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Main Point: The resurrection makes sense and makes everything better.
There is a lot of crazy stuff out there; a lot of foolishness. For many of our neighbors and coworkers the idea of the resurrection of the dead is foolishness. When you talk of the resurrection most people these days will think of zombies before they think of Jesus. For them, the idea of decaying corpses being brought back to life is laughable. And what about those whose ashes have been spread on the sea or even those unfortunate people who have been eaten by wild animals? Seriously, is God going to put all the pieces back together?
Our passage today, 1 Corinthians 15:35-49, is a defense of the resurrection. It is also word of encouragement for us who feel our bodies wearing out, who bear on our bodies the effects of sin, and who hate the weakness within which leads us to do that which we do not want to do. The resurrection makes sense and the resurrection makes everything better.
Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-50
I. The resurrection is reasonable
The issue at hand is this: Is belief in the resurrection foolishness or is it foolishness, judging by what we already know, to deny the resurrection? Here we have a helpful example of Christian apologetics; engaging questions about the faith with solid biblical answers.
- Look at the way God created plants (36-38)
Verse 36, “what you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” There is a common understanding among all people on the face of the earth that crops are produced by planting or sowing seed. A seed is put into the earth and at that point becomes useless for food. Once a seed is planted and the decay of its outward shell begins it is done for- it is dead. The death of a seed in order to produce a greater life is understood.
Verse 37, “And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare seed.” If you want a huge oak tree you don’t dig a huge hole and bury a huge oak tree. You plant an acorn. From the bare small seed comes the large fruitful plant.
Then in verse 38 he writes, “But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.”
God, in his infinite wisdom and power has determined how plants will grow and produce a crop. From one grain of wheat grows a plant that produces hundreds of grains of wheat. The seed itself is wheat. The plant is wheat. The harvest is wheat. There is continuity- if you plant wheat you get wheat not tuna fish. But there is also transformation. From the bare seed comes a great plant. Look at the way God created plants. It helps us understand the resurrection.
- Look at all the kinds of bodies God created (38-39)
God has designed creation so that there is change in a particular species but not change between the species. Genesis 1 repeats the phrase, “according to its kind” (1:21, 24, 25) to emphasize that birds produce birds, fish produce fish, animals produce animals, and humans produce humans. This diversity of flesh helps us understand the resurrection.
God is quite good at fitting each being with an appropriate body. Birds were made for the air. Study the feathers, muscles, and bone structure of a bird, it points to the wisdom of God. Study the scales, gills, and eyes of a fish in the deepest ocean depths, it points to the resourcefulness of God. Look at all the bodies God has created. This diversity proves God is more than capable of creating a body fit for any environment.
Science is not opposed to God. Science, done correctly sings the praises of God. Look around this immense earth and you will see that God is not in a bind when it comes to creating various bodies for various environments.
- Look at the God-given variety of glory in creation (40-41)
Now, let’s lift our eyes up to the skies. Verse 40, “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.”
God’s wisdom and power displayed in the size, location, and function of the sun for our solar system is simply breathtaking. The phases of the moon and how the moon effects our oceans is amazing. Take a moment and look at the night sky twinkling with glorious star after star after star. There are earthly bodies; there are planets. There are heavenly bodies; there are starts. This body has its purpose and its own glory. That other body has another purpose and its own glory. Who did that? Who made it that way? God did.
- God is an infinitely wise and resourceful Creator
These verses remind us that God is the sovereign Creator. He determines what type of body each part of creation will have. He fits each body perfectly according to its environment and purpose. He also is intimately involved in creation overseeing the diversity and ensuring unity. Anthony Thiselton puts it well, “God will not be caught by some design problem relating to the resurrection” (281).
If God can create all the intricate details of creation as we see them surely it is not too difficult to think God can create resurrected bodies. Look at the resurrection of a grain of wheat, look into the ocean depths, look at the flying birds, look up at the stars above, and see how everything fits perfectly. Surely God is capable of the resurrection.
We are meant to see the connection between God’s work in creation and his work in the resurrection. Verse 42, “So it is with the resurrection of the dead.” What you see around you now is like what will happen in the resurrection. The resurrection is reasonable and
II. The resurrection is improvement
Here in verse 42 Paul shifts his apologetic for the resurrection from the physical realm to the spiritual realm. If we consent that God is capable of creating a resurrection body what will it be like? Will we be partially or mostly decayed zombies? Will we be raised and then rewind to the point of greatest physical health?
Bear this biblical truth in mind as we continue through the text: God is not taking you back to something you were God will transform you into something greater. God is not going backward He is taking us forward.
- We will be made fit for the age to come (42-44)
Think of the body you currently have as a seed that has been sown into the ground. Like that bare kernel of wheat you too will undergo a massive transformation.
1. The perishable will be raised imperishable
These bodies are decaying. From a very early age we begin the process of dying. Skin is sloughed off. Osteoporosis attacks our bones. Eyes become cloudy and organs fail. No human is invincible. Through medicine and surgeries and diet and exercise we battle against the decay of our bodies but that decay is inevitable. It is part of our nature.
But one day we will be changed. One day the mortal will put on immortality and death will no longer have dominion over us. Instead of being continually depleted we will be continually replenished. The spiritual body, remade and ruled by the Spirit will be imperishable.
2. The shameful will be raised in glory
These bodies are marked by dishonor. Every one of us, from scars to aches to bad tattoos to disease, we all bear guilt and shame in these bodies. Our sin in these bodies shows up on these bodies. We reap what we sow and our bodies put it on display. We are sown in dishonor but we will be raised in glory.
