Resurrection of the Dead- a bit long, but perhaps edifying for someone

[eaglesway]

"I am on trial for the hope of the resurrection".
Paul used this claim to raise a dissension between the parties of the Sanhedrin(Pharisee, Sadducee)- before whom he was in chains for the gospel of Jesus Christ(Acts 23:6;24:21). Intrinsic to this gospel Paul preached was the promise of the physical resurrection of the body.
On Mars Hill he announced the "good news" to Hebrew and Gentile alike, focusing on the resurrection of the dead.

Act 17:30-32  "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."  Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, "We shall hear you again concerning this."

Indeed Paul makes the case for physical resurrection a core foundation of the gospel and the reliability of the apostolic testimony when addressing certain deceptions within the Corinthian assembly.

1Co 15:12-15  Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;  and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.

Why was this necessary?

We know, from the words of Jesus and all of the writers of the New Testament scriptures that faith in Jesus Christ produces an immediate spiritual resurrection.

"He that believes in me has passed from death into life"
and
"He that believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live"
and, perhaps most importantly of all
"He that believes in me, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water"
This spoke he of the Holy Spirit, that should be given to those who believe.

Peter proclaimed this, "For the promise is to you and your children and to all who are afar off, even as many whom the Lord shall call to himself"(acts 2:38)- speaking of Joel's prophesy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit "upon all flesh" by Jesus Christ, from the right hand of God.

Paul described this "believers gift" of the Holy Spirit as the "earnest on the inheritance", a "down-payment guaranteeing the purchased possession". This means that the Holy Spirit brings a "portion" of the final inheritance, a portion that presents security for that which was purchased on the cross of Jesus Christ and released by his resurrection. This resurrection of Jesus was "in full"- spirit, soul and body- a complete restoration of all the ravages of death that he had experienced on our behalf. Also, certainly even more than restoration, it was a "transcendence" over everything connected to mortality in a completely new being- a man fully merged with God.

Paul tells us that we have received the spirit, whereby we cry, "Abba Father". This is the sure inner testimony that we are children, sons and inheritors "in Christ" of this same "in full" resurrection and that indeed, we(under the headship of Jesus) will bring the entire creation into this "glorious liberty" we have received as sons of God.

Paul uses the term "adoption", meaning "placement as sons", referring to the time when a son receives his inheritance rights within his father's estate- is "given the keys to the kingdom" so to speak. He is directly tying "adoption" to the physical resurrection of the body - "the revelation of the sons of God"- something for which the entire creation awaits anxiously, and, Paul says, for which we ourselves groan inwardly.

There are some who have failed to see the overwhelming nature of this "full resurrection". They have pitted "spiritual resurrection" against "physical resurrection" as if they we opposing ideals.
As if you could purchase revelation with either "the heads" of the truth or "the tails" of it. In this case, as in all the great questions of the "mystery of Christ", one needs the "whole coin" to buy anything.

Peter describes the faith of Jesus Christ as having delivered to us "everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of God". He describes this "true knowledge" as having been "born anew" by an "incorruptible seed" unto a "living hope".  He describes it as becoming "partakers of the divine nature". This living hope is "full resurrection" in Jesus Christ. Received as a seed, "Christ in you the hope of glory", it provides a resurrection of the heart, spirit and soul of man- testified to within the physical realm by abundant love, by healings, by supernatural peace of mind and by "light" of revelation shining from within "earthen vessels" that shall be "clothed upon" with immortality as light swallows darkness, life swallows death. First we are sown in the earth physically as forerunners of faith, hope and love, "That we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory", a "kind of first fruits of His creation". In this way He has planted resurrection within corruption, speaking "Let there be light!" as order rises from chaos, harmony from destruction- until "ALL" is reconciled, "ALL" set free from the ravages of death. When we are raised as spiritual, it will incorporate the resurrection of the physical,, as it did with Jesus.

This full resurrection is coming to the entire creation of God. The seed of it was in the Father's heart before, "before the foundations of the kosmos". This seed of sacrificial love that was to be planted in the earth through the death of Jesus Christ- a "new tree" bursting through the chaff of his physical body, life enough to swallow all the death in all the ages of the kosmos- "Behold, I am making all things new!". In the process of making all things new, the one new man, composed of Hebrew and Gentile sons(by grace, by inheritance and through resurrection) will be revealed in further glory, in the ages to come, ministering reconciliation, distributing the "glorious liberty of the children of God"(Eph 2:6,7; Ro 8:11-25)

There is a road of understanding that leads through Paul's epistle to the Romans that tells the whole story.

Rom 1:1-4  Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,  which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Rom 6:4-6  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection....

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.


Rom 8:23  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.



In the same manner as Jesus was resurrected; spirit soul and body, so shall we be.
"Have we been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His glorious light?"
Indeed we have!
"Have we been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that we may be raised to walk in 'newness of life'".
Definitely!
Are we "Seated with Christ in at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus?"(Eph 2:6,7;Col 3:1-3)
Of course we are, and let us set our affections there!
When Christ is revealed will we be "revealed with him from heaven?"
Absolutely, for "When He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is!"
We know in part, we have received in part- but the part that we have received guarantees the whole, and indeed guarantees it for the whole creation.

Eph 1:9-14  He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,  to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.  In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,   who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Rom 8:19-24  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.   For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

Eph 2:4-7  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, SO THAT IN THE AGES TO COME to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.


If this resurrection were only spiritual, Paul would not have appealed to the Pharisees among the Sanhedrin, creating a debate between them and the Sadducees, who did not believe in a physical resurrection. The full resurrection we are to receive involves the mortal body being raised in an energized immortal state as the "clothing" for the immortal spirit and soul of the being/person within it.

The reason it is written that the "Holy Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified", is that Jesus had to be raised from the dead, and ascend to the right hand of the Father- "be glorified"-  in full resurrection before he could receive the Holy Spirit without measure from the Father, and begin pouring it out.

Joh 20:17  Jesus *said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"

Act 2:30-35  "And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON HIS THRONE,  he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.   "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.   "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.    "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,  UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."


For so it pleased the Father to make all the fulness dwell in him and through him to reconcile all things to Himself through the blood of His cross (Col 1:15-21).

Col 2:9-10  For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,  and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

This is the nature of his resurrection and it is the key to the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Act 1:1-3  The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,   until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.   To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.


Luk 24:39  Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

That Jesus was resurrected in the body, both he and his disciples have testified. That he was "declared to be the son of God by the resurrection of the dead" is our hope that enters within the veil. That we shall be declared with him as sons by the "redemption of our bodies" is the signal event for which all creation yearns.

1Jn 3:2-3  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.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.


Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then we also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Having been sown a physical seed, we will be raised a spiritual body, one in which death has been swallowed up by life, "clothed with immortality", a transformation that transcends anything we can presently conceive.

Paul clearly believed in a physical resurrection, declaring it to be the reason for his chains. All that is included within the promises of the gospel are integrated with the proof of Jesus Christ's physical resurrection. That he has taken the keys to death and the grave is the sure evidence that we, and the whole creation will be restored to immortal glory, and revealed in a transcendent state of "newness" that is beyond our mortal ability to understand. Those who define "spirituality" as being, by nature, unable to incorporate and energize the physical universe, have missed that "all" that God has created is spiritual, and His purpose in creating it is a part of the entire administration of the fulness of times, the summing up of all things in Christ, whether things in the heavens or the earth(Eph 1:9-11).

This is the gospel

Act 17:30-31  "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,   because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."