ACD Series or Booklet: part V of VI

First Principles of the Christian Faith – Part V

By Brian Knowles

If only for this life,” wrote the apostle Paul, “we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (I Corinthians 15:19 NIV). According to Christian Solidarity International, “more Christians died for their faith in the twentieth century than at any other time in history.” Thomas Horn writes, “Global reports indicate that over 150,000 Christians were martyred last year, chiefly outside of the United States. However, statistics are changing: persecution of Christians is on the increase in the United States” (www.worthynews.com).

            If all there is to being a Christian is endless persecution and eventual death, then what’s the point? In some cultures, choosing to become a Christian is like committing slow suicide. The worst countries in the world in which to be a Christian are: North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, Maldives, Bhutan, Vietnam, Yemen, Laos and China (in that order). In nine out of ten of the above-listed nations, there is one of two common denominators: Communism or Islam. Only one persecuting power is neither: Bhutan. In that Himalayan kingdom, Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion. Officially, Christianity does not exist in Bhutan. Christians are not allowed to pray or celebrate in public, and multiple house gatherings are forbidden.

            At least 40 other nations, other than the ten worst listed above, make it difficult to be a Christian. Some of them are supposed to be U.S. “allies.”

            Paul understood from personal experience, and the experience of many of his converts, what it was like to be persecuted for one’s beliefs. He went “through the mill” as they say (cf. II Corinthians 11:16-33). To make his horrendous experience worthwhile, Paul knew there had to be more than this persecution-filled life. There had to be another better kind of life after this painful mortal existence. Consequently, Paul, more than any other Biblical writer, has much to say about the principle of resurrection. Before we get to that, let’s consider some passages in the Hebrew Bible.

Daniel 12:2-3

Daniel writes: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”       

            This is the pivotal passage on resurrection in the TaNaKh. It speaks either of two resurrections: one to life, the other to “shame and everlasting contempt,” or of one resurrection with two outcomes. It establishes the imagery of resurrection as an awakening from sleep. Of this passage, the Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible says, “The prevailing image – from which, indeed, the term itself [resurrection] is derived – is that of waking from sleep (e.g. Daniel 12:2)” (Vol.4, p. 39).

            To “resurrect” is to: “raise again from the dead.” It is to awaken from an otherwise permanent sleep. Many other passages in the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 26:19; Job 19:25-27; Psalm 17:15; Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 49:15 etc.) seem to hint at the idea of resurrection, but only this one is entirely clear in its meaning.

Beliefs in Jesus’ Day

By the time of Christ, Judaism was divided on the issue of resurrection. The Sadducees denied the resurrection altogether. This fact came out on one occasion when Paul was hauled before the Sanhedrin: “Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.’ When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all” (Acts 23:6-8).

            Jesus himself endorsed the doctrine – but not the practice where hypocritical – of the Pharisees for his own disciples (Matthew 23:1-2). He too believed in resurrection, angels and spirits.

            It is clear that Paul, following the Pharisaic rather than the Sadducean model, believed in the principle of resurrection. In his trial before King Agrippa, Paul again confirmed his belief: “Why should any of you consider it to be incredible that God should raise the dead?” (Acts 26:8). Paul took the hope of resurrection as a given. It was an integral part of his theology.

Jesus and the Resurrection

The story of Lazarus helps us understand some major points about the resurrection. Lazarus (Greek for Eleazar), whose name means “God is helper,” lived in the village of Bethany. The name “Bethany” can mean either “House of affliction” or “House of response.” Bethany was located on the lower eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. (It is not the same as “Bethany beyond the Jordan” – John 1:28 – where John the Baptist baptized.)

            Lazarus fell sick. His two sisters, Mary and Martha – Mary, being the same Mary who wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair – sent word to Jesus: “Lord, the one you love is sick” (John 11:1-3).

            Jesus’ response was enigmatic: “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (verse 4). Instead of rushing over to Bethany to pray for Lazarus, Jesus remained where he was for another two days (verse 5). Then he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea” (verse 7). This idea didn’t “set well” with his talmidim. They reminded him that some of his fellow Jews had attempted to stone him there (verse 8).

