What did HE say? (continued)
Bread of Life (Part 10)
We have addressed the resurrection in some detail over the last few posts although this was never the intention. As we said yesterday it is important to have the building blocks in place for the better understanding of our subject verses from the Gospel of John; four times the Master says this same thing. For clarity we will list them again from the sixth chapter:
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“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing , but should raise it up again at the last day” (v39).
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“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (v40).
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“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day“ (v44).
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“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (v54).
We discussed in a previous post that the first instance above is translated raise it up and with the word again added. The word translated it is the same word translated as him in all the other instances and the word again does not exist in the Greek text but is translated from the same word that means raise. This word appears only one time in the original. Other versions leave out the word again in translation but maintain the it and this is likely because the subject is the things that the Father hath given to the Son so that the it then follows and refers to the no thing. Vincent says that the literal translation of this should be that all which He hath given me I should lose nothing out of it**** hence, the following it. Now for us we should assume that the it is the same as him; that what it is that the Father hath given Him are those who followed Him. This said, let us continue with our thought.
In two of these verses we find the relationship between eternal life and I will raise him up and for this the commentary that we cited (In the Words of Jesus part 67) says that they cannot be the same and this is true. In their view the reason is that, the final resurrection reunites the eternal life with a new incorruptible body formed at the end and to last for the rest of forever. This view is grounded in the belief that in some way we are this body and are not separable from it. There is no clear scriptural evidence to support this point of view; it is more the result of looking at the man and seeing his Life as the body with a Spirit or Soul. For the most part, this body is all we see and know as ourselves and so this idea may be easier explanation of Life. We however see a different thing; we see the Life as the Spirit that we are using this body for his time on Earth.
Now the Apostle Paul’s writes much that can be regarding things that touch upon these ideas. His writings on this are in Chapter 15 of His first letter to the Corinthians and are intended to convince them that there is a resurrection. He says: “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised , your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished” (1 Corinthians 15:13-18). The message here is taken to be the church version of resurrection but what is the real message. First Paul is saying in you don’t believe the resurrection then you can’t believe that Christ is risen and then why are we doing all this. And second, if you can’t believe in the resurrection then all those who have died, believing in Christ, are just gone; forever perished. The only kind of resurrection that should be taken here is the type of resurrection that was the experience of the Christ. The message we see from Paul is one of Life after the death of the physical body; as Christ lives so we live.
Further on Paul goes into a discourse on the differences in bodies so as to set up his argument concerning the corruptible and incorruptible. “He says: all flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:39-44). We know today that the DNA of a frog is different from a that of a dog and that even among the same classes we can see these differences. We may share our body type with all mammals for that is what we are but there is no other real sameness and this is what Paul is saying as well. He goes on to celestial and continues to the resurrection of the dead. Look at his words; the resurrection is sown in corruption and raised in incorruption. Following from yesterday’s post this is, for us, that the physical corruptible body dies and from its death rises a body not subject to corruption as we know it. And this is, in an immediate sense, being the Spirit clothed in the personality only. Projecting this forward we can also say that for those who are true followers of the Christ; they who become “perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) can and do shed all and become truly Christ like in their true spiritual body alone. This is our aim and our goal.
Now what are these bodies is unclear and our finite minds can only imagine but we know, better than those in Paul’s day, that all is energy. From this physical body that we have to the rarest form of a spiritual body, all is energy. Such also is our emotional nature and our mental nature and our soul nature; we cannot see nor feel nor measure yet any of them. This can be understood to be much like light that we cannot see but we know that it is there and sound that we cannot hear but we know that it is there as well.
Paul writes long on this subject and never alludes to the type of resurrection that the church believes in. We should remember that he is talking to men who he is trying to convince of certain spiritual notions. He goes on to say: “and as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:49-55). These sayings we need to break down and understand. Image of the earthly we do understand as this body that we see. That we shall also bear is said by Vincent to be better translated as let us bear**** but it matters not which but how we understand the principle. We have this body, the image of the earthy which is in our verses above called the natural body. Further he says that we have a spiritual body; this then this is the image of the heavenly. This makes it so that the shall bear vs. let us bear irrelevant as Paul already established that we have a spiritual body.
This may seem like the long way around to the point that Paul, speaking to men who are not yet convinced of immortality or resurrection or life after death in general, is painting a picture for them as to the fact that there are earthy or natural bodies and there are heavenly or spiritual bodies. We have left off much of his writing here for the sake of time and clarity; we will revisit this again when we get to the theme of resurrection. A key statement in this segment is “that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” and in this should be seen clearly the separation of the flesh from the Spirit that we are. He continues saying “neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” and in this we should not assume the normal understanding of inherit but rather just obtaining or partaking in. We should see that the physical body, which is corruption in Paul’s theme, cannot obtain the spiritual which is incorruption in his theme. And we see this as a truth in that the physical body is just that and does not continue with the Spirit. Next he calls this all a mystery saying “we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed“. Vincent sheds some light on this by saying that this represents that there will be some Christians living when the Lord comes. this makes much more sense than some of those living then will still be alive when the Lord comes. What is this change and this mystery? For us the change is that change we find in the death of the body; that we change to be the same personality without a body and if we are among those who have done His will we are changed into and continue in our spiritual selves which we established in this life by being in His Kingdom and His Presence. The is the promise we can find in “and I will raise him up”; being raised from being in the Kingdom while on Earth to being in the Kingdom after the death of the natural body.
Remember that Paul calls this a mystery and continues with in a moment which Vincent says is an undivided point in time and we shall say is an instant; in the twinkling of an eye which Vincent says is representative of any rapid movement at the last trump****. We have no understanding of the last trump nor of the phrase for the trumpet will sound and it is here that the relationship between Paul’s writing and the final resurrection seem established but what is the last trump? How can one just assume that it is a trumpet call at the last day. It may just as well be the sound of our death or an allegory of it; the same with the trumpet will sound. Is this the sound of death? and in this death we are raised, as His followers who do the will of the Father, in our incorruptible body? and we are changed? This is overcoming death much more so than the reliance on some final resurrection and Paul says in the end that “death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” and we know that there is no death except for the death of the body and that we continue in some spiritual form forever.
Another building block that can be understood to say that the result of the death of the physical body is the raising up of the spiritual body; corruption changing to incorruption. And those who are in Christ, those that are His are raised up not only beyond the physical but to the highest conception of spiritual places together with Him now. And not only when we die, when we live. In Him we are raised into the Kingdom of God. We will continue this in the next post.
Note on the Quote of the Day
This daily blog also has a Quote of the Day which may not be in any way related to the essay. Many of these will be from the Bible and some just prayers or meditations that may have an influence on you and are in line with the subject matter of this blog. As the quote will change daily and will not store with the post, it is repeated in this section with the book reference and comment.
If I cannot get back to my desk at the regular post time, I am leaving the same Quote of the Day.
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24 NAS)
This applies to what we hear as well as what we see and do. Righteous judgement reveals for us the truth but how do we define this. One way is to look at righteous judgment as wisdom and apply the ideas put forth by James in his epistle; namely, “….where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:16-17).
**** Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition, 1888
