My Brother David D. Flowers recently finished posting a series titled “Heaven to Earth” in which he discusses the importance of the resurrection of jesus. I think David offers some good substance, but as I scan the landscape of Christian blogging and books, I am surprised at how little we speak of resurrection. In all our talk of “church” and “culture”, there seems to be little discussion (and far less understanding) about the resurrection from the dead.
Our church recently finished a chapter by chapter study of 1 Corinthians. When I got to chapter 15, I was compelled to spend 3 weeks in this one chapter. The power of Paul’s words as he discuses the meaning and practical everyday application of Jesus’ resurrection, made a huge impact on my own life. Over the coming weeks, I want to share just a small portion of our study and answer the question that confronted Paul, “Is There Life Beyond the Grave?”
In thinking about the possibility of a future life, I am struck by the fact that in every culture, in every age, there is legend, myth, and story to answer the question, “is there life beyond the grave?” One famous example is Mary Todd Lincoln. When confronted with the tragic assassination of her husband at the hands of John Wilkes Booth, Mrs. Lincoln turned to seances in search of hope. While some may think Mrs. Lincoln crazy for her search, she is not so different from any of us. In our own way, each of us seeks to answer this question and how we answer it will have consequence on the way we live our life today? This short video offers an excellent contrast among different religions and how the Christian answers the question of life beyond.
Death is real? Our need for hope is real? There must be an answer? Followers of jesus recognize that the answer begins with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our view of life beyond the grave is quite different from any other religion, but is it true? Can we really believe in a Jesus who raised from the dead? We are not the first to ask this question.
Just a short 20 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, there were those in the church at Corinth who began to question if this event really happened. And even if it didn’t happen, would it really matter?
Is belief in the resurrection of Jesus necessary?
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and said, “yes!”
1 Cor. 15:1-11 (ESV)
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you–unless you believed in vain.For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Paul was convinced that the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead was of primary importance to his preaching of the Gospel. It was the driving force and energy behind his every action and justification for his deep sacrifice.
Paul would later instruct the Church in Rome, that the resurrection is the only hope for the world that we will be saved from sin.
Romans. 10:8b-10 (ESV)
…The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
So, “is there life beyond the grave?” Yes! There is a life beyond life and, as a follower of Jesus, I belive the only hope of entering eternal joy is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
But is that really something that the modern/enlightened/scientific mind can embrace? I will answer that question in my next post.
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Actually – Mrs. Lincoln turned to seances when their second son Willie died in 1862. (Three of their four sons died before adulthood).
Here’s a good excerpt of her tragic life.
http://ehistory.osu.edu/world/PeopleView.cfm?PID=95
Thanks for the link Cliff
Two books which really impacted me on this subject:
Oscar Cullmann’s brief but hard-to-find classic “Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection from the Dead?” (great stuff) and
NT Wright’s 2008 book “Surprised By Hope”.
I highly recommend both.
Keith, what is one thing from each book that changed you? In what way were you impacted by each?
I was impacted by Cullmann’s differentiation between the Hebrew notion of resurrection vs. the Greek notion of inherent immortality, esp. his powerful chapter comparing Socrates’ death with that of Jesus.
I also loved Wright’s emphasis on spending eternity in/on the New Earth, transformed by grace vs. a more ethereal Heaven.
Both good books.
I will have to add both books to my Amazon wishlist and read them when I can.
One question in the meantime. What is the basic view on Hell in both books? Do they both hold to a view of eternal punishment or something else?
The Jewish religion doesn’t believe in eternal punishment (it’s temporary for some up to twelve months) – definitely nothing like Eterneal Punishment that many Christians believe. Sheol is the Hebrew word translated as Hell in the Old Testament. (A mistranslation of it’s concept.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_eschatology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheol
Cliff, the second link has this quote, “”The ancient Hebrews had no idea of an immortal soul living a full and vital life beyond death, nor of any resurrection or return from death. ” This statement is inaccurate. Even in Jesus day Jesus noted the conflict between Pharisees and Saduccees (one believing in the resurrection and the other denying it). Both the Pharisees and Sadducees were Jewish.