            Again, Jesus’ response seems enigmatic: “are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light” (John 11:9-10). Jesus knows that his hour of trial has not yet come. He is able to walk by the light of prophetic insight. It is still safe for him to travel to Bethany. He knows, for example, that his friend Lazarus has died: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up” (verse 11).

            Jesus’ disciples didn’t get it. They replied that if Lazarus was merely asleep, he would eventually revive and get better (verse 12). But, “Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him” (verses 14-15).

            Jesus, like Daniel (Daniel 12:2-3), equates physical death with sleep. Lazarus’ death had a divine purpose. Jesus knew it by the Spirit of God. He was now about to fulfill that purpose. Jesus and his entourage of students were about to head over to Bethany. Before they left, however, Thomas (of “Doubting Thomas” fame) said to the others, “Let us go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16b). He had not grasped the meaning of Jesus’ statement a moment before: “A man who walks by day will not stumble…” Since Jesus and his disciples would again come under the withering gaze of those who sought to stone him, Thomas assumed that all of them would share Jesus’ fate. He did not understand that it was not yet Jesus’ time to die, or that when he did, it would not be by stoning but by crucifixion.

            With this glum outlook, Jesus, Thomas and the other disciples headed for Bethany.

Resurrection at Bethany

“On his arrival,” reads the account, “Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days” (John 11:17). Like Rover, he was dead all over. Martha, one of Lazarus’ sisters, knew that by this time decomposition of her brother’s body would have set in (verse 39b). This is exactly what Jesus wanted. He wanted everyone to know with certainty that Lazarus was truly dead. If one who was raised from the dead had not been dead long, then skeptics could challenge the reality of the resurrection by saying, “Well, perhaps he wasn’t really dead. Maybe he was just in a coma.” No one could say that in the case of Lazarus! Jesus’ delaying his coming to this point was of strategic importance.

            When Jesus arrived at the sepulcher where Lazarus was entombed, he was deeply moved (verse 38). He knew that his followers did not fully grasp who and what he was, or what he had come to accomplish. Lazarus’ burial site was a cave with stone rolled over it (verse 38 b). Jesus ordered the stone rolled away from the entrance (verse 39). Then Jesus reminded Martha and the others of what he had said earlier: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (verse 40).

            Belief here was an expression of faith in Christ – in the truth of what he had said and what he could do. Martha understood the doctrine of resurrection correctly. Speaking of her dead brother, she said, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24). This statement accurately reflected the teaching of Jesus and that of the Pharisees, but Jesus had in mind something more profound.

            “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (verse 26). This is one of the most important and profound statements in the entire Bible. Martha’s response seems to indicate that she still did not fully grasp the implications of what Jesus was saying: “Yes Lord, she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ [Anointed One], the Son of God, who was to come into the world” (John 11:27). Martha was convicted that Jesus was the Anointed One about whom there were more than 400 allusions in the TaNaKh (“Old” Testament). [Note: A list of these Messianic passages can be found in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim, Volume II, page 710 ff., Appendix IX. There are listed 456 passages in all.]

            Martha then ran to fetch her sister, Mary, since Jesus was asking for her. When Mary arrived she said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11: 28-32). Mary, grieved over what she perceived to be the unnecessary loss of her brother, broke into tears. The Jews who had accompanied her did the same. Jesus was disturbed by this display of emotion because he knew what God was about to do through him, and Mary did not. Both Mary and Martha had a sort of “academic” understanding of who Jesus was. They were “doctrinally correct” about him. But their faith hadn’t yet caught up with their doctrine.

            Jesus and the group then walked up to the site of the sepulcher. The Lord commanded, “Take away the stone.”

            Mary, thinking practically, and still not getting it, responded, “But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there for four days” (John 11:39b). She understood that her brother’s body would have begun the process of decomposition – and that’s exactly what Jesus wanted. He wanted the whole crowd, including his disciples, to know that Lazarus was truly dead.

