When addressing the resurrection of the Lord, many teachers fail to mention that the resurrection is an undoing of the curse. That is so foundational, it’s disappointing, but not surprising, that it is often left out. Yet the omission strikes at the very foundation of the faith and reduces what Christ accomplished on our behalf as we hope to show you.
The fact that the Lord did not decay in the grave is mentioned 5 times in the Acts.
What many will do is run immediately to 2 Cor 5:8 (the most misquoted verse in scripture). We have covered that elsewhere on this blog and briefly in video.
As Tyndale argued, by putting “souls” directly into heaven, we diminish the resurrection; his and ours. The Reformation from Tyndale to Luther started with this foundational truth, yet it was abandoned by the state churches (see: King James, etc.) and the doctrine of the “immortal soul” was reinstated.
And ye, in putting them [the departed souls] in heaven, hell, and purgatory, destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul prove the resurrection. … And again, if the souls be in heaven, tell me why they be not in as good case as the angels be? And then what cause is there of the resurrection?'
The true faith putteth [setteth forth] the resurrection, which we be warned to look for every hour. The heathen philosophers, denying that, did put [set forth] that the souls did ever live. And the pope joineth the spiritual doctrine of Christ and the fleshly doctrine of philosophers together; things so contrary that they cannot agree, no more than the Spirit and the flesh do in a Christian man. And because the fleshly-minded pope consenteth unto heathen doctrine, therefore he corrupteth the Scripture to stablish it.'
-William Tyndale
In sum, we make the resurrection an asterisk when we put bodiless souls anywhere. And by diminishing our own hope of resurrection (the undoing of the curse as laid out in 1 Cor 15), we diminish what Christ did on our behalf by dying in our place. The Lord Jesus took the curse, and then undid it! Others (like Lazarus) were raised from the dead, but Christ alone was resurrected.
So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.
-Mark 9:10
Israel (the Pharisees, etc.) understood the hope of resurrection (Acts 23:6, John 11:24, etc.). They knew nothing of anything else. So, when scriptures tells us they were confused when the Lord said he would rise from the dead in resurrection (Mark 9:10), we miss the point in English. The Greek speaks of a resurrection “out from among the rest of the dead.” Ek-anastasis (or ex-anastasis). The Lord said in Mark, “ek nekron anaste.” This is what they did not understand.
Two Greek words are employed in connection with resurrection that must be kept distinct, otherwise gross error will result. The words are anastasis and its cognate words exanastasis and anistemi, and egeiro and its cognate egersis.
-Charles Welch (An Alphabetical Analysis, excerpt Vol 4)
This helps explain the statement by Paul in Philippians concerning the “attaining” of resurrection.
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Paul is not striving to “attain” the free gift of redemption or “life through his name” (John 20:30-31). Paul had absolute assurance of that (1 Thess 4:14-17, 1 Cor 15:51-56, etc.). He is teaching us to strive for the “exanástasis,” a resurrection “out from among the rest of the dead.” It is a resurrection of reward at the judgment seat.
There is an order and rank in resurrection (1 Cor 15:23). As of today, no one but Christ has been raised into his celestial body. There are only two bodies (1 Cor 15:40), terrestrial (earthly, subject to death & decay) and celestial (resurrection body, free from death & decay).
All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
-1 Corinthians 15:39-41
Paul notes in 2 Timothy that he had finished the race given him and he knew there was a crown that awaited him (2 Tim 4:8). He didn’t suddenly realize he was redeemed. Again, free gift versus an attaining of reward.
Resurrection (free gift), Resurrection out from among the rest of the dead (reward).
Luther reminds us that death is like sleep in that we have no idea of time passing. The dead in Christ will rise as though no time has passed.
Salomon judgeth that the dead are asleep, and feele nothing at all. For the dead lye there accompting neyther dayes nor yeares, but when are awaked, they shall seeme to have slept scarce one minute…
But we Christians, who have been redeemed from all this through the precious blood of God's Son, should train and accustom ourselves in faith to despise death and regard it as a deep, strong, sweet sleep; to consider the coffin as nothing other than our Lord Jesus' bosom or Paradise, the grave as nothing other than a soft couch of ease or rest. As verily, before God, it truly is just this; for he testifies, John 11:11; Lazarus, our friend sleeps; Matthew 9:24: The maiden is not dead, she sleeps. Thus, too, St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, removes from sight all hateful aspects of death as related to our mortal body and brings forward nothing but charming and joyful aspects of the promised life. He says there [vv. 42ff]: It is sown in corruption and will rise in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor (that is, a hateful, shameful form) and will rise in glory; it is sown in weakness and will rise in strength; it is sown in natural body and will rise a spiritual body.' …
Thus after death the soul goes to its bedchamber and to its peace, and while it is sleeping it does not realize its sleep, and God preserves indeed the awakening soul. God is able to awake Elijah, Moses, and others, and so control them, so that they will live. But how can that be? That we do not know; we satisfy ourselves with the example of bodily sleep, and with what God says: it is a sleep, a rest, and a peace. He who sleeps naturally knows nothing of that which happens in his neighbor's house; and nevertheless, he still is living, even though, contrary to the nature of life, he is unconscious in his sleep. Exactly the same will happen also in that life, but in another and a better way
-Martin Luther (excerpts)
The lost do not have life. They remain under the curse by their own choosing. That is, they shall die and return to dust (Gen 2:17; Gen 3:19; 1 Cor 15:21-23). There are a few verses that can be interpreted to mean that some of the dead are “raised from the dead,” but none of the lost will experience “resurrection.” Lazarus was raised from the dead, but he died again. he will experience “resurrection” “at the last day” (John 11:24).
Lazarus was both dead and not dead. This is how we are to understand believers when they die.
These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
We sleep in death, yet we “never die.” We are “dead,” yet still alive.
The lost do not have life, thus they do truly die.
As an aside, the Pope declared the immortality of the soul and condemned any notion (and any person arguing) that it is not. The Reformers objected to that position noting it is pagan and not biblical.
