The topic is glorification. Glorification has to do with the resurrection. Believers will be resurrected at the end of the age and will be granted glorified bodies which will be perfected. These bodies will no longer decay but will be imperishable. In these bodies we will no longer sin, for sin will be impossible. For this message, we will focus on parts of 1 Corinthians 15 in the Holy Scriptures which speak of this resurrection and how it is tied to Jesus the Messiah.
Resurrection of the Dead
(1 Corinthians 15:20)
(20) But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Let us stop here and touch on the firstfruits. Jesus Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. In agriculture, the firstfruits are the first sample of a crop. It determines what the nature and quality of the rest of the crop will look like. Jesus Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection. As Christ was bodily resurrected, so will be the bodily resurrection of all the believers.
(1 Corinthians 15:21)
(21) For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. (22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
For as by a man came death. It is obvious that this is referring to Adam. By a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. It is obvious that this is referring to Christ. The next verse is a parallel verse which specifies the men mentioned in the preceding verse. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Look at the parallelism:
(21a) For as by a man came death…
(22a) For as in Adam all die…
(21b) …by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
(22b) …so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Through Adam came death. Through Christ comes the resurrection. Without Christ, there can be no resurrection unto life, but only the resurrection unto condemnation. Hell is the second death.
Verse 23 said, “But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” Jesus was raised first, and at the end of the age when Christ returns, all those who have believed in Christ and in His work will also be resurrected like Christ. He had a glorified body, and likewise we who believe will also have a glorified body.
Resurrection Body
(1 Corinthians 15:35-41)
(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.
The Apostle Paul is answering a question that is likely to be in the minds of some. How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come? Paul is building an analogy here using a seed of grain. A seed that is planted into the ground is described as dying, and then it grows up into a plant with its own body. The plant has a body different from the seed’s body. Paul mentions that not all flesh is the same, for humans, animals, birds, and fish all have different bodies. He speaks of heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars, each with their own glory received from God the Creator. He mentions earthly bodies which he spoke of a moment ago with the humans, animals, birds, and fish.
Let us continue the analogy:
(1 Corinthians 15:42-44)
(42) So it is 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.
Paul is speaking of our physical bodies as that which is sown. God has sown our bodies into this world, but our bodies are perishable and we will all die. As a result of death coming into the world through Adam’s transgression, our bodies are sown in dishonor and weakness. The fact that our bodies are fragile and perishable is a dishonor. Disease, weakness, viruses, and death all bring dishonor to our bodies. As a seed is sown and raised in glory as a plant, so also are human bodies sown and raised in glory. Our bodies are sown perishable, but raised imperishable; sown in dishonor, but raised in glory; sown in weakness, but raised in power; sown a natural body, but raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. In Paul’s analogy, the seed of grain is the natural body, and the plant which results is the spiritual body. Our bodies now are natural; at the resurrection they will be spiritual.
(1 Corinthians 15:45)
(45) Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Paul is quoting from Genesis 2:7, “The first man Adam became a living being.” In Genesis God creates Adam from the dust of the earth, and then breathes life into him. Paul adds that “the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” The last Adam is Jesus Christ. In the resurrection, our imperishable bodies will be eternally sustained by the Holy Spirit. No death, no disease, no decay, no corruptness.
(1 Corinthians 15:46)
(46) But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
Paul is likely to still have his analogy of the seed of grain in his mind. It is not the plant which comes first, but the seed and then the plant. The seed must perish, and then the plant results. Our natural bodies come first, they will perish, and then the spiritual body results.
(1 Corinthians 15:47-49)
(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.
Adam was from the earth, a man of dust. Adam’s descendants are also of dust. We bear the image of the man of dust, our father Adam. We are born in the likeness of Adam. The second man is from heaven, Jesus Christ. As was He, so also are those who are of heaven. We who believe shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. Notice in verse 49 it says that we “have borne the image of the man of dust,” and then says that “we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. The first is past tense and the second is future tense. We have (in the past) borne the image of the man of dust (which began at our birth) and we shall (will in the future) bear the image of the man of heaven (which begins at the resurrection).
Here is another interesting observation. The first man Adam was created from the dust of the earth, and then God breathed life into him. The second man Jesus always existed in heaven, for He is the way, the truth, and the life, and then His body was created from the dust of the earth at His incarnation. Adam is created from dust, then given life; Jesus is life, then is given a body of dust. The Messiah entered a perishable body, so that we who believe will enter an imperishable body. Without Christ, there can be no resurrection of the dead. We skipped the verse, but Paul said in verse 17, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” If Christ was not raised from the dead, then we would all perish in our sins.
Victory over Death
(1 Corinthians 15:50-53)
(50) I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (51) Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) 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. (53) For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
In verse 50 we see a parallelism:
A) Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
B) nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Flesh and blood is perishable, and the kingdom of God is imperishable. In order for flesh and blood (which is perishable) to enter into the kingdom of God (which is imperishable) the perishable body must put on the imperishable as mentioned in verse 53. Paul tells us that in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, all believers will be changed. Those who are dead will be raised imperishable, and those who are alive at the second coming of Jesus Christ will be changed from perishable to imperishable in the blink of an eye. The mortal body will put on immortality. We who believe will never die again. Our bodies will no longer be dishonorable and weak, but full of glory and power.
(1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
(54) 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." (55) "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (56) The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
After these things take place on the Day of Resurrection, the saying that is written in Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14 will come to pass. “Death is swallowed up in victory” is Isaiah 25:8, and “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” is from Hosea 13:14. As a reminder, the apostles quoted from the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament so the words and sentence structure will vary slightly. Paul comments that the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. O death, where is your sting? What is the sting? Sin. Where does sin get its power? The law. As to how the power of sin is the law, that is a topic Paul discusses in the book of Romans. That is a topic I will cover in the future, God willing.
In verse 57, Paul declares that God gives us the victory through Jesus Christ. Victory over what? Victory over death! So when the perishable puts on the imperishable, death is swallowed up in victory, and this victory comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 25:8 it says that God will swallow up death forever, and He will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people will be taken away from the earth. If Jesus Christ did not come to earth in the image of the man of dust, die on the cross to appease the wrath of God for the sins of His people, be buried in the grave and on the third day be raised from the dead as incorruptible and imperishable, then believers would have no victory and the believers would be swallowed up by death. The Messiah made our glorification possible.
What about unbelievers? What happens to their bodies? Obviously unbelievers will not be glorified and be given resurrected bodies like the man of heaven, but they will be resurrected unto judgment and be condemned to eternal punishment in hell. They will be swallowed up by death. They will be sinners for all eternity, whereas believers will never sin again. If you want to receive these glorified bodies so you can worship, enjoy, treasure, and adore God for all eternity with brothers and sisters, then you need to repent of your sins and confess Christ as your Lord and Savior. You need to get to know God through His Word in the Holy Scriptures, and God will sanctify you and lead you into all righteousness, for His name’s sake and for His glory.
If you are a believer, praise God! I end with Paul’s words in verse 58 at the end of the chapter we discussed. “Therefore, my beloved brothers [and sisters], be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
In His name,
Brother Harun
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