            Jesus then said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (verse 40).

            They then removed the stone, allowing the pungent aroma of a decaying body to waft out into the ambient air. Jesus looked up and prayed, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:41). No one could raise the dead to life but with the power of God. Then Jesus raised his voice and called out to the body of Lazarus: “Lazarus, come out!” (verse 43).

            Out of the fetid darkness of the tomb emerged a man swaddled in mummy-like wrappings. Even his face was wrapped in cloth. Jesus then ordered that the grave clothes be unwound and that Lazarus be released (verse 44b). We assume that someone in the audience provided the resurrected man with suitable garments.

            At one level, Jesus’ restoration of Lazarus to life had the desired effect: “Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him” (John 11:45). At another level, the effect was negative. Some ran to the Pharisees who called a meeting of the Sanhedrin to discuss the matter. Instead of viewing the event as the great miracle that it was, they saw it through political lenses. You can read the results in verses 46 through 57.

            Jesus had shown irrefutably that he had the power and the authority to raise the dead. When he said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” he was speaking literally.

            On an earlier occasion, Jesus had spoken plainly about his authority to resurrect: “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it” (John 5:21).

            Jesus explained that God the Father had entrusted all judgment to himself and that those who heard and believed Jesus would have eternal life (John 5:24). Even in that time Jesus had demonstrated his ability to raise the dead. He then pointed to a future time of resurrection: “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:29).         

            Here Jesus is speaking of a mass resurrection of all of mankind. Some will rise to live, others to be condemned. Clearly the one death we must all die (Hebrews 9:27) is not the end of it. For some, there will be eternal life after this physical life; for others, a second, final, eternal death (Revelation 20:14).

            In light of traditional pop theology, all of this may be quite disturbing. We are accustomed to hearing the simplistic view that we Christians simply waft off to heaven at death. Little is said about wafting in the opposite direction – or about the principle of resurrection from the “sleep” of death. The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, makes clear the process of resurrection.

I Corinthians 15

With good reason, this is often termed “the resurrection chapter.” More than any other place in Scripture, it outlines what the apostle Paul believed about the resurrection of the dead.

            Paul begins by reminding the Corinthians of the Gospel that he had preached to them. One of its cardinal message points was the fact that Christ had died for the sins of mankind, as the Holy Scriptures had predicted he would (I Corinthians 15:1-3).

            Jesus’ death paid the penalty for human sin, the wages of which is death (Romans 6:23). Following his crucifixion, Jesus lay “three days and three nights” in a tomb. On the third day, also according to the Scriptures, Jesus rose from the dead (I Corinthians 15:4).

            Once he was resurrected, Jesus appeared to Peter, the twelve apostles, and to more than 500 brethren, many of whom were still alive at the time Paul wrote this first letter to the Corinthians. They were living eye-witnesses to the fact that Jesus had indeed been resurrected (verses 5 & 6). After that, Jesus continued to appear to various witnesses including James, all of the apostles, and even to Paul (I Corinthians 15:7-8). Between the time of his resurrection, and the time Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians (perhaps around 54 or 55 AD), Jesus had appeared to hundreds of eye-witnesses. There was no doubt that he had been crucified and killed, and there was no doubt that he was now alive and appearing to his brethren in the Church.

            The reason God provided so many witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection is that it is the most important single event in God’s redemptive plan. If it didn’t really happen in space and time, then the Christian faith is a meaningless exercise in spiritual futility. As Paul himself wrote: “…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (I Corinthians 15:14).

            A few sentences later, Paul explains why this is the case: “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (I Corinthians 15:17-19).

            To the Romans, Paul put it this way: “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:9-10).

            Our salvation hangs on the issue of whether Jesus is dead or alive. His resurrection makes possible our resurrection.

            Once we know that we will be resurrected, it’s natural to want to understand the mechanics of the process. After establishing the foregoing, Paul then addresses nuts & bolts issues.

