Christ’s real Death
and bodily Resurrection are foundational and indispensable to the Apostolic
Faith.
The Apostle Paul discussed the future resurrection of believers in 2
Timothy, in response to denials of this “sound teaching” by false
teachers. Faith in the promised resurrection of the righteous is central to the
hope of salvation taught by Jesus and proclaimed by his Apostles. This teaching
is unquestionably reliable because it is based on the past Death and Resurrection
of Jesus.
As Paul wrote, “God did not give us a spirit of fear but of a sound
mind.” The theme of “sound teaching” is prominent in this epistle,
and the future resurrection is a basic component of the Apostolic Faith since Jesus “nullified
death” when God raised him from the dead – (2 Timothy 1:9-10).
[Photo by David S on Unsplash] |
Paul described the center of his Gospel in 1 Corinthians, “That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he has been raised on the third day”– (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
The real death and bodily resurrection of Jesus were
essential to the message preached by Paul. Christ is the “power of God who saved
and called us…according to His peculiar purpose and grace given to us in Christ
Jesus before the times of the ages” – (2 Timothy 1:9).
This salvation has only
been manifested recently, though it was put in motion eons ago. As promised in
the Hebrew Scriptures, the arrival of the Messiah inaugurated the time of
fulfillment. This included the general resurrection of the dead, which began
with Jesus, the “firstborn of the dead.”
- “God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to the peculiar purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages but has now been manifested through the appearance of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has nullified death and thrown light upon life and incorruptibility, through means of the gospel.” - (2 Timothy 1:9-10).
Paul did not mean death no
longer occurs when he declared that Jesus “nullified death.”
The Greek verb does not mean to “destroy” or annihilate something, but to “nullify”
it, to make it ineffective, to “discharge or idle” it, to invalidate its
legal claim (katargeô, Strong’s Concordance, #G2673).
The complete cessation of Death,
its reality, and its hold on humanity, will not occur until the “arrival”
or ‘Parousia’ (παρουσια) of Jesus. As the author of Hebrews writes,
through his death, Jesus “destroyed him that had the dominion of death, that
is, the Devil, and delivered them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage” - (Hebrews
2:14-18).
Death still occurs to all
men, including believers, but no longer is it capable of holding us in its iron
grip. We need no longer fear it since he has overcome death on our behalf. When
he returns, he will abolish it with absolute finality by raising us from the dead
and giving us immortal bodies. “Death! Where is thy sting!” Death will be
no more after Jesus comes in all his glory - (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).
Christ's resurrection brought life and “immortality”
to light. The Greek noun translated as “immortality”
does not mean “eternal.” Immortality is the opposite of death, it is deathlessness.
That is what the Greek noun means, “death-less, without death.”
Those who receive immortal bodies will never die again – (aphtharsia, Strong’s
Concordance - #G861).
Immortality is not a condition we possess by nature. It was lost
when Adam sinned, and death has reigned over all living creatures ever since.
However, we will be raised and transformed when Jesus returns. This will not be
the case for all men. Only those redeemed by his death will be
raised to “everlasting life” - (1 Corinthians 15:50-57).
HIS RESURRECTION
Paul instructed Timothy to “remember
that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my
gospel.” His past resurrection is the rock-solid foundation of
our faith and the unwavering guarantee of our resurrection when he returns - (2 Timothy 2:8-18).
Paul
was persecuted on account of this Gospel, and central to it was the
proclamation that God’s Son died, and three days later, He raised him from the
dead. That proposition was contrary to the beliefs and philosophies of Paul’s
time, just as it is to the ideologies and practices of the world in which we
now live - (Acts 17:16-21, 17:32).
Paul may
have suffered for the Gospel, but he did so that the “elect may also obtain
the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with everlasting glory… If we die with
him, we will also live with him… If we suffer, we will also reign with
him”- (2 Timothy
2:8-18).
Death still occurs, but it will not have the last word. “Salvation,” resurrection, and “everlasting glory” will be obtained when Jesus returns to gather his elect. Those who deny this future hope engage in “profane and empty babblings” that lead to ungodliness - (1 Corinthians 15:10-20, 1 Timothy 6:20, 2 Timothy 2:16).
To deny the resurrection is to reject the essence of the Gospel. There
is no “Good News” apart from the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Doing
so is the opposite of
“sound teaching.” In 1 Corinthians, Paul rejected denials of the
resurrection with eloquence and logic:
- “For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. Moreover, if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. Then they also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable. But now has Christ been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who sleep” – (1 Corinthians 15:16-20).
If Jesus does not raise the
dead bodily when he returns, our salvation will remain incomplete, and we will
become without hope and forever lost. Belief in the future resurrection is
based on the unshakable foundation of Christ’s past Death and Resurrection. Denying
the resurrection is foolishness, and effectively suicidal, rendering the Gospel
of Jesus Christ powerless to save us.
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SEE ALSO:
- The Last Enemy - (The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will mean the end of the Last Enemy, namely, Death - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28)
- The Final Harvest - (The saints will be assembled before Jesus on the Last Day, and the wicked will be collected for judgment and cast from his presence)
- La Fin de la Mort - (L'arrivée de Jésus à la fin de l'âge signifiera la fin du Dernier Ennemi, à savoir la Mort - 1 Corinthiens 15: 24-28)
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