Scripture: 1st Corinthians 15:35-50
Video Link: https://youtu.be/VUUAN9TiW8E
Structure:
- Introduction
- Symptoms & Cause
- Continuity & Transformation
- Before & After
- Conclusion – application
Introduction:
Good morning everyone.
If you are out at sea and the boat you are in is leaking, you need to do two things. You need to bail out the water you’ve taken on board and you need to patch the hole to stop the leak. Patching the hole deals with the cause of the problem and bailing out the excess water deals with the symptoms.
Likewise, if you are running a high temperature you may need to take some Panadol to bring the temperature down but Panadol, by itself, only deals with the symptoms. To deal with the cause of the problem you need to go to a doctor. If the underlying issue is an infection, then you might need antibiotics to treat the cause.
Today we continue our series in 1st Corinthians 15, where the apostle Paul writes about resurrection. Some in the church at Corinth were saying there is no resurrection of the dead. Having dealt with the symptoms of this problem, Paul also addresses the underlying cause of the problem. From 1st Corinthians 15, verses 35-50, we read…
35 But someone will 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 Not all flesh is the same: People 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 splendour of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendour of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendour, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendour. 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 dishonour, 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 is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. 50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
Symptoms and cause:
In the first 34 verses of 1st Corinthians 15, Paul writes about the absolute necessity of the resurrection for Christian faith. As helpful and necessary as these verses are, they mainly deal with the symptoms of the problem.
Now, in verses 35-50, Paul addresses the underlying cause of the Corinthians’ problem. He patches the hole in the sinking boat of their faith. He administers the theological antibiotics needed to treat their infected thinking.
You see, the people of Corinth were strongly influenced by Greek thought. The Greek philosopher Plato (who lived about 400 years before Paul) came up with a theory that each human being has a divine soul of pure fire that, in this life, is imprisoned in a body. At death the soul (or spirit) escapes from the prison of the body and returns to the divine fire from which it came. [1]
To the ancient Greek mind, there was a false dichotomy (or a divide) between body and soul. The body was considered inferior (even bad) relative to the soul or spirit. Consequently, the ancient Greeks had a hard time accepting the resurrection of the body. The idea that God would raise people’s bodies from the dead was revolting to them.
Paul was Jewish and so his thinking started with the story of creation where God made all things and declared them good. For Christians there is no dichotomy between body & soul. Your body is not a prison, it’s not bad. Your body is good; it is sacred even. The problem is with sin and death.
But Paul’s Greek readers didn’t think like that. They had been conditioned differently and so Paul had to address the underlying cause. Paul had to undo the Greek idea that the body was bad (like a prison) and he had to correct the false notion of a disembodied spirit after death.
People in our society today might also struggle with the idea of a bodily resurrection but for different reasons, perhaps because materialism is so pervasive in our culture. For many people, if they can’t touch it or see it or explain it, then it doesn’t exist. That’s how we are conditioned to think.
In verse 35, Paul imagines two questions some of his readers might ask:
How are the dead raised? (Or how is resurrection possible, in other words.)
And with what kind of body will they come? (Or said another way: what is the resurrected body like?) Paul answers these questions in the verses that follow.
He begins by saying, ‘How foolish’. Paul is not calling his readers stupid or unintelligent. Rather, he is using the term ‘fool’ in the Old Testament sense of someone who fails to take God into account.
How are the dead raised? By God of course. And with what kind of body will they come? A different kind of body, perfectly suited to eternity.
Continuity and transformation:
In short, Paul is saying there is a continuity between this life and the next but there is also transformation. Continuity with transformation.
There is continuity in the sense that just as you have a personal body in this life, so too you will have your own body in the next life. Contrary to Greek philosophy then, you don’t become a disembodied spirit when you die and you don’t lose your individuality.
Having said that, your resurrected body will be a different kind of body from the earthly body you inhabit now. Your body will undergo a radical transformation in the resurrection.
This principle of transformation was different from what the Jewish Rabbis taught in the first century. The Rabbis believed in a bodily resurrection but they didn’t think the body changed. They believed you just get your old body back, which for most of us (as we get older) is not a happy thought.
