Q:
Do you believe in the physical resurrection? It is the foundation for most Christian debates however it is also the main platform for the attacks as well. Do you believe that there was a physical or a spiritual resurrection, or both?
A:
I have spent some time researching and contemplating the resurrection that is discussed in the Bible, and in turn processing information about its meaning. It’s pretty clear that almost all Christians believe in a resurrection of some nature, the specifics however, are constantly disputed.
I will be putting a few facts together to support the concept which I have identified as the most accurate. This will include scripture references as well.
I think it is important to understand the principles of a resurrection, and identify the process of death and spirituality as accurately as possible. It is probably the most important and commonly misunderstood aspect of scripture and belief.
I feel that the most important information and most of the keys to understanding are literally in Christ’s words. Not to take anything away from prophets of the Old Testament or Christ’s disciples. I believe that they were inspired directly by God, and the words and teachings of Christ. However, their writings were built on the teachings and foundation of Christ, which is also available to us in his words and recorded actions. We need to get to the purist form of dialog so that we can understand the meaning. Once this is accomplished, we can read more advanced scripture and have a relative frame of reference as the writers.
So let us start by identifying what a resurrection is, and what the characteristics are. I’m sure we can agree that a resurrection is the transformation of the state of death, to life. We live; we die and then are resurrected to life again.
So what is life? As humans I think that we view life as a vivid state of consciousness. We think, we feel and we can act. As far as the spiritual element, there is not a lot of knowledge or understanding. Most of what we know about spirituality is a best guess, and there is really no reliable scientific evidence that we can build true knowledge on. I think that most people, even those that don’t believe in God agree that there is an unknown element to life. Some call it collective conscience, some nature’s cycle and some spirituality. There are many more aspects, but the point is that we mostly all agree that there is a force that is directly tied to life.
So what does Christ suggest about the state of the dead? Well, there are several instances in the New Testament where Christ talks about the state of the dead and addresses the topic of the resurrection. We can identify some of the consistencies and characteristics of a resurrection which will also give us insight into the state of the dead.
The most well documented resurrection, with the exception of Christ’s resurrection, was the Death of Lazarus. So the prelude to this story is that Lazarus was a friend of Christ’s and had become sick. He had been healing the sick all over Judea, and could have made it to Lazarus before his death. Christ knew that the sickness would be severe enough to cause death, but decided to wait a couple days until this happened to glorify God by his resurrection.
John Chapter 11, verse 11
“After he said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
This is a very powerful description of a resurrection that is mostly overlooked because it does not fit into the concept that western Christianity has with the state of the dead. Jesus in several instances refers to death as sleep. I believe that this is not just by accident, but to give us humanistic perspective of death.
Most Christians believe that when a person dies that they are whisked away to heaven or hell. Are we to believe then that Lazarus was in heaven, and when resurrected was pulled back down to earth to live in his human body? This does not make logical sense to me personally.
This idea was again a victim of Roman and Greek influence during the formation of Christianity as we know it. The idea that once dead our spirits would transfer to the underworld (or Hades), and if heroic we would be sent to live with the Gods. Hades represented hell, and living with the Gods represented the transfer to heaven. This was an easy way to take the current pagan beliefs and gain acceptance through relative concepts.
So what is a resurrection, and what are the constant characteristics? First, I would like to consider a concept about the specifics of a human life. The Bible states that we are all made in God’s image. What is this image, does this mean that we all are built to look like God? Perhaps, but God is not a single entity based on Christian beliefs. God is a combination of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Do all three entities share the same characteristics as humans? Again, this is certainly possible.
I believe that we are created in God’s image in the sense that we to are made up of three core components; the mind, body and spirit. We cannot exist in a conscience state without each functioning unit. The mind is a footprint of our experiences, knowledge and logical reasoning. Spirit creates our moral conscience and relationship to all creation. Our bodies are the vessel which harmonizes these components.
Without each of these we are not in a conscience state, which I believe is why Jesus referred to the state of the dead as “sleeping”. In each case of resurrection in the New Testament, including Christ’s resurrection, the body was raised and given life. The life given was the spirit returning along with a conscience mind.
In all cases that I can find in the Bible there is no description of an individual resurrection to heaven. It is always described as “the resurrection”. This is a singular term, which again gives evidence that once dead individuals would be raised together in an event. Here is a passage from John where Jesus is speaking to the people his message of righteousness.
John Chapter 5, verse 28
“Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”
The use of the “all that are in the tombs”, suggests that all who have died on earth will be raised at once, not on an individual basis.
I believe that this “hour” will be the second coming of Christ and we will be given new bodies with our spirits and minds returning to a conscience state.
I believe in a physical resurrection and a spiritual resurrection.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment JT; I love to get peoples perspectives on different beliefs. What do you think a spiritual resurrection consists of? More precisely, what are the characteristics and how did you come by this particular belief. Any details would be appreciated.