The darkness and shame we know carry will one day be replaced with the radiance of the likeness of Christ. Like creation in Romans 8 we yearn for the resurrection when all our sin and shame with all its effects will be sloughed off and we will be clothed in the righteousness of Christ. The spiritual body, remade and ruled by the Spirit will be glorious; no longer stained by sin.
3. The weak will be raised in power
In Romans 7 Paul recounts the struggle we all face. Why do I keep doing what I don’t want to do and why can I not do those things that I want to do? Why am I so wretched and weak? This struggle is bound up in these bodies. We are weak. Let us not forget that about ourselves and let us not forget that about one another. You and your spouse and your child and your church family, we are all sown in weakness. We do not use that as an excuse for sin. Instead, we feel each other’s weaknesses and we cry out for grace. We feel our own weakness and we cry out for the resurrection when what is sown in weakness will be raised in power.
On that day, Christian, inability will be replaced with ability. The spiritual body, remade and ruled by the Spirit will be characterized by power.
4. The natural will be raised spiritual
Let us be careful here lest we fall off into some weird Platonic understanding that the body, the material, is always bad and only the spirit is good. Our goal is not to shuck these bodies and be forever only spirit our soul. Our goal is a resurrected body.
The resurrected body, though quite different from these current bodies, will still be a body. Though physically better and higher than what we are now we will still possess an element of the physical. The resurrected Jesus was touched and he ate and he spoke. He was not raised as a disembodied spirit. He was raised with an imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual body. The same is true for us Christians.
- Made in the likeness of Adam we will be raised in the likeness of Christ (45-49)
A few weeks ago we looked at verses 21&22. They say, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” To be in Adam means death while being in Christ means life. This idea of being in Adam or being in Christ is expanded in verses 45-49. But now, instead of emphasizing our shared future, either death or life, now the emphasis is on sharing the image of Adam or the image of Christ.
Look at verse 49 with me, “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust (who is Adam), we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven (who is Christ). There is an order here. Adam lived, died, and stayed dead. Then came Jesus who lived, died, and rose again.
We follow that same order. We look like Adam then we look like Jesus. We are born looking like that man Adam who was formed from the earth; he was a man of dust and to dust he returned. He was a man of this age with a body fit this earth. Like Adam, unless you and I are alive when Jesus returns our bodies will be committed to the grave to become dust yet again. This is the natural progression. Live, die, stay dead.
The transformation comes because of the power of the last Adam. The first Adam was indeed a living being, a soul, and a real person. He was the one who brought death to us all. The last Adam however is quite different. Though a real man and a living being he became a life-giving spirit. Through his death and resurrection Jesus became the very source of eternal life for all who belong to him.
What was true of Adam became true for all who followed him and what is true of Christ becomes true for all who belong to him. Verse 48, “As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.” We shall bear his image; his coat of arms. We shall be made fit for the coming age just like him.
Though Jesus possessed a physical body which could be touched he also possessed a physical body which was “of heaven.” He was given an imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual body. If you belong to him you also will one day be given an imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual body. The Spirit has been given to you as a guarantee. We will put you in the grave and you will put me in the grave knowing that the day is coming when decay, dishonor, weakness, and the trappings of this age will be left behind for a fuller existence in the age to come. Made in the likeness of Adam we will be raised in the likeness of Christ.
Here is the point
III. The resurrection is coming
The resurrection has begun already. What has been promised has started in Jesus. He is the firstfruits of a great harvest. At his coming those who belong to him shall be made alive.
- Death is a doorway to greater life
Christian, let us remember in our easy chairs and on our death beds that death is a doorway to a greater life. Death is not the end. Death is a transition to better things. No more wearing out, no more guilt and shame, no more inability, and no more natural limitations. We will continue forever in the fullest possible life reflecting the glory of God’s righteous Son in ever-replenished power.
Church it is going to be good; better than we can imagine. Relationships and worship and joy and life with ever increasing delight. We don’t know all the details but we know it’s going to be good. But remember, how do we get there? We get there through death, burial, and resurrection at Jesus’ return.
Hebrews 9:28 tells us, “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
In our decay, dishonor, and weakness we yearn for his return. We have borne the first Adam’s image long enough. Come quickly Lord Jesus that we can bear your image for eternity. Death is the doorway to greater life for those who belong to Christ. While we celebrate that glorious truth don’t forget
- Death is also a doorway to greater suffering
For many, maybe for many of us here this morning, death will not be a doorway to greater life but a doorway to greater suffering. For all those who do not belong to Christ the age to come will not be filled with good things but with terrible things. Hell is not a place where the party never ends. Hell is a place where the fire that burns never goes out and the worm that eats never stops. Many people in this life view death as a release when it is actually a greater bondage.
It is our calling to go to them and tell them the truth regarding the age to come. It is our calling to point to the plants and the stars and the animals and give a credible defense of the resurrection. Be prepared to give a reason for the hope you have. Defend the resurrection. Tell them
- The victory is found in Christ
Jesus has conquered sin and the grave by taking our sins upon himself, going into the grave, and rising victorious over them both. Do you want proof for the credibility of the resurrection? Look at a grain of wheat; it has a lesson to teach. Do you want proof for the credibility of Christianity? Look to the bloody cross and the empty tomb.
Victory is found in Christ and we will taste it here and there in this age. We have been given the Spirit as a guarantee. But the fullness of the victory is yet to come.
Though we see great loss today we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Lift up your eyes Christian and set your gaze on eternal things. Christ is coming again and when he does we will be transformed to be like him and then we’ll really start living.
By and For the gospel 