When it comes to the resurrection, the Christian belief is continuity with transformation.
Paul isn’t making this stuff up. This is not some ethereal woolly idea without any basis in reality. Paul has a firm (evidence based) foundation for his claims about the resurrection.
In verses 36-41, Paul lists a series of examples from nature which demonstrate the continuity and transformation of resurrection. Paul talks about the bodies of plants, the bodies of animals, fish and birds, as well as celestial bodies like the moon and stars. It reminds us of the account of creation in Genesis 1 & 2. Indeed, resurrection is a new creation.
Paul is showing how the continuity and transformation of resurrection are built into the very fabric of the natural world. From verse 37 we read…
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.
Take a tomato seed for example. The seed that is buried in the ground looks nothing like the plant that grows from that seed. Yes, there is a continuity between the seed and the plant, the seed has a body and the plant has a body, but God transforms the seed into something different, something more.
Although Paul doesn’t mention it, we see the twin principles of continuity and transformation in the life cycle of a butterfly. A butterfly doesn’t start life with wings. A butterfly starts as a caterpillar before going into its cocoon and being transformed.
Paul goes on in verse 39 to talk about the different kinds of flesh God has given to animals, birds, fish and human beings. Paul is saying here that God gives all of his creatures a body type which uniquely suits their existence and their environment.
For example, he gives whales a body that enables them to live in cold water and dive to great depths. But, in the same way a whale doesn’t do so well on land, a human body couldn’t survive in frigid waters like a whale can.
Likewise, God gives birds a body that enables them to fly. But if a goat were to jump off a cliff, it wouldn’t fly, it would fall to the ground because God has given it a different body type, one which is suited for climbing mountains.
All of this is Paul’s way of answering the question posed earlier: with what kind of body will the resurrected come? With a body that is suited for eternal life.
The earthly bodies we inhabit now would not be able to cope with the glory of heaven, any more than a goat could fly or a human being could live in the sea.
Before and after:
In verses 42-44 Paul talks plainly about the transformation of the body through resurrection: 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 dishonour, 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.
In these verses Paul notes four differences between our earthly bodies and our resurrected bodies.
To begin with, our earthly bodies are perishable, they wear out, get sick and fail us until eventually we die. But the transformed body we receive through resurrection is imperishable. Which means it is physically resilient. It doesn’t get sick or tired or wear out. Think Wolverine or Superman or Captain Marvel.
Our earthly bodies are sown in dishonour and raised in glory. Glory is the opposite of dishonour. Glory, for human beings, has to do with honourable qualities like courage, integrity, faithfulness, wisdom and self-control.
In this life we may want to act with honour all the time but in reality we fall short more often than we would like. In the resurrection we will have the kind of transformed character that supports our best intentions to act with courage, integrity, faithfulness, wisdom, self-control and so on.
Or as William Barclay puts it: we will no longer be servants of our own passions but rather instruments of pure service to God.
Our bodies now are weak but in the resurrection they will be powerful. We will be able to cope with the rigours of God’s kingdom both physically and morally. In thinking of power, don’t think in terms of brute force. Instead, think of Jesus.
Power (in this context) isn’t just about how much you can bench press or how much you can bend people to your will. We are not talking about military or political power here.
Power, in a Christian understanding, is more about moral fitness. Jesus had the power to stand against injustice, to speak the truth and, at the same time, to be gracious and gentle. Jesus had the personal power to turn the other cheek and to forgive. What’s more, Jesus also had the supernatural power to heal people and deliver them from the tyranny of Satan.
Power is defined by the example of Christ, not by the broken standards of this world. Christ-like power appears weak at first but don’t be fooled; the weakness of God is stronger than the might of empires.
The fourth transformation of the body (named in verse 44) is the change from a natural body to a spiritual body. To be spiritual means to be responsive to God’s Spirit. It means being so close to God, so in tune with him, that you instinctively move at the impulse of his love.
Imagine finding a piece of drift wood on the beach. Now imagine taking the wood home and transforming it into a finely crafted wooden flute, which you play beautiful music with.
