorious – Transfiguration; Rev. 1:12-15; Mt. 13:43; Dan. 12:3; Ex. 34:29-30
Powerful
2. Resurrection will
Since I have a will, won’t it be possible to still sin?
You can have will, but still be unable to do certain things.
God can’t do certain things. Can’t do things contrary to your nature.
Death and sin removed – 15:51-57
No flesh; world order under Christ’s control; Nature changed
Can’t be tempted because we see reality
3. Resurrection intellect – 1 Cor. 13:12
4. Resurrection emotions – feelings appropriate to reality
5. Resurrection relationships – harmony; no fear; enjoy, not use one another
6. Resurrection opportunities
Able to do things you could never do before
Satisfying labor; perfect relationships; perfect environment
Conclusion
C.S. Lewis, Weight of Glory, p. 13