Promised
resurrection
A belief in being raised from the dead is such a fundamental Bible
teaching that the Apostle Paul says we waste our time if we don't
believe in a real bodily resurrection. Paul explains in 1
Corinthians 15 that if there is no resurrection, then Jesus Christ
was not raised. If Jesus was not raised, then there is no
forgiveness of sin and no hope for anyone, dead or alive. The wrong
faith is therefore of no value. If we deny the hope of
resurrection, then our hope is limited to this life only and Paul
says we are to be pitied more than all men.
A lone tombstone in a cemetary
Yet Paul says this is not the case. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ
did rise from the dead after three days in the grave. He reassures
his readers by saying that many people saw the risen Christ, and
that these eyewitnesses could be relied upon. The established fact
that Jesus rose from the dead means that those who associate
themselves with him can look forward to the same reward in the
future.
God's promises demand bodily resurrection
God made promises to faithful men and women, such as Abraham and
David. Because God keeps His promises, and the promises were not
fulfilled during their lifetime, it follows that men and women of
faith must be raised if they are to receive the promised
inheritance.
When the Apostle Paul was defending his faith to King Agrippa (Acts
chapter 26), he explains that the promises to Israel demand the
hope of resurrection, and that this should not be considered
strange. In verse 8, Paul asks the question, Why should any of you
consider it incredible that God raises the dead? To Paul,
resurrection was both necessary according to scripture and had been
demonstrated in Jesus.
A theme through scripture
Resurrection is spoken of throughout the whole of scripture. Take
this example from the Old Testament:
But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in
the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of
the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. - Isaiah 26 v
19 (NIV)
The New Testament continues with the same teaching, informing us
that the resurrection will take place when Jesus returns to the
earth:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead
in Christ shall rise first ... and so shall we ever be with the
Lord. - 1 Thessalonians 4 v 16-18 (KJV)
A dramatic change
For believers raised to eternal life there will be a massive
change; mortality will be exchanged for immortality. Again, the
Apostle Paul sums this up for us in his letter to the believers in
Philippi:
We eagerly await a Saviour ... who, by the power that enables him
to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly
bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. - Philippians 3
v 20, 21 (NIV)
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