Being Resurrection Focused
“[I]f Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.“
The Apostle Paul
I have been convicted as of late on how low of a view I have of the resurrection. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 makes the resurrection the focus of all that he is. Paul proclaims that if Christ wasn’t raised then we’re still in our sins (1 Cor 15:17). It amazes me on how much I, and Christians in general, focus on the death more than the resurrection (i.e. The Passion movie). I myself when sharing the Gospel feel more obligated to share “sin management” then sharing how we can truly live through the resurrection.
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.
Romans 6:4–7
I also read an article recently on how few Christians believe in a bodily resurrection. I started thinking about this, and I wondered: “Do I believe that?” It got me thinking about how I viewed my own resurrection one day. I’m just in amazement that out of all the theology I’ve studied I have not done an in-depth study of (a) the resurrection of Jesus and (b) the bodily resurrection of the saints. It seems like I missed the mark on that one!
I want to transform my walk to keep the resurrection at the forefront of my life. I spend way to much time talking about the life and teachings of Jesus—which are important (Mat 28:20)—but I have denigrated the resurrection for His teachings. I need more balance in this regard.
I too had been thinking about this subject. I often think so much about Jesus’ life (which is undoubtebly important) but so little of my thought goes to His death and even less goes to His resurrection.
My pastor pointed out yesterday that Jesus’ disciples basically scattered after Jesus died. They weren’t preaching anything he taught them. In other words, Jesus’ life was not enough to make them boldly go everywhere and spread the Gospel. It wasn’t until they saw him rise from the dead that they really “got it.”
Interesting.
Good stuff bro… good stuff.
Great question Chris. This question goes very very deep!
But I have a question for you as you ask youself. Knowing that you follow an allegorical method. I guess if I would ask do you think that the ressurections will be literal. I believe that they will because Christ’s was.
Because I believe in the ressurecitons of the dead in Chirst (those in Thess and in Cor I believe are the same because it is adressed to the Church). If the dead in Christ will be ressurected later where are they now? If they are alive in heaven how does that fit with what is said in Ecclesiastes about death (9:5,6).
Is this subject difficult for covenant theology? I don’t know all about that school of thought so I am not attacking but asking? Because I am a dispensationalist I bank on there being one for the dead in Christ, those that remain, and then later ressurections of the just and unjust (Isreal and everyone else).
I know this is alot in a question so any response of your choosing would be great.
I don’t follow an allegorical method. Being covenantal does not mean that I believe nothing literally takes place. The land of Canaan was literally fulfilled, the nation to Abraham will be literally fulfilled, the expectations and the prophecies of the Messiah have and will continued to be fulfilled literally. The difference is how we view progressive revelation. I believe the Old Testament contains shadows of greater realities. That is the essence of the Old/New Covenant relationship: shadow to substance, type to antitype.
I believe the bodily resurrection of the dead is a literal event, and Paul makes that point clear in 1 Cor 15 alone. There’s no need to debate this. It is a stable in evangelical theology (cf. the article I cited). I make this very position in this essay.
The believer, upon death, enters into the Lord’s prescence waiting for the final judgement that will include the bodily resurrection. There will be only one resurrection however as I read Rev 20 as referring to the first resurrection (that is Christ’s) and the second being His return for the judgment of all. I don’t think there will be the rapture, millennial reign, and then final resurrection.