We Shall All Be Changed
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
It is a most serious matter. The teaching of
the church, from the earliest days, is that the dead in Christ
shall rise on the last day. We hear little of this these days;
but this should not be. The resurrection of the dead is one of
the central doctrines of the faith.
(1 Cor 15:35-47 NIV) But someone may ask,
"How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they
come?" {36} How foolish! What you sow does not come to life
unless it dies. {37} When you sow, you do not plant the body
that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something
else. {38} But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to
each kind of seed he gives its own body. {39} All flesh is not
the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another,
birds another and fish another. {40} There are also heavenly
bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the
heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly
bodies is another. {41} The sun has one kind of splendor, the
moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star
in splendor. {42} So will it be with the resurrection of the
dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised
imperishable; {43} it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in
glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; {44} it is
sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is
a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. {45} So it is
written: "The first man Adam became a living being" ; the last
Adam, a life-giving spirit. {46} The spiritual did not come
first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. {47} The
first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from
heaven.
Everything by analogy
St. Augustine pointed out the central
difficulty. He was speaking of the Trinity, but the point
applies elsewhere. God, and the things of God, are so far above
us that we cannot speak of them with great precision. Often we
can speak of them only by analogy. So it is here. Paul
introduces the subject to the Corinthians by analogy, so that
they might more clearly understand.
When you sow, it dies
This was a society that was quite familiar
with agriculture; the analogy would have been a homely one to
them. But it has two points:
·
If there is to be a bodily
resurrection, there must be bodily death. At least in
potential – and for most of us, in actuality – the body
must die. Otherwise, the discussion makes no sense.
·
More importantly, the
process is according to the plan and wisdom of God. He
arranges nature in this way; he arranges our
resurrection in this way. So the matter is under his
control, just as nature is under his control.
When it rises, it is different
It is an agricultural fact that seeds tend
not to look too much like the plants they produce – something
these folks would have known. (I am no gardener; we’ll have to
take that one on faith). But again we can learn from this:
·
First, this difference is
clearly as God designed it. We see this variation in the
universe, which is his creation. We shall see a
difference between the mortal bodies in which we now
reside and the eternal bodies then.
·
Indeed, the difference is
according to the purpose of God. We plant particular
seeds to obtain particular plants. “Mystery seeds” are
weeds. So we know that God has a particular purpose in
these bodies.
What will it be like?
Paul in this section gives us some of the
characteristics of the resurrected body.
·
It will be imperishable.
That is to say, it will last “forever.” Presuming that
time continues (I have no information on the subject) it
will not change. We will be like God in that we will be
eternal – but human, in that we will have bodies.
·
It will be glorious. What
that means precisely is yet hidden from us, but as
someone put it, “If you walked into the room in your
resurrected body, the rest of us would be tempted to
fall down and worship you.” (Remember how the angels
usually began their conversations with “fear not?”)
·
It will be powerful. We do
not know much in the way of details (our Lord seemed to
walk through walls when he felt like it; walking on
water is another item) but it will seem to us as if we
were indeed powerful.
·
It will be a body of an
utterly different type: spiritual, not physical. Not a
ghost; not a transparency, but completely different.
Which makes it very difficult to describe, I would
think.
The example and the power: Christ
(1 Cor 15:48-58 NIV) As was the earthly man,
so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from
heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. {49} And just as we
have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the
likeness of the man from heaven. {50} I declare to you,
brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. {51}
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will
all be changed-- {52} in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be
raised imperishable, and we will be changed. {53} For the
perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the
mortal with immortality. {54} When the perishable has been
clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality,
then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been
swallowed up in victory." {55} "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?" {56} The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law. {57} But thanks be to God! He
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. {58}
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because
you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
One of the most powerful yet simple doctrines
of the New Testament is this: Jesus Christ was a man such as we
are. He is also God, completely. But because he had a body like
ours, we shall have a body like his. From his words and example,
what do we know about this body?
·
We are told we will be “like
the angels.” In one sense, this means that sexuality
(and the submission of women to men) ceases. Angels,
like God, are always referred to as “he.” But should
this also not imply a great power?
·
The body is distinctly
tangible. This is one of the difficulties with art work;
angels seem to be transparent to some artists. They are
not; their bodies are always shown as “solid” in both
Old Testament and New Testament. Indeed, they are
frequently mistaken for men – at first.
·
These bodies are clearly
recognizable. Christ tells Thomas to put his hands in
the nail prints. So evidently we will be able to know
one another by sight – or whatever the equivalent might
be.
·
But these bodies are also
given great power. Christ simply prevents the disciples
on the road to Emmaus from recognizing him.
The victory is his
All of this takes place because of the Cross.
The paradigm Paul gives us here is worth noting:
·
The power of the law is sin.
That is to say, if there were no law, there would be no
sin. We do not consider an eagle guilty of murder when
it pounces upon and kills a rabbit. No law, no sin. But
the law came; therefore there is sin. Whether that law
is from Mount Sinai or on our consciences, we have it.
·
The punishment of the law is
death. God, the Holy One, cannot remain with sin. His is
eternal life; therefore, sin merits death.
·
But Christ triumphed over
both. By bearing our punishment – as only one who is
sinless could – he broke the power of law over us.
Therefore the punishment is no more – and the
resurrection must happen.
Therefore…
All this is well and good, you might think,
but of no practical use. It is to counter that thought that Paul
concludes this section with one little verse which tells you
what to do about it.
Stand firm
What does he mean by that? I submit at least
three meanings for your consideration:
·
You know the difference
between right and wrong – do not fall into the trap of
assuming that “God will forgive – it’s his hobby.”
Rather, flee from sin in your life.
·
Take your stand for
righteousness. When all others about you are in the “get
along, go along” mode, throw the anchor into the stream
and hold your position.
·
Finally, do not be deflected
from right doctrine. It does matter what you believe.
Therefore, study the Scriptures so that your firm stand
will be an informed one.
Give yourselves fully to the work
There are three things to note in that
sentence: the adverb, the noun and the verb:
·
The adverb is “fully.” So
many of us are half-hearted in our service for Christ.
You would not accept half-hearted service in those who
supply you with their services; what makes you think
Christ will accept it from you?
·
The noun is “work.” God is
not fond of slackers (physical or intellectual).
Remember that it is work, and not just whatever spare
moment you just happen to be able to put into it. Plan
for it; make it part of your daily life.
·
The verb is “give.” Do not
participate as if you had been extorted into it. Rather,
look at your work for Christ as a gift you are able to
bring to God.
Reward
Your “labor is not in vain.” God will reward
those who sacrifice for him. He rewards:
·
Steadfastness. Those who
remain strong for him will be rewarded.
·
Work. Those who work for him
will be rewarded.
It is an awesome thing, the resurrection to
come. No doubt our knowledge is incomplete. No doubt that, on
the day, this lesson will seem pale and puny in comparison to
the real thing. But let us remain steadfast, work hard as our
gift to the Lord – until the real thing arrives.
