But some man will say, how are the dead raised up?”
1 Corinthians 15:35
Have you ever asked this question, “how are the dead raised up?” It is the age-old question through the centuries that had many captivated as to the answer. Is there life after death is the other question that is related to the dead being raised up. During my lifetime as a Christian to date this topic may have only been preached a few times. One is so consumed about living and not dying, yet death is all around us. Even in my youth I have seen death. The death of a beloved animal, or family member and friends. When Job was going through his trial and complaining, God asked Job these questions.
Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
Job38:17
If there is anyone acquainted with death is God and his son Jesus Christ. The word grieve means to inflict or afflict pain. It’s origin from the Hebrew word is “yagon” and it is associated with the word agony. We should remember that God was so grieved with the wickedness of man to do evil that the Lord God said in Genesis chapter six in verse six, “and it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” Read the rest of the story in Genesis chapter six. I believe the hardest thing for a human to do is to die to their own self will, yet that is exactly what Christ did on the cross for each of us. He died that we might have life. We are so consumed with our own life that we forget that death is knocking at the door if we do not address it for whatever is not of faith is sin [see Romans 14:23]. There can be no doubt in your life for you to lose the power of God to act on your behalf. The life of the Christian is totally based upon faith, and that faith carries with it the power of God to perform miracles in our life.
The first man Adam was a living soul while the last Adam who is Christ is a life-giving spirit. Christ is the Fountian of life, and He gave that life to others. And here comes the rub that most people ignore, it is that one must die to their own self will in order to live for Christ. Our self-will is what gets us into trouble. We do not want to give it up. We do not want to surrender. Yet God is asking us to do just that. Paul states that the body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body [see 1 Corinthians 6:13]. Thus, when we read verse 36 of 1st Corinthians, we may begin to understand just a little about its meaning.
Thou fool, that which thou sow is not made alive, except it die;”
1 Corinthians 15:36
What did Jesus say about his own sacrifice? “Verily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit,” [ see John 12:24]. What did Jesus mean by saying this? The answer is in the next verse of 25 in John chapter 12. If you love your life, you will lose it, for it is in your will to love your life more than anyone else. In otherwards your pride of life will bring you down like Lucifer who exclaimed, ” I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.” Know that you can play right into the hand of Satan by doing the same and exalting yourself above the stars of God. Judgement is here and now. Jesus stated, “Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out,” [John 12:31]. Walking in darkness means you do not know where you are going, but the Bible tells us this is death. The judgement that is spoken of is here now because that judgement was upon Jesus Christ who bore our sins upon the cross. Think about it, it was death for Christ but to those who believe it is justification.
Satan the prince of this world will be cast down. It is God who giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed its own body [see 1 Corinthians 15:38]. All flesh is not the same flesh Paul states in the next verse of 1st Corinthians 15:39, and so is the resurrection of the dead. The whole later chapter of 1st Corinthians 15 should be read. It is Jesus himself who restored death to life. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. The natural body was sown in corruption, and it is raised in incorruption. Look at verse 45 of 1st Corinthians 15.
And so, it is written, the first man, Adam, was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a life-giving spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:45
The natural becomes a life-giving spirit. We start in the natural but end up in the spiritual. This is our inheritance through Jesus Christ. Those in Christ will bear the image of the heavenly body. We shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [see 1 Corinthians 15:52]. What a day that will be. Death will be swallowed up in victory. Our inheritance at that point will be final, for we will have received a heavenly spiritual body. This is the earnest expectation we wait for, those who belong to Christ in faith. The fall of Adam has brought vanity to all creation. [see Romans 8:20]. Paul tells us in Romans 8 verse 21, that creation itself will also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. How marvelous is God to even consider all living creation? Paul states that the whole creation groaned and travail in pain waiting for the redemption of the body.
This is the hope we have as Christians, the deliverance of our natural body to a heavenly body. For Christ is the head of the body and all things has been put under His feet [see Ephesians 1:22]. We can now understand Paul better when he exclaims that “Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” We gain Christ provision of eternal life from death itself and a redemption of the body at a future date. But we must die to our own self-will and follow Christ on the road of love. With the Holy Spirit as our helper to point us in the right path, and to always pray with all supplication unto the Lord. We ask and receive to the fullness we have in Christ Jesus, for greater is He that is in us than He that is in this world, [ 1 John 4:4]. We can sing that wonderful hymn written by E. M. Bartlett, “Victory in Jesus.” Yes, He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood. His precious blood’s atoning gave humanity life over death.
I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood’s atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.
Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing pow’r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and bro’t
To me the victory.
