Many people doubt the
doctrine on resurrection. Even during the Apostle Paul's time,
there have been cynics and skeptics. Thus, Apostle Paul advised the early
Christians, in 1 Corinthians 15:33, it is written:
Don't be
fooled by those who say such things. If you listen to them you will
start acting like them. (LVB)
Let us
therefore study the words of God written in the bible, so we may be
fooled and misled to believe what is false and jeopardize our chance to
be resurrected to eternal life.
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40A.1
How did Apostle Paul
explained the doctrine of the resurrection of
the dead? To what did He likened it to?
In I Corinthians 15:36-39, this is written:
"When you
plant a seed in the ground, it does not sprout to life unless it
dies" And what you plant is a bare seed, perhaps a grain of wheat or
some other grain, not the full bodied plant that will latter grow up. God provides that seed with the body he wishes; he gives its seed its
own proper body. And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; the beauty that belongs to heavenly bodies is different from the beauty
that belongs to earthly bodies. (I Corinthians 15:36-39, TEV)
Apostle Paul likened it to a seed.
Apostle Paul explains
further:
40A.2
What will
happen when the dead are raised to life? What
kind of body will they have?
In I Corinthians 15:42-44, Apostle Paul explains further:
This is how it will happen when
the dead are raised to life. When the body is buried, it is mortal;
when raised, it will be immortal.
When buried,
it is ugly and weak; when raised, it will be beautiful and
strong. When buried, it is a physical body; when raised, it
will be a spiritual body. There is, of course, a physical body, so
there has to be a spiritual body. (TEV)
Apostle Paul said: Just as
the seed sprout to life, It is the
same way for the resurrection of the dead.
This is how it will happen when
the dead are raised to life.
| |
When Buried |
When
Raised |
|
| |
-
it is mortal
- it is ugly and weak
- it is a physical body
|
-
it will be immortal
- it will be beautiful and
strong
- it will be a spiritual body
|
|
The physical body
is mortal, ugly and weak. The spiritual body is immortal, beautiful
and strong. Just as there are
physical bodies, so also there are spiritual bodies.
40A.3
How did Apostle Paul compare the
physical body and the spiritual body?
In I Corinthians 15:45-49, Apostle Paul explains further:
For the
scripture says, "The first man, Adam, was created a living being"; but
the last Adam is the life-giving Spirit. It is not the spiritual that
comes first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first Adam,
made of earth, came from the earth; the second Adam came from heaven.
Those who belong to the earth are like the one who was made of earth;
those who are of heaven are like the one who came from heaven. (TEV)
This is what the scriptures
says:
| |
The Physical (Adam) |
The
Spiritual Body (Christ) |
|
| |
|
|
|
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Why Are We Sure That God Will Resurrect The Dead
40A.4 Why are we sure
that there is a resurrection of the dead?
In Matthew 22:31-32, the Lord
Jesus explained:
"But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying
. `I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.''
(Matthew 22:31-32, NKJV)
Surely, the dead will be resurrected to life, for God is not God
of the dead, but God of the living.
40A.5 Why
did our Lord Jesus Christ said that "God is not
God of the dead, but of the living"?
,In Isaiah 38: 18-19, the reason is given,
thus:
For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot
sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
The
living, the living--they praise you, as I am doing today; fathers tell
their children about your faithfulness. (NIV)
The dead cannot worship and serve
God, only the living can worship and serve Him. Therefore, the dead will be
resurrected to life, so they can serve and
worship the living God.
Why should God and Christ resurrect the
dead?
Because, this will be the
fulfillment of God's purpose in creating
man and that is to love, worship, and serve
God in truth with all his heart, with all
his soul and with all his mind.
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