1 Corinthians 15:35-58

(1 Corinthians 15:35-58)

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?  Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:  And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:  But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.  All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.  There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:  It is sown in dishonour; 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

 

Some of the Corinthian church members did not believe in Jesus' resurrection. Even though some of the witnesses of the resurrection are alive, and they testify of the resurrection at the risk of their lives, it was a problem to deny the resurrection. The apostle Paul was compelled to cope with the resurrection problem decisively, as the existence of the church itself could be shaken if the claim to doubt the resurrection of Jesus spreads in the church. 『But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 』

 

They asked the apostle Paul about the resurrection. The apostle Paul claimed that Jesus rose from the dead and became the firstfruits of the sleeping ones. The image of Jesus' resurrection shows in advance how believers will be resurrected when Jesus returns again. The saints will all participate in the Second Coming together in the body of resurrection glory on the day Jesus comes again.

 

However, people think that resurrection is a state in which the soul escapes from the body, moves to heaven, which exists somewhere in the universe, does not work hard, does not grow old, and does not die. But the apostle Paul did not talk about the resurrection that way. Rather, this idea of resurrection is similar to the Greek idea of immortality of the soul that was popular at the time. This idea is an understanding that regards the body as lowly and only the spirit as superior, and sees death as freedom and liberation from the body. The resurrection as understood by the apostle Paul is to put on a spiritual body. The former body suddenly disappears and is replaced by a spiritual body. The saints will no longer wear the image of the earthly one, but the image of the heavenly one. The apostle Paul contrasts in more detail into four categories. First, the resurrection body is a body transformed from perishable to incorruptible.All human bodies are supposed to rot and return to dirt. In fact, living is also a dying process. However, the body of resurrection is the body of eternal life without death. Second, the body of resurrection is a body transformed from a reproach to a glorious one. The human body is tainted with the temptations of sin and the world, contaminated with greed. The resurrected body is thus completely free from the bondage of sin. It is a body that fully reflects God's love and joy.

Third, the resurrection body is a body transformed from weak to strong. The human body under the influence of the first creation lies under the limits of time and space. But the resurrection body is not affected by any external limits. With the power and wisdom given by the Holy Spirit, the resurrection body is strong enough to fulfill the will of God in all circumstances. Finally, the resurrection body is a body transformed from a physical body to a spirit body. Here, the physical body means a body contaminated by the old man (greed). The spiritual body means the body received from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit. Salvation must be born again with water and the Holy Spirit. The physical body dies in the water and is reborn into the spiritual body by the power of the Holy Spirit. Regeneration is resurrection. This is a new creation.

In 15:23-24, we read, “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.』 When Christ is resurrected as the first fruit, and then comes (in the air), those who belong to Christ are raptured (abruptly changed).

 

If you are in Christ, you are with the Triune God. You die with Jesus in this world, you are with Jesus Christ at the right hand of the heavenly throne, and you live the life of this world through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In 15:25-28, 『For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. 』
It means that until Jesus Christ became the first fruit of the resurrection, he was in all things and became subject to the One above all things. By doing so, God will be in all things.

 

In Hebrews 2:8, ``Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 』
Before dying on the cross, Jesus Christ obeyed God above all things, so that God is in all things, but the resurrected Jesus ascended to heaven and is above all things. However, it means that all things must obey him, but all things have not yet obeyed. This will be done when the Lord comes to this earth as King. Until the Lord comes to this earth, its role becomes the church.

 

In Hebrews 1:13, ``But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? It means that he spoke to only one person, the one sitting at the right hand of God. "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool" It is to sit at the right hand until God steps on the enemies who killed Jesus. Heavenly Father will do it himself. When the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, in Acts 2:33, Peter said, "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." Jesus ascended to heaven and received the Holy Spirit from God and poured out it. And in 2:34-35, ``For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. '

 

The words of the psalms were quoted directly by Jesus from the Gospels. Paul also quotes Psalms in 1 Corinthians and Ephesians. The ascension of Jesus has a very important meaning. Because he ascended to heaven, he poured out the Holy Spirit. That is why the church was born.

 

The church becomes the only place between the Ascension and Second Coming of Jesus. For this purpose, the role of the born again is revealed. Those who are born again have no choice but to become one with the ascended Lord. So, believers have power. So, the saints will face the Second Coming of Jesus. Peter is quoting the words of the psalm when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:36, ``Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 』
The event in which God made Jesus the Lord and Christ is the ascension. God is asking Jesus to sit at the right hand of the throne. Before the people who made Jesus die, Peter said, ``The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 』. So, they have a heart piercing.

 

The Gospels of Matthew and John recorded only the resurrection, but the Gospels of Mark and Luke recorded the ascension. In Matthew 22:43-45, quoting Psalm 110, He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 』
The first Lord is Heavenly Father, but the second Lord is Christ. David is the revealing of Christ in the wilderness. To Abraham, when he was 99, he did not believe in the promised child, but Christ was revealed at the age of 100. Paul interprets this in Galatians.

 

The Son, which God gave to Abraham through promise, is revealing the Christ who will come. Another example is Job. His redeemer (redeemer, redeemer) was revealed to Job; ``redeem'' means paid. The word redeem means "to become a free man by receiving a ransom and releasing the status of a servant." So, the blood of Jesus shed on the cross represents redeem. That God paid the blood price to buy those who repent from Satan. It is not a concept of forgiveness of sins, but a concept of purchasing.

 

Blood represents life. Eat Jesus' flesh and drink blood in the sacrament. When a saint becomes one with Jesus' death, he gains heavenly life. So sacrament meeting is the same as baptism. In Romans 6:4, ``Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 』
Baptism is an expression of regeneration. So the baptized people celebrate the sacrament. It is to remember and confirm that the water grows dead. Participation in the sacrament of those who are not born again is the result of eating and drinking sin. The same goes for worship. Worship is a confirmation of the death of the old and the regeneration of the new. If you only want to receive grace through worship, you don't know the meaning of worship. We must remember the meaning of the apostle Paul saying, "I die every day."