Just as the Christian’s hope isn’t realized on the death bed, it’s ultimate fulfillment doesn’t occur at the rapture either. We will all be changed, either through transformation or resurrection. But the redemption of our bodies carries us to the next step of our hope’s journey, the judgement seat of Christ. As you read what follows, take comfort in the knowledge that His throne is the Mercy Seat.
The body was the first part of man God formed.[1] It will be the last part of man He will …
Salvation, the born-again experience, happens when we believe Jesus’ dying proclamation from the cross that, “It is finished.”[1]
Somehow, once saved many of us forget that we could never earn it. Somewhere on discipleship road, we find ourselves in the cul-de-sac of works. Having recognized Christ love for us and accepting it in gratefulness at our salvation, we soon turn to trying to earn it. This performance trap leaves us open to the fear of being disowned by our Father and cast out by our Lord. Thankfully, neither is possible.
Adam lived to be 930 years old. What died the day he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? We know it wasn’t his body because if it had, we wouldn’t be here. His soul didn’t go immediately to Sheol, so it wasn’t his soul. Adam breathing, eating, and procreating after he ate the forbidden fruit is evidence that death is not a cessation of existence; it is a change of state. The Adam on the other side of sin was not the same as the Adam before. His spirit was dead. As his children, we were born spiritually dead.
I am convinced that much of what flies under the banner of a crisis of faith is really a crisis of love. We doubt God most when we believe in His love for us the least. When our prayers are not answered in the time or way expected, we accuse God of indifference. God is love. All His actions flow from a heart of love. When we assure ourselves of His love, which was painted in blood for the whole world to see, our faith will find no crisis. It can only lead us through the cross to victory and praise.
The Lord doesn’t use language haphazardly. As odd or bizarre as His statements may seem, they are true statements. When He says that a dead person is sleeping, He is not denying the reality of the corpse. He is simply defining the state of its dormancy. And He is using a very profound analogy. But before we look at that, we need to discuss the concept of soul sleep.
The Creator who called forth the grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit trees with seeds in the fruit …
God’s relationship with mankind is unique. Before the creation of this world, the Almighty was thronged with sentient, free-will, moral …
Euphemisms smooth the edges and take the sting out of many sharp declarations of bare facts. We use them to …
1 Corinthians 15 contains a wealth of information and is probably the most frank discussion in all of Scripture regarding the nature of resurrection. We are told that as we have a natural body, we shall also have a spiritual body. A day is coming when we will have much more in common with angels than we presently share. Be that as it may, we are still spirits that live in physical bodies. This does not make our spirits unsubstantial. Our spirits have shape and form and can impact the physical realm.