Your body in this world now, is like the drift wood. In the resurrection, God transforms the driftwood of your body into a beautiful instrument that is in tune with him, through which his Spirit works to ‘render the music of perfect worship, perfect service and perfect love’. [2]
We are trying to describe the indescribable. We are trying to imagine the heavenly using earthly images. Words fall short.
Understand this though, a spiritual body is not an immaterial thing. A spiritual body is not a phantom or a ghost. A spiritual body has real substance. You can touch and feel a spiritual body.
When the risen Jesus appeared to Thomas, the Lord said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put into my side…’
Thomas was able to physically touch Jesus’ resurrected body.
If an earthly body is a what we might call a natural body, then a spiritual body is a supernatural body, one that is fit for the kingdom of heaven.
In verses 45-49, Paul compares and contrasts Adam and Jesus. The first Adam was made from the dust of the earth and received life from God. There is no shame in being made from mud, in being earthy. God declared our bodies (and indeed all he made) to be good.
Being people of the earth is a natural and necessary stage in our development, just as being a caterpillar is a necessary stage of development for a butterfly. Or being a seed is a good and necessary stage of development for a plant.
But this life is not all there is. The next stage of our development is to become like the risen Jesus, the last Adam, the heavenly man.
Like us, Jesus was an earthy person. He was made of dust as well. But, after Jesus had died, God raised Jesus to eternal life and gave him a heavenly body, a supernatural body, suited for eternity. Jesus is our model, our pattern.
Those who belong to Jesus will be resurrected like Jesus and given a new body, one made from the stuff of heaven so that we can be close to God and enjoy him forever. The stuff of heaven is imperishable, it is glorious, honourable, (morally) powerful and perfectly in tune with God.
Conclusion:
You might be wondering, well that’s all well and good but how does this apply to us now, today? Let me suggest three points of application…
Firstly, when it comes to the question of how your earthly body is disposed of when you die, from an eternal perspective, it makes no difference whether you are buried or cremated. Our earthly bodies are made of dust and return to dust. In the resurrection we are given new supernatural bodies, made from the stuff of heaven. God doesn’t need your old bones to make the new you.
So you don’t need to tie yourself in knots worrying about how God will resurrect you. This is not his first rodeo. He created the heavens and the earth. He created you. God knows what he’s doing. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Secondly, as you get older you will notice your body doesn’t work as effectively or efficiently as it did when you were younger. You move slower. You seem to have more aches and pains and you find you can’t do as much as you once could. Getting older is difficult.
The good news is that in the resurrection you will be given a new body which is resilient and doesn’t let you down or become frail. So, whatever physical pain or limitations you may be enduring now, these will not last.
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
A third point of application. Whether you are young or old or in between, you may feel at times like a moral or spiritual failure. You may struggle to understand what God wants you to do in any given situation, let alone have the courage or integrity to obey him.
Remember, you are a work in progress. In this life you are like the seed. You are like the caterpillar. You are like the driftwood. God has not finished with you yet.
Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
In the resurrection, we who belong to Christ will be so close to God, so in tune with him, that we instinctively move at the impulse of his love. It might be difficult to imagine right now, but God will get you there in the end if you hold to Christ. His grace is sufficient for you.
There are other points of application, but that is enough for today. May our God of grace strengthen our hope as we look forward to the transformation of our bodies in the resurrection. Amen.
(Prayer will be available after the service by the water cooler.)
Questions for discussion or reflection:
What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
- When faced with a problem, why is it important deal with both the symptoms and the cause of the problem? What was the likely cause of the Corinthians’ problem concerning the resurrection?
- Do you believe in a bodily resurrection? Why or why not? Has your understanding (or belief) about resurrection changed over time? If so, how?
- In what sense is there a continuity between this life and the next?
- Why is it necessary for our bodies to undergo a transformation in the resurrection?
- Thinking of what Paul says in vv. 42-44, how is our resurrected body different from our earthly body?
- Discuss / reflect on the three points of application offered at the conclusion of this message. Can you think of any other ways in which the Christian belief in a bodily resurrection applies to us now?
[1] Kenneth Bailey, ‘Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes’, pages 454-467.
[2] William Barclay’s commentary on Corinthians, page 177.
Tawa Baptist 