The Resurrection of the Body (2 Corinthians 5:1-10)

We all know that often creeds were composed in response to particular dangers that faced the church at given times, which means that their statements usually were connected to false teachings and ideas that were opposed to the teachings of the apostles. It is the case that from one point of view the church has to compete in the marketplace of ideas where its teachings will be scrutinised by others and compared or contrasted with alternative proposals about reality. One apostolic teaching that faced derision in the first century was the belief in the resurrection of the body. We see an example of this in the account given by Luke of Paul’s interaction with the philosophers on the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). When Paul mentioned the resurrection of the dead, Luke records that ‘some mocked’ (v. 32). Thankfully, others were not so inclined; indeed some of Paul’s listeners became Christians on that occasion. Yet we should realise that a belief in resurrection is not basic to the understanding of many.

A fundamental feature of the thought of people at that time was their assumption that matter was evil and the spirit was good. This led to the obvious deduction that the physical body was less important than the inner soul or spirit of an individual. Indeed the body came to be regarded as a kind of prison from which it would be gain to be set free. No doubt we can think of several ways in which this outlook is expressed in contemporary life, even among Christian people. Sometimes we speak as if going to heaven at death was the ultimate experience, but it is not. It is a very blessed experience, of course, but it is not the final hope of a Christian. His final hope is connected to the resurrection of the body.

Of course, the Bible reveals that all humans who have died will be resurrected from the dead. Jesus made this very clear in John 5:28-29: ‘Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.’ The Bible does not say what the lost will look like (for example, what age will they seem to be?), although it does give more details about the kind of body that the righteous will have. There is no point speculating about what the lost will be like, except to say that their resurrected bodies will be capable of existing throughout the endless period of punishment that they will endure. The fundamental requirement regarding this awful future event is that Christians should engage in evangelism of th0se outside the people of God and those who have been informed of the future should repent of their sins and trust in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15

A chapter of the New Testament that deals with the resurrection of the body and its various concerns is 2 Corinthians 5. Paul here continues with a theme he had previously discussed in 1 Corinthians, in chapter 15, where he had dealt with one of the many problems in the church at Corinth at that time, which was a denial of the resurrection of the dead.

In that chapter, he had reminded the Corinthians that the resurrection of Jesus was a core feature of the gospel, one that cannot be regarded as unimportant. Paul also listed some of the resurrection appearances of Jesus, including to the apostle himself. There was no doubt that Jesus was seen alive after his death. The fact was not an issue. What was an issue was what the resurrection of Jesus signified. Therefore, Paul explains that the risen Jesus is the head of a new humanity who will yet inherit the eternal kingdom. All who will live there, if they have died, will experience resurrection (obviously some will be living when Jesus returns and they will not die; instead they will be transformed or glorified without experiencing resurrection, but the outcome will be the same for them as for those who are resurrected to glory).

Paul also contrasts the buried body with the resurrected body: ‘So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; 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’ (1 Cor. 15:42-44). When he says that it will be a spiritual body, he does not mean that it will not be physical. Instead, he means that the resurrected body will have powers that will enable it to live in an environment far more intense than the one in which it now exists. The resurrected body will enable those who receive one to live in the immediate presence of God (15:50).

In the next set of verses Paul encourages the Christians in Corinth to look ahead to when this will happen: ‘Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality’ (15:51-53). The idea of mystery here does not mean that the details are secret. Instead, it means the opposite, which is that they have been revealed by God to his church.

When that great event takes place, it will be a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy: ‘When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (15:54-57). And he reminds the Corinthians that should they grasp the wonder and certainty of this great future event, they will become ‘steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord’ in the present, ‘knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain’ (15:58).

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

The context of Paul’s instruction in this chapter is detailed in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, where he writes: ‘So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.’ Paul was conscious of two things here – the increasing weakness of his physical frame and the connected glory he and his readers would enjoy in the world to come, a glory that was so rich that it made his and their current great troubles seem very insignificant. What must this degree of glory be that demands such a conclusion? Paul goes on to explain it in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. What does he say?

