1 Cor 15:35-49 The Resurrection Life
Do you believe in the resurrection? Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead?
• Do you believe that there will be a bodily resurrection and not some kind of spiritual existence with us floating around as spirits?
• Or for the non-Christians, believing in some kind of reincarnation and becoming like some animals or other creatures after death.
Check what are you believing and ask why are you believing it.
• All theories of the afterlife can only be speculations at best because none of their proponents has died to experience it, nor returned to affirm it.
EXCEPT for Jesus Christ, who talked about the resurrection and the life beyond, before He died and returned to affirm all that He has said.
• Jesus stayed after His resurrection for 40 days before He ascended, proving to us that He was indeed resurrected and alive.
• Without this stay and His appearances post-resurrection, it would be difficult for us, not just in believing the resurrection, but in understanding the resurrection body.
Let’s recap the context of 1 Cor 15. How can you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
• Paul started countering this false belief with the truth of the Gospel.
• 1 Cor 15:3-4 3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
• 1 Cor 15:12 12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
If there is no resurrection, then Christ could not have been raised.
• A denial of the resurrection would mean a denial of Christ’s resurrection.
• And with that, a denial of the Gospel because His resurrection is historically true, attested to by the Scriptures and the eye-witnesses.
• Everything crumbles – our preaching, our faith, our witness…
Paul continues his arguments in last week’s passage. He even uses their false belief as a point of argument:
15:29 “What do people mean by being baptised on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptised on their behalf?”
• This is wrong but some believed that they need to be baptised to be saved, like the Judaisers who believed that they need to be circumcised to be saved.
• And if the dead missed their baptism before they died, then they came up with this wrong notion of baptising on their behalf, just to make sure that they are saved.
• Paul was not advocating this but using it to show their inconsistency. “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then why are you so concerned about “baptising” for them?
Then “why should I be suffering for the sake of the Gospel?”
• Wherever Paul went, he has been risking his life for the sake of the Gospel. His conduct makes no sense unless there is a resurrection of the dead.
• 15:32 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.”
Today we come to another “excuse”: But how can we inherit such a corrupt body?
1 Cor 15:35-49 ESV – The Resurrection Body
35But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40There 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. 41There 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.
42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48As 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. 49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
Those who oppose the resurrection ask: “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"
• Paul answered with 2 illustrations and 2 contrasts, to help his readers understand.
The TWO ILLUSTRATIONS, one from NATURE and the other from CREATION.
• What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
UNDERSTANDING THE RESURRECTION FROM NATURE
You sow the seed in the ground and it dies. When it dies, it produces a new life, a new plant or a new tree.
• It is quite unlike the seed – it is a body, a body given by God as He chooses – yet it comes from the seed and it is “OF” the seed.
• An apple seed brings forth an apple tree. Papaya seed brings forth a completely different tree, a different “body” because “to each kind of seed its own body”.
There is CONTINUITY – the apple seed will not bring forth an orange tree.
• There is a CONNECTION between the seed and the tree, and yet a TRANSFORMATION.
• The seed dies and transforms itself into a tree. There is CONTINUITY and a very contrasting CHANGE. Each “body” is uniquely its own, according to what you sow.
And Paul introduces GOD here - He made it happen. The truth is, He “gives it a body as He has chosen!”
The seed must die to bring forth the tree and a new life; the seed must die to itself so that the higher life can come forth.
• We just need only to look at the realm of nature and understand the plan of God for our lives. Death, therefore, is not a barrier but the means to God’s end.
• Death of the physical life is not an end. A transformation will take place according to the purposes of God.
Paul went on to illustrate it from CREATION:
UNDERSTANDING THE RESURRECTION FROM CREATION 15:39-41
39For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40There 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. 41There 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.
God created not only the plant world (illustrated by the sowing of the seed) but humans, animals, birds and fish, as well as heavenly and earthly bodies.
• That’s the picture of CREATION. Each has its glory, and even among the stars, “star differs from star in glory”!
• God gives each form its own distinct body because each has its purpose and domain.
• Birds fly and so they are given lightweight bodies and wings. Whales live deep in the ocean with bodies that can withstand the pressures of the depths.
• Every created being is made to fit its domain and suit its environment, and hence the body functions differently.
Seeing this great design of God in His creation, can we doubt His ability to give us a glorious resurrection body at the “new creation”, one best suited for heaven?