Pharisees and Saduccess weren’t the ancient Hebrews Professors Stephen L. Harris and James Tabor. Note the beginning of the article:
“Sheol is sometimes compared to Hades, the gloomy, twilight afterlife of Greek mythology. The word “hades” was in fact substituted for “sheol” when the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek (see Septuagint). The New Testament (written in Greek) also uses “hades” to refer to the abode of the dead.
By the second century BC, Jews who accepted the Oral Torah had come to believe that those in sheol awaited the resurrection either in comfort (in the bosom of Abraham) or in torment. This belief is reflected in Jesus’ story of Lazarus and Dives. At that time Jews who rejected the Oral Torah believed that Sheol meant simply the grave.”
Thanks Cliff for clarifying your statement. However, since my post does not mention hell or hades or Sheol, I am not quote sure I get your point. The eternality of hell notwithstanding, what is your understanding of eternal life for the believer in Christ? Is there life beyond the grave?
Keith posted a response with a book about the Hebrew notion of the ressurection vs. Greek. You asked him what in those books they taught about hell. I posted some links showing what the Hebrew notion of the ressurection was and also their concept of sheol which means grave (and is often translated as hell in some bibles.) It seemed appropriate but maybe it wasn’t.
What did you mean by “The eternality of hell notwithstanding”?
ah, okay, I see. I did not realize that was the order of things. That makes sense now.
my statement about the eternality of hell notwithstanding, simple means that regardless of how one views hell (the grave or annihilation, or eternal punishment) I was interested to know your thoughts on the resurrection of the saints.
Again, thanks for your clarification Cliff.
i find it interesting that this chapter from 1 cor does not even discuss hell, or sheol. Paul seems more concerned about explaining the importance of resurrection than talking about hell. Maybe there is a lesson in that for Christians today as well. What do we spend our time talking about?
Joe, I don’t recall what Cullmann says about Hell. I’m thinkin’ he may have talked about some form of annhilationism, but I could be way off. It’s been a few years.
Wright focuses more on the good stuff; I don’t think he talks much about Hell in this particular work. Sorry I can’t remember more accurately!
Cullmann’s little book is online here:
http://tr.im/sCQZ
Chapter 1, which compares the deaths of Socrates & Jesus, is pretty moving.
thanks for the link Keith, i will print it out and read it. It looks very interesting.
Joe, the way hell (and the good news of Christ) was taught to me as a child was :
“Because Adam ate a piece of fruit from the wrong tree, God became angry with humanity and required the death of his son in order to forgive us for the stain of sin we were born with. Jesus came to save only the people who would confess him as savior and be baptized. All others, regardless of how “good” their external life is, will burn in eternal fire forever- even if they never heard of Jesus. But this God loves you and is just and merciful.”
Whew! Eternal burning for simply having poor theology! Yikes! My experience of God as I have grown is that God is not a “gotcha” sort of God. And that the people who die not knowing Christ (because they never heard of him) but have remained faithful to the light they do have, will still enjoy paradise- not because of their goodness, but still because of Christ. Even if they do not know Christ, Christ is still the way. And Jesus repeatedly says that God judges the heart of a man. And that heart can be in tune with the message of Jesus even if they have never known him.
I do not believe it is possible for the created to have more grace than the creator. Hell was not created for people who have never heard the gospel. My sincere hope is that no one will receive eternal punishment for temporal sins. But what God chooses to do, I will certainly get out of the way.
Without the leading of God, we are lost- even without Satan’s interference.
And above all else is my passionate belief that God is a far better leader than Satan is a deceiver.
peace
Yes, I can see where if you were taught that God condemned people for eating apples, that could be a problem in your image of God.
If you want to chat about how you perceive my own views, this post is a good start…. but only if you feel up to it brother