First, he contrasts the body he then had with the body he will have. The body he then had was like a flimsy tent (Paul, of course, was a tentmaker who had mended many damaged tents), getting old, very fragile, always likely to succumb to one of a wide possible range of dangers. In marked contrast, his future body he likens to a solid building that will last forever. Moreover we should note the confidence that Paul has regarding receiving this new body – he uses the present tense to say that it is his already (we have). He is like the heir of a large estate who can say it is his even although he has not yet received it.

Second, he says that he is longing for his new body. Note that he prefers this to the prospect of going to heaven as a disembodied spirit (a state he depicts as ‘naked’ because he will have lost his body that clothed his spirit). We have to imagine Paul looking at two possible prospects. One is that he will die and lose his body for a while; the other is that he will live until the resurrection day, and on that day his current body will be further clothed with glory. He will still have his body, but it will be enhanced. That is a marvellous experience to look forward too.

Of course, Paul is not demeaning the wonders of heaven. He would later write to the Philippians and say that ‘to depart and be with Christ’ is far better than living on in this world (Phil. 1:23). And in verse 6 of this chapter he says, ‘We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.’ Bu he would also say that such a wonderful experience is not as good as being physically with Jesus forever. As we think about those who have died in the faith and gone to heaven, we should also realise that in the midst of their heavenly enjoyment they are looking forward to the resurrection and their personal glorification, indeed it is an aspect of their heavenly joy.

Third, Paul reminds his readers that God has given to them a guarantee that this will happen. The guarantee is a divine person given to them in a special way, the Holy Spirit who indwells each of his people. We can imagine situations in which a guarantee stirs thoughts of future enjoyment. An engagement ring tells the wearer that a great future experience is coming. Of course, the ring is inanimate, but it does symbolise what a real person has promised. The Holy Spirit is like an engagement ring, except that he is living in our hearts. What does he say to us continually? He says that this world is passing away and a glorious new one is coming, and he tells it in such a manner that we groan for it to come. One saint of old who groaned for this day was Job. His words in Job 19:23-27 vividly describe his living hope exercised in days of deep providential darkness: ‘Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,  whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!’

Fourth, the realisation of this glorious future gives great courage to believers who focus on it and think about it. Since it is a source of courage and comfort we can be assured that the devil will try and get us not to think about it. Often we lack courage and one reason for this negative element is that we don’t think about the future in a biblical manner. In 2 Timothy 4:8 Paul speaks about those who love the day of the Saviour’s appearing. We should think about it in the way that lovers think about their marriage day. When it happens, they forget all the hassles they faced prior to it. And we will feel the same on the resurrection day as we discover the glory that will be given by God to his people.

Fifth, Paul points out that the realisation of our future destiny makes us want to please God. In this passage, he has mentioned the Trinity, the Father who gives the Spirit and the Son who will be the Judge. This desire to please God is there whether we die before the resurrection occurs or live until it happens. We have this desire because we are grateful to Jesus for coming to our rescue, and gratitude combined with love is a very powerful motive.

Yet Paul adds another motive for pleasing God and this motive is that when the resurrection day comes it will also be the time when we will ‘appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil’ (2 Cor. 5:10). Of course, this is a solemn reality because it means that the lives of believers will be reviewed then. There is no prospect of their condemnation here, but the context of the resurrection body could suggest that the reward given by God is connected to what will be seen in that body in its state of glorification. If that is the case, then we can see that the future reception of the resurrection body has ramifications for how we live day by day. After all, why should we use our body and its parts, which is to raised, as instruments of sin?

So as we think about the resurrection of the dead, we should be glad that we have a gospel that explains the basis for it (the death and resurrection of Jesus), the participators in it, and the nature of it. And its certainty should cause us to live devotedly for Jesus day by day.