Anybody for a New Body? I Corinthians 15:35-50

Anybody for a New Body?

I Corinthians 15:35-50

Introduction: I remember seeing the story of a lady who was pregnant and on a strict diet and both her husband and Dr. were keeping a close watch on what she ate. She was a good cook and didn’t want to deprive her husband of sweets just because she couldn’t have them. One day she made him a chocolate cream pie. Well after he had eaten half of the pie she was clearing the table and decided to sneak a bite of the pie, just a taste. One bite led to another, and before long, she had eaten the rest of the pie!  Knowing that her husband would lecture her, she could only think of one thing to do to keep her secret. She made another pie, ate half of it, and put the other half in the refrigerator! It makes sense to me! Can you relate to the little girl who was explaining to her playmate what the scale in her bathroom was.  She said, “All I know is that you stand on it, look down, and it makes you real angry!” Well, God gave us our bodies, and part of being a good steward is taking care of it. If we are healthy, or as healthy as we can be, our bodies won’t become an impediment to serving the Lord. Yet as we said last week, we can’t let our body become an idol; it’s futile anyway, because eventually, it will deteriorate.  Some of you are dealing with chronic health issues that won’t go away. Others have pain every day. For a few, it might have been difficult just getting out of bed to be here this morning. The good news is that we don’t have hope in this life only. God promises that just as Christ, the firstfruits of the resurrection arose, so will those who are His. All die in Adam, that we understand. We see it all the time. But what does it mean to be made alive in Christ?

The Maine Idea:  God promises his children victory over the grave, including a transformed, perfected body free from the effects of sin, prepared for life in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

I. The resurrection will not be simply a “resuscitation,” but a radical transformation, essentially a “re-creation” (35-42a). Paul uses some illustrations to help us understand both the continuity with our natural body, and the change, the transformation that will happen.

       First of all, our resurrection body will be different. Like a plant, and the seed from which it came – there is continuity, but there is change...

³⁵ But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"  ³⁶ You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.  ³⁷ And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.  ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

     Paul was a master teacher. He anticipates the questions that some of his Greek adversaries might pose, and he addresses them immediately. Remember the popular thinking in Greek philosophy was a form of dualism that said the physical, the material, was inferior, defective, and undesirable. The ethically, morally and spiritually superior was the immaterial, spiritual realm.  From that perspective the whole idea of a believer’s spirit being reunited with a resurrected body seemed repulsive. Why would you want that?  Paul uses some everyday illustrations to make the point that this isn’t simply a raising up of the old, rotting corpse, it was a transformation. First he talks about a seed going into the ground. It’s planted in the soil, and it doesn’t simply grow bigger. It disintegrates and the plant emerges. Paul’s point is not to give a scientific analogy of resurrection, but rather a picture, an illustration.  The seed is dry, hard to distinguish one from another. It goes into the ground, and in the spring a plant emerges. It doesn’t look like the seed, but what now is was in the seed. You don't plant a kernel of corn, and have wheat sprout up! You get a corn stalk. There is change, yet continuity.

       Next, Paul says our resurrection body will differ from our current, mortal body. Different, like humans and animals, birds and fish.

³⁹ For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

Paul is saying here, don’t be surprised that there is change – just as animals and humans have different flesh, just like birds and fish are not the same, one is suited for flying, the other for life in the water! So our “resurrection body” will be different than our “natural body.” No sin, so no deterioration. The second law of thermodynamics says everything tends to breakdown, fall apart in this current world. A couple of months ago I renewed my drivers license. I remember when I got it, five years ago, I looked at the picture and thought "Do I look that bad?" When I went to renew, the lady at the counter said, "Do you want to take a new picture, or stick with the old one for five more years?" I looked at the old one, and after five years it looked pretty good! I stayed with it! Our new, transformed body will not deteriorate, it will be suited for eternal life in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

       Different, like the sun and the moon, like planets and stars...

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.  ⁴¹ 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.  ⁴² So is it with the resurrection of the dead.

The sun is generating massive amounts of energy, some comes us in the form of light. The full moon can give us quite a bit of light on a clear night, but it is reflected light, and only a fraction of what we get directly from the sun. Now we see just a reflection, dimly, then we’ll see him face to face, and somehow, we will be like Him! With the “heavenly and earthly bodies” contrast, Paul may be alluding to the difference between our natural body, and our resurrection body, while at the same time contrasting bodies on earth from those in the heavens. The point is that each kind of body fulfills the purpose for which it was created. Our natural body was created for our time in this present, fallen world. But that is not the end of God’s plan. He has a “supernatural,” resurrection body planned for us was well. That will involve radical transformation, essentially an undoing of the results of the Fall and a confirmation in righteousness. Paul speaks of that hope in Romans 8:22-24a,

²² For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  ²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved.

God promises his children victory over the grave, including a transformed, perfected body free from the effects of sin, prepared for life in the New Heaven and the New Earth!

II. There is a qualitative change: a new body free from the effects of sin, alive and empowered by the Spirit. (42b-44).

What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.  ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.  ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

       It was perishable, it will be imperishable. Sin brought death into the world. Our bodies deteriorate over time. They are susceptible to disease and injury. Eventually they will just wear out. Our bodies are “perishable.” But that isn’t the end of the story. Adam and Eve were created by God and placed in the garden. Had they obeyed God, they would not have died. But sin they did. Because Jesus, our sinless substitute, took the punishment for our sins we can know that one day, the dead in Christ will rise. Our body will be transformed, ready for life in the new heaven and the new earth.

