In the
previous post we looked at several explicit references to physical resurrection
in the New Testament and I also argued that physical resurrection is assumed in
the background of the New Testament as a whole. In that post, however, we did
not explore the two most significant and lengthy New Testament passages dealing
with the physical nature of the resurrection (Romans 8, & 1 Corinthians
15). That is what we will do today.
Romans 8
Most people
do not think of Romans 8 as a major passage dealing with the resurrection but
as I have argued in the previous posts, the New Testament concept of
resurrection is not merely reanimation. It includes the transformation of our
mortal bodies into bodies fit for the Kingdom of God through the process known biblically
as glorification. In Romans 5 through 8 Paul is presenting the hope of salvation
through Jesus Christ. Throughout this section of Romans Paul is discussing the confidence
in salvation in light of several realities of life in this current world such
as suffering, weakness, and struggles with the flesh. Throughout this section
Paul bolsters the assurance of the believer through an appeal to God’s
faithfulness and His promises. The entire argument culminates in chapter 8,
especially verses 18-30, with the powerful reassurance that God will glorify
His saints.
Therefore,
this major teaching section of Romans is anchored in God’s faithfulness to a
promise that includes the physical resurrection of believers. Recognizing this
as a key theme helps to clarify several otherwise curious statements Paul makes
throughout this section and especially in the last part of chapter 8. As Dr.
Douglas Moo points out, “glory is the overarching theme of this passage.”[1]
Notice that the pinnacle of God’s redemptive work is glorification.
Throughout
the letter Paul frequently contrasts the flesh and the spirit. In most cases,
Paul clearly intends “flesh” to refer not merely to the physical body but to
the broader category of the worldly impulses and inclinations of our fallen
state. It should not be missed, however, that in doing so he is recognizing the
state of our bodies as exemplifying the fallen condition. It is frequently
natural passions amplified by the fallen body that give occasion and means for
us to express the depravity of our minds. Paul summarizes the depravity of us
as whole persons by referring to our “fleshly” state.
Too
frequently, readers miss the full significance Paul’s argument and are left
with an overly spiritualized understanding. Paul, however, does not ignore the
physical. For example, in Romans 8:10-11 Paul makes clear that assurance
involves the hope of physical as well as spiritual redemption. Note also that we
shall specifically be revealed as sons of God through the redemption of our
bodies (Rom. 8:19) and that Christ Himself, the eternal Son, was declared to be
“the Son of God in power”
through His own physical resurrection (Rom. 1:4). As believers we will be
conformed to the image of the resurrected Christ (Rom. 8:29). Indeed, Paul says
that though we have already received the first fruits of the spirit, it is the
redemption of our bodies that fully marks our adoption as sons (Rom. 8:23).
Paul ends
with those words that have strengthened so many saints through the years,
“28 And we know that for those who love
God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to
his purpose. 29 For
those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his
Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he
predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and
those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Rom. 8:28-30)
Paul roots
the assurance and hope of the believer in the unbreakable chain of God’s faithfulness.
Here we clearly see the sovereign grace of God involved in the salvation of His
people. The final product of that salvation is their glorification, their
transformation into the image of His Son through their glorious resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15
The longest
and clearest passage on the physical resurrection of believers, however, is
found in 1 Corinthians 15. Here Paul specifically addresses objections to the
idea of physical bodily resurrection. The context is that there were some who
were denying the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:12). Paul argues against
this objection using a type of reductio ad absurdum argument, showing that his
opponents position logically leads to conclusions they themselves would not
wish to accept. These people apparently accepted the resurrection of Christ but
did not believe in a future resurrection for others.