Order of Resurrection

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the death, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam, all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his turn: Christ the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (I Corinthians 15:20-26).

            Death is an enemy, but Jesus is “the resurrection and the life.” He is the destroyer of all of mankind’s enemies, including Ha Satan – the Adversary. The devil is associated with the yetzer hara – the evil impulse – in mankind. By tempting man to sin, as he did Adam and Eve in the Garden, Satan produces the “wages of sin” – death. Satan is a killer (John 8:44). Jesus is the opposite. He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). As John also wrote: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (I John 3:8).

            The devil is an unclean spirit who produces only destruction and death. He is a tempter, a murderer, a liar, a snake-in-the-grass, and an adversary to both Christ and man (Romans 12:9 & elsewhere). He brings out the worst in mankind. Jesus brings out the best.

The Resurrection Body

It is natural to speculate about the kind of body those who are resurrected will possess. Will we have the same old body we have now – with all of its flaws and imperfections? After all, didn’t Jesus show Thomas his nail scars after his resurrection, and the wound in his side (John 20:27).

            However, until Jesus ascended to heaven, he was not yet glorified (John 7:39b). When we read descriptions of the glorified Jesus, there is no indication of any imperfection (John 1:12-15).

            Paul addresses the issue of the resurrection body in I Corinthians 15:35-41. He uses the picture of a seed to illustrate his point. The plant that comes up after we have planted a seed does not look like the seed that was planted. After the plant has grown from the seed, we can look in the ground in vain to find the seed. It is no more. Yet it has produced a full-grown plant. By the same token, the present mortal body is analogous to a plant seed that produces something entirely new. One kind of body is suitable for dwelling on this physical planet. Another kind works best for the spiritual dimension. God gives everything a body appropriate for its circumstances.

            So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable. It is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (I Corinthians 15:42-44).

            Now, we live with the weakness of our own flesh (Matthew 26:41). We live with the sure knowledge that some day we’ll die. Our fleshly tabernacles are subject to entropy. We, like the physical universe we inhabit, are running down from the moment we are born. Yet what goes into the ground at death produces a beautiful new glorified “plant.” The body God will give us will be imperishable, glorious, and spiritual. The new body will be given us by Jesus who is himself a “life-giving spirit” (I Corinthians 15:45).

            If we die in Christ, we will “sleep” in our graves until God’s time to resurrect us. Our spirits will be in God’s safekeeping (Hebrews 12:22-24). Then, suddenly, just as Lazarus heard the voice of Jesus and came forth out of his tomb, we will hear the sound of a divine shofar and we will come forth to life. Let’s listen to Paul as he explains it: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – 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. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’” (I Corinthians 15:51-54).

            With the sound of that shofar, the dead in Christ will come forth to inhabit eternity. Like Lazarus, they will shake off the wrappings of death and embrace the golden bands of immortality. Then we will all be able to sing the song, “Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” (verse 55).

            Paul then offers a final word of explanation: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:56).

The Hope of the Resurrection

Paul reminded other congregations of their hope in the resurrection, but he cautioned them about setting dates for the return of Christ: “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (I Thessalonians 5:1-3).

            The return of Christ will come upon the world when it is least expecting it, just as Jesus said it would (Luke 12:35-40).

            Paul also explained to the Thessalonians that at the same time, the resurrection of the dead in Christ would occur: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (I Thessalonians 4:16). This is the same blast of the shofar about which Paul wrote the Corinthians. The Lord may command his dead to “come forth!” just as he commanded Lazarus to come out of his tomb.

            Those of us who happen to be alive when the Lord returns will experience something a little different than the dead in Christ: “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (I Thessalonians 4: 17-18).

            What could be more encouraging to persecuted Christians than the sure knowledge that no matter how they die, or when they die, they will one day hear the blast of the divine shofar and that at that time, death, their death, will be forever defeated. They will rise to dwell with the Lord Jesus Christ for all of eternity. Is it any wonder that Jesus taught us: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28) ?

            That brings us to our next, and final, topic in this series: eternal judgment.  

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