        It was sown in dishonor, it will be raised in glory. Because of sin our bodies now are prone to dishonor God, rather than bringing him glory. It doesn’t mean God can’t use us right now. Remember we are pilgrims. We are on a journey. We are focusing here on the encouragement that our destination gives us. The end of the story is more than we know, better than we can imagine. But right now, God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. He isn’t only interested in the destination, he is with us on the journey. He is teaching us, maturing us, and even in our weakness he is using us to bring the message of life to those who need to hear!  But this isn’t the end of the story. We were created in God’s image, but through our rebellion that image was tainted by sin. Our new bodies will be perfected, free from the effects of sin, honoring God and bringing Him glory.

       It was sown in weakness; it is raised in  power.  The word here that is translated “weakness” is also rendered “sickness” in some contexts. We know about that, our prayer list is full of requests for healing.  We are weak but He is strong. I have a prayer that I picked up somewhere that I posted in my office, just a reminder of his strength and my weakness:

I am weak but you are strong. I am inconsistent but you never change. I am a sinner and you are my righteousness. I am all about the destination but you are all about the journey. You have called me and are faithful to fulfill your ministry call and spiritual development in me. Therefore I give you my sin, struggles, weaknesses, problems, and fears. I lay them at your feet. I am weary and heavily burdened. I come to you for rest, refreshing, and renewal. Give me a fresh measure of your joy that is my inner strength. I thank you God that your mercies are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. I choose today to walk in your renewable strength, powerful presence, and jubilant joy. Thank you Jesus for being my all-in-all whenever I feel so down-and-out. The battle around me belongs to you so each day I gratefully deliver them in prayer to your capable hands. Thanks for taking such good care of all that could burden me. I rest in your amazing grace. AMEN!

God is with us on this journey. And one empowering element He has given us for the journey is hope!

       Sown a “natural” body, raised a “spiritual” body (see also 2:14,15). Reading this in English may give the initial impression that Paul is undercutting his whole argument. Isn’t the “natural” referring to our material body, and the “spiritual" referring to our immaterial essence, our soul/spirit?  To understand Paul’s use of these words, we need to go back to I Corinthians 2:14,15. There Paul uses the same two words,

¹⁴ The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.  ¹⁵ The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.

Paul is clearly not talking about “material” versus “immaterial” in this context. It is clear that the “natural person” is the  unsaved person, and the “spiritual person” is the believer, who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Later in chapter 3 he says that the Corinthians were immature, baby Christians, so he could not talk to them as “spiritual.” They were still “fleshly.” That is a different word, that Paul uses to illustrate their immaturity. Rather than walking in the Spirit, they were still being dominated by their still sinful nature. They were indwelt by the Spirit, but they weren’t living in the reality of their position.  Coming back to our context in I Corinthians 15, Paul applies the adjectives “natural” and “spiritual” to the body of fallen humans and the resurrection body of believers. It is sown a natural body. The body that goes into the grave died because of sin, Adam’s sin, our inherited sin nature. By one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all have sinned... The “spiritual” body is the resurrection body. Raised to new life, free from the effects of sin, confirmed in righteous and “spiritual” because now it is fully yielded to the Holy Spirit of God.  God promises his children victory over the grave, including a transformed, perfected body free from the effects of sin, prepared for life in the New Heaven and the New Earth!

III. We will be like Him: The Resurrection of Jesus is the best picture of what God has planned for us (45-50)!

⁴⁵ Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.  ⁴⁶ But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.  ⁴⁷ The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.  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.  ⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.  ⁵⁰ I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

       The first man, Adam (post fall!) is the model for our natural body. Adam was created sinless, but he was not yet glorified. He was able not to sin. But he was also able to sin.  It seems reasonable that God exposed the man and the woman to a period of testing – the serpent didn’t sneak into the garden without God’s knowledge! Logically, had the man and the woman stood the test and said “no!” to the enemy, at some point they would have been confirmed in righteousness and come into full and permanent possession of the Holy Spirit. But that is speculation, as far as I know the scripture says nothing about that “what if?”. The point is they did sin. And so Adam and Eve, and every human after them, lived and died with a “natural body,” now weakened by sin.  We are all sons and daughters of Adam!

The second Adam, Christ (post resurrection!) is the model for our resurrection body. There was continuity with the body that was nailed to the cross and laid in the tomb. It was gone! The tomb was empty! He could still eat with his disciples as he did in John 21, having breakfast with them on the side of the lake. Yet He could also suddenly appear in a locked room, or disappear instantly from their sight. Are you ready for an upgrade? 

What is God saying to me in this passage? God promises his children victory over the grave, including a transformed, perfected body free from the effects of sin, prepared for life in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Think of the difference this makes for those who are in Christ, the hope that we have to see again those who have died in the Lord. Many of you, perhaps most of you, have lost someone close. Some have lost parents or grandparents, others have lost siblings, some have lost a spouse, others a child. For those who have died in Christ, we won’t simply be reunited in some kind of immaterial form. Ultimately, we will be as God intended us to be, and we won’t be encumbered by sin and our fallen human nature. Remember Jesus after the resurrection, at first his disciples and the women didn’t recognize him. But when he revealed himself they knew Him! We’ll be with those who died in Christ forever, no pain, no sorrow, no death. Think also of how vital it is that we share our hope with those around us!  We are God’s missionaries, He has entrusted the message to us!

      As we prepare for the Lord’s table on this first Sunday of the month, consider the Gospel, the Good News, that we celebrate, the truth that makes our hope sure: God the Son became a man, to die for our sins, and He rose again! We were lost as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. But because of Jesus, by faith, He has called us children of God, and such we are!                                     AMEN.