ReplyDeletewow that was an experience. I never delved deeply into the idea of being created in God's image, I think it's amazing how you broke it down. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Adisa, I appreciate the comment. It is just something to consider.
ReplyDeleteWith the understanding that Jesus raised Lazarus and the young girl and He made a comment to John's disciples that could be construed as many more were raised, how does 1 Corinthians 15:20 "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." weight in the discussion?
ReplyDeleteI read your post and you stated something that I want to address. When a person dies his/her spirit goes before Father God. If a person is not saved then that persons spirit goes to hell because he/she had a choice while living on earth to choose their final destination. Hell is a real place and its not paganistic. Yes we were created in God's image and the trinity is one. Though they are different is office they are still one.
ReplyDeleteHi Greg, this is a good passage that I think highlights some of my thoughts. Yes, there were others that were raised to life in the same way. Their bodies were raised to life after sometimes days of being dead. Calling Christ these things “firstfruits” suggests that no one before these acts were resurrected. So, for four thousand years before Christ we can logically deduce that these were special events, not the common standard. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Heiress. I sometimes come off a little direct and certainly don’t want or care to be argumentative. Here are some thoughts to consider.
ReplyDeleteI am assuming that the spirit you suggest is conscience? That is, the spirit of a human after death can think, perceive, and experience things. That it is as much a living entity as in human form. Are we then to suggest that Christ’s spirit was before God after his death on the cross? After he was resurrected three days after his death he met Mary at his tomb and in John chapter 20:17 he states:
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father,to my God and your God.
This indicates that he had not gone before God the father after death. There are no records in the Bible about the experiences of others who were raised by Christ, but this is a fairly clear depiction.
As for the subject of hell itself, I believe that all of those who have turned from God will suffer the fires of hell. The question is whether or not what we think of hell is accurate. Consider this passage from Jude.
Jude 1:7
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
I believe when all are raised in the second resurrection to be judged that hell fire will consume these souls. I don’t believe the punishment itself will last for eternity, but the event will be etched in the minds of all of creation for eternity. That is why in Jude, Sodom and Gomorrha are depicted as an eternal fire as well. Are the fires of Sodom and Gomorrha still burning today? No, but we still remember what happened there today. God roasting and torturing souls that didn’t choose him for the rest of time? This is not the God that I know. These are just things to think about.
Brock, for years I thought that I knew “the truth”. I was raised in a very structured household when it came to church. There was no need to ask questions because all of the answers were black or white – there was no gray. We were told what to believe and there was no Bible study, in fact I don’t ever remember opening up a Bible in church. But one day I met a Pastor who patiently walked me through the Bible and took the time to explain, in simple terms, a God of love and mercy. This God had no need to punish or test. He had no need for payment or piety. I began to see a God that loved me so much that He came down from Heaven and allowed Himself to ridiculed and mocked, beaten and bruised, and ultimately nailed to a cross and die. When I began to understand and pursue this God, this God that not only would allow this to happen but freely give Himself up to torture and humiliation, I began to see a character I had never seen before.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to Jesus at the cross further exemplifies God’s character and nature. The difference between Jesus and those that were raised before Him is two fold. First, those that were raised before Christ’s resurrection were only asleep and waiting to be awakened. God never left them; He was always by their side. However, when Jesus died, God’s wrath was poured out, but not the wrath that so many believe it to be. His wrath is not anger or some maniacal need for payment or atonement or justice. His wrath is simply letting go. He tries and tries to bring us close to Him but at some point He can no longer reach us. Not because He has quit, but because we have quit. When this occurs He has no choice but to let go because we have made the choice that we no longer want any part of Him.
When Jesus died, God let Him go. Jesus experienced what no one has experienced; hell – complete separation from the Father. None had experienced it before and none have experienced it since. Christ did not die from His wounds; he died from a broken heart. Sounds like a cliché but it’s not. Jesus died from a heart broken for those He cared about; those that hammered the nails into His body, those that mocked Him, those that betrayed Him, and those that mourned for Him. But His heart was also broken because He could no longer feel the Father. An experience that those who choose not to accept God’s healing power will feel when He lets them go.
I think we all need to put aside what we think to be true and open our minds to the Holy Spirit. We must look beyond what we have been fed for years, decades, and centuries. We must move beyond the rhetoric, beyond the religion, beyond the bland statements. We should not read the Bible to prove what we already believe to be true. We need to read the Bible, in prayer, asking for the mysteries to be revealed. If what we have been taught is true, no loss, but if there is more to learn, more to understand, more to grasp, than there is everything to gain.
Hi Greg, I completely agree with your depiction of God and the importance to focus on his love, grace and mercy. I have had experiences similar to yours on finding a path toward God and finding truth in the Holy Spirit. I will be the first to admit (and have several times) that all things discussed and written about are just my own understandings and findings through other discussions and study. I do not presume to know all, nor do I want people to take my writings as condemnation of other beliefs. I think that if we seek God and truth it will be given. I appreciate your input, it is valid and well thought.
ReplyDelete