• Looking at nature and creation, can we still doubt that God is capable of giving us a unique and glorious body? One that has continuity and yet is different.
• The God who called creation into existence can surely cause a decaying corpse to come back to life in a new and transformed body, made according to His choice.
To sum up, God created man from the dust of the earth, death returned man to dust and God, out of this “dust” – no matter whether you are buried or cremated, on land or at sea, destroyed in a war or disintegrated in an air crash – will resurrect us and give us a new and glorious body as He so determined.
• The resurrection of our bodies is not predicated on what happened to our bodies on our demise. It’s not going to be: “I am sorry you are buried at sea and your body was eaten up by fish. I cannot bring you back.”
• The reality of the resurrection lies in the power of God, displayed in nature and His creation, as Paul has illustrated.
Paul went on to paint the TWO CONTRASTS:
1. Contrasting Old and New Body - WE SHALL HAVE A NEW BODY
15:42-44 42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
There is a continuity between the earthly and the heavenly - the earthly body will be raised; it is being transformed into something new.
• There is continuity and yet a contrast. Paul uses four contrasts to illustrate the NEW:
? The earthly body is perishable, but the resurrection body is imperishable.
? The earthly is dishonourable but the new body is glorious.
? The earthly is weak but the resurrected body is powerful.
? The earthly has a natural body, but the resurrection body is a spiritual body.
What is SOWN will be RAISED. There is continuity. You will not become someone that you are not.
• The resurrected Jesus was the same Jesus the disciples knew and recognised.
• We have the same identity but dwell in very different bodies.
• The present body that is subjected to ageing, disease, pain and death will give way to one that will not decay, corrupt or die; one suited for heaven and for eternity.
Our salvation is more than just the saving of our spirit/soul but for the body also.
• Resurrection is how God saves our bodies. We will have a new and glorious body.
2. Contrasting First and Last Adam - WE SHALL BEAR HIS IMAGE
45Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48As 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. 49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
• The “first Adam” was a natural man and we were like him, mortal beings on earth.
• The “last Adam” became a spiritual man and we shall be like Him, being made a spiritual man bound for heaven because of our faith in Him.
• The “first Adam” through his sin and death, brought sin into the world and caused all men to be under the sentence of death.
• Jesus Christ, the “last Adam” through His righteousness, death, burial and resurrection, has brought about forgiveness and hence the future resurrection for us.
49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
• Are we going to be spirits floating around? No. We shall “bear the image of the man of heaven” and have a resurrected body like Jesus.
• He is the “firstfruits” of those who will be raised after Him. He is our prototype. His resurrected body is the model for us.
• Jesus remains recognisable and so will we. Our identity and personhood remain.
Let me close with this thought – THE IMAGE OF THE MAN OF HEAVEN!
Jesus the “last Adam” will forever bear the image of the Son of God with the marks of the crucifixion.
1. His resurrection body bears the body of a man, an eternal witness of His incarnation.
• John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
2. His resurrected body bears the marks of His sacrifice for the redemption of man. It is an eternal witness of His crucifixion.
• After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples. Luke 24:39-40 39See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
3. His resurrection body bears the marks of His triumph over sin and death. It is an eternal witness of His victory.
• John saw heaven in Rev 5:12 and heard the living creatures, elders and angels in the thousands praising Jesus with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!”
We shall be like Him in that glorious place.
• 2 Cor 4:16-18 16So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
• 2 Cor 5:1-5 1For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
We thank the Lord for all that He has prepared for us through Jesus Christ.
• That’s our destiny. This world is not our permanent home. We need to come back to God, worship and serve Him, and glorify Him.
• If Jesus is not your Saviour, then my question is, why? What is stopping you from believing Jesus and receiving Him as your Saviour? He came to save us.
• We can repent of our sins now and turn to Jesus in faith. You will be greatly blessed!
Prayer:
Thank you, heavenly Father, for the gift of your salvation and eternal life in Jesus Christ, and for the hope of resurrection we have today. Jesus, you have risen and so shall we. Help us live with faith and confidence in the light of this glorious resurrection. Let us treasure our days and live them well for your glory. In Jesus’ Name we pray, AMEN.
You can listen to the audio sermon with slides at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQrv-pwRLAw
Earlier audio sermons are available at https://tinyurl.com/KTCC-EnglishService
