Easter > Holy Week Devotionals > Thursday
1 CORINTHIANS 15:35-49
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
REFLECTION
Read the text slowly and prayerfully – How do these verses provide a window into the heart of God? The importance of the resurrection? The hope we have for the future? Then walk through the three reflection steps of Observe, Interpret, and Apply.
LIFE IN THE WORLD TO COME
BY DAVID BARRETT
As the closing words of the Nicene Creed remind us, Christianity has always affirmed that believers should, “Look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come.” The two clauses in this ancient creed contain two critical and related ideas of our Christian hope: resurrection and life in the world to come.
This hope of our own resurrection leading to life in the world to come has been secured “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Indeed, as we see in 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul notes that the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection of believers are inextricably linked (1 Corinthians 15:12-28). Accordingly, this is important to understand: what Christians ultimately hope for is not an ethereal existence in an extraterrestrial place called heaven, but resurrection life in a renewed creation.
So if Jesus’ resurrection is in essence the trailer to the blockbuster that is our own resurrection to come, what can we expect it to be like? Paul reflects on the nature of the resurrection body in 1 Corinthians 15:35-57. While he notes that there is some degree of similarity with the natural body, Paul’s emphasis here is clearly on the distinction between the mortal body inherited from the first Adam, and the immortal body secured through Jesus, the second Adam. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 15 he notes the differences between the natural and the spiritual body in verses 42–49:
The body is buried as perishable, but raised imperishable.
The body is buried in dishonor, but is raised in glory.
The body is buried in weakness, but is raised in power.
What it comes down to is that our resurrection bodies will be like Jesus’ resurrection body (1 Corinthians 15:49), which is pretty amazing when we consider what Jesus did in post-resurrection appearances. He had a physical body that people could touch (Luke 24:39) and He did physical activities like eating fish (John 24:15). However, in His resurrection body, Jesus is also able to do miraculous things like walk through walls and teleport. Perhaps these sort of abilities will come in handy in the new heavens when we want to explore the furthest stars and planets in our newly glorified universe.
Accordingly, the apostle Paul is not suggesting that our resurrection will be ethereal and non-physical, but rather our mortal bodies inherited from Adam just won’t do for an eternal inheritance (1 Corinthians 15:50). This is why everyone must undergo this perishable to imperishable change. Because we need to be outfitted for our eternal inheritance. Until that time however, we continue to eagerly wait as we look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come.
Want to read more about the thread of resurrection that weaves all throughout scripture, from Genesis to Revelation? Check out the full article here!
Tonight’s Family Audio Story explains the humility of Jesus as He washes His disciples' feet the night before His crucifixion. Listen here!