First, Paul
makes it clear that the resurrection of Christ is absolutely central to the
Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4). He then proceeds with a logical argument that assumes
the full humanity of Christ by showing that since Christ was raised, one cannot
deny human resurrection because to do so would entail also a denial of Christ’s
resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12-13). The result of that assertion would be 1) their
faith is in vain, 2) Paul and the apostles were lying, 3) the hope of the
Gospel is a pitiful hope without power to save (1 Cor. 15:14-18). Paul asserts
that Christ is raised, and is the “first fruits”, indicating that others will
be as well (15:20) and that through Him comes the resurrection of the dead
(15:21). Paul sees the resurrection of Christ and that of believers as tightly
interconnected. That one happened is the guarantee of the other. Therefore, to
deny the resurrection of believers is to deny something essential about the
Gospel.[2]
Paul then presents
an argument that explains the current situation of believers who remain in
mortal bodies though Christ is already risen. Essentially, verses 22-28 present
an explanation of the delay of the Parousia by drawing upon OT prophetic
passages.
The typical
Jewish understanding of the resurrection was that it was a one-time event at
the Last Day associated with judgment of the wicked and the coming of the
Kingdom of God. The Apostles, however, argued that Christ’s resurrection inaugurated
The Kingdom and the Last Days though the end had not yet come as there were prophesies
yet to be fulfilled. As Alexander Stewart points out, Paul’s use of Psalm 110
in this chronology is typical of the way the early Church addressed the
apparent delay in Christ’s coming.[3]
Paul then
points out several ethical results of the hope of bodily resurrection. Whatever
is meant by baptism for the dead, it is clear that it is done in the hope of
physical resurrection. Paul himself endures great dangers and refrains from
hedonistic pleasures because of his faith in resurrection. It gives him the
strength to live radically devoted to his ministry.
In verses 35
through 58, Paul addresses a troublesome philosophical issue. How can physical
bodies, which are inherently subject to decay and change, inherit immortality?
Paul begins by rebuking them for their imperfect rationalization. They were not
subjecting their logic to the revelation of God and thus missing important
facts about the resurrected body. He points out that there is both a change and
a continuity involved in the resurrection. It is like the relationship of a
seed to the plant that springs up. They are the same plant, but do not have all
of the same attributes. The “death” of the seed yields life to the plant
(35-37). He then explains that there are different types of flesh, each with
its own glory. What we now are is not what we shall be (39-42).
Paul then
explains that the glorified body is a spiritual body. Paul does not mean by
this that it is non-physical. The Greek word πνευματικός (pneumatikos) which is
translated “spiritual” in this phrase does not mean immaterial, but rather
indicates a body ruled by the spirit. Paul’s point is that our glorified bodies
will be ruled by the spirit rather than the flesh. They are characterized by
that which is immortal rather than that which passes away. Just as we bore the
image of the man of dust (who was cut off from life through sin), so too will
we have the image of the man of spirit (whose faithfulness obtained our glory)
(43-49).
Paul then
concludes in 50-58 by explaining that although our current bodies are unfit for
immortality they will be transformed. Paul explains that it is that event that
marks the fullness of our redemption (vs. 55). It is at this point that God
will have fulfilled His promise and will have completed the redemption of His
people for which all of creation is waiting expectantly. Rather than merely
providing escape from the fallen creation, God has redeemed it from within. It
is a true redemption that includes victory even over physical death itself. Paul
encourages the Corinthians with this truth to persevere in their faith and
work.
Conclusion
Obviously we
could not fully explore either of these two extremely rich passages in a single
blog post but both of them clearly demonstrate the importance of physical
resurrection to the message of the New Testament. Here and elsewhere, it is the
promise and hope of the resurrection that the apostle uses as the cornerstone
of his encouragement and assurance. The theological and ethical importance of
the doctrine is strikingly on display in both of these passages.
[1] Douglas J.
Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, The
New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), 508.
[2] We will
explore the theological reasons for this in the next post. That Paul sees the
denial of the resurrection of the saints as connected to the Gospel claim should be obvious by the
way he connects the two in his argument.
[3] Alexander
E. Stewart, “The Temporary Messianic Kingdom in Second Temple Judaism and the
Delay of the Parousia: Psalm 110:1 and the Development of Early Christian
Inaugurated Eschatology,” Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society 59/2 (June 2016): 255-70.
