Different Bodies

Posted on by korgrocker

“It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.”
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 NLT

I’m always fascinated by the life cycle of a moth. There are four stages: an egg, a caterpillar, a pupa, and then the adult moth, which lays more eggs, and the process continues. But the fascination to me is that the caterpillar eventually forms a cocoon, where it metamorphoses into an adult moth. But we are all aware that the caterpillar looks nothing like the final moth, an insect that, for some species, is really beautiful with the colours and design of its wings. Within the caterpillar is everything required to produce the moth, DNA and all, and the transformation that takes place is nothing short of a miracle, designed and created by our amazing God.

When human beings are conceived, another miracle takes place. The unique fusion of a male and female cell provides everything required for the birth and growth of the resulting human being. But within each human being, as well as the physical or material part of the body, there is an immaterial part we call a soul or spirit (some maintain we have both). A surgeon’s knife will never find the spirit within a person because it is not a physical entity. Such a division between body and spirit is described several times within the Bible, with scriptures such as Ecclesiastes 12:7, explaining what happens after death: “For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it”. We also have the reference to the cutting-edge nature of God’s Word, as in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires“.

In Genesis 2, we read about how Adam was created, “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person” (Genesis 2:7). What is the “breath of life” other than God putting within us something unique to humans, which is God’s spirit? In the Genesis account, we find no reference to a similar spiritual content being placed in the animals God created. 

So we have a physical body, containing all the body parts that a surgeon can find, and a spiritual part, which is our intellect, will, conscience, mind, emotions, etc. But here’s the thing. Our spirits never die; they live on forever. The Apostle Paul came to a point in his life when he faced the very real prospect of his death. There he was, chained to two Roman soldiers in a prison, and he wrote, “I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live” (Philippians 1:23-24). Paul had no doubts at all about the eternal nature of his spirit. 

So in our verses today, Paul points out that we have a physical body and a spiritual body, and the latter continues eternally, in glory and strength. Of course, we look after our physical bodies, with food and drink supplying all that our bodies require. We wear clothes to keep us warm. A vast industry has developed to heal any of the body’s ailments, and hardly a day goes past without some new discovery of a drug, a new piece of equipment, or a procedure that can fix a physical body’s problems. But inevitably, there comes a day when our physical bodies can no longer sustain life, and we die. However, our spirits continue to live, living in a way that depends greatly on how we looked after them while they resided within our physical bodies. 

Do we feed our spirits? Most people are aware of their spiritual side and do much to please it in various ways. When distressed, people engage in visits to counsellors, or undertake some “retail therapy” or consume a quantity of alcohol or drugs, in the hope and expectation that they can do something about the hunger pains in their spirits. The spiritual state they are aiming for is a “high” that permeates through their physical bodies, bringing feelings of well-being. We refer to this state as “happiness”.

“Give us this day our daily bread”

But Christians are aware that their spirits need to be fed in the way that God intended, using the “food” that He has supplied. Following their new spiritual birth, a believer must feed their spirit so that it may grow. 1 Peter 2:2-3, “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness“. But it is no good heading for a supermarket for a bottle of “pure spiritual milk“. We have to look to God Himself, because He is the only Source of the spirit-food that we need. Just as He supplied food called manna to the Israelite slaves in the wilderness, a food so complete that it contained every element and vitamin necessary to sustain human life, God also supplies the food necessary to maintain our spirits. Where will we find it? In His Word and in His company, spending time with Him through prayer and meditation. Like many things about God’s Kingdom, there is no instant solution.

Dear Father God. We pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, and testify to Your goodness in supplying all that we need, body, soul, and spirit. Thank You. Amen.

Glory

Posted on by korgrocker

“There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.”
1 Corinthians 15:40-41 NLT

Paul briefly ventures into the realm of astronomy with these verses today, and he discusses the glory of the heavenly bodies, such as stars, the sun and the moon, comparing them with the glory of earthly bodies. But what is glory? It obviously depends on what we are talking about, as each “body” has a glory of its own. But there is one Person whom Paul omits from his list, and that is God Himself. His glory infinitely surpasses all other glories.

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God“.

If we look up the word “glory” in a dictionary, all we find is something like “high renown or honour won by notable achievements”. I remember being informed of the “glory” experienced by the athlete Roger Bannister all those years ago when he finally broke through the previously impenetrable barrier of running a mile in under four minutes. The prowess of some athletes who have battled incredible hurdles to win at their sport is remarkable. Take, for example, Laura Kenny, who won six gold medals and had to overcome childhood asthma and a collapsed lung to reach the point of success. But these human examples of glory, good as they are, are rather pathetic and lifeless when compared to the true glory of our Heavenly Father. Paul looked into the heavens to find an example of glory, probably because he remembered Psalm 19:1-2, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known”. 

“Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

How do we define the glory of God? The glory of God is the beauty of His Spirit. It is not an aesthetic beauty or a material beauty, but the beauty that emanates from His character, from all that He is. God’s glory is eternal and never fades or disappears. An athlete’s glory, that moment of victory, fades away with time, as Peter wrote, “As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades””. (1 Peter 1:24). But not so with God. Moses asked God to show him His glory; Exodus 33:18, “Moses said, “Please show me your glory””. In the next verse God defined His glory as His goodness, “And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy”. In the Old Testament, a manifestation of God’s glory was often accompanied by natural events such as earthquakes or fire, as we read from the Mount Sinai event in Exodus 19. Isaiah received a glimpse of God’s glory that radically changed the course of his life. Isaiah 6:1-3, “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”” 

In the New Testament, the glory of God was revealed through Jesus. John 1:14, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son”. Jesus continued to reveal His glory through the miracles that He committed. The first was when the supply of wine for the wedding had run out, and Jesus performed a miracle. John 2:11, “This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him”. It is sad, though, that many people seek glory for themselves, looking for sources other than God. “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:22-23). 

But to define God’s glory completely is beyond human understanding and expression. But one day we will find out for ourselves in Heaven, which is a place where we will experience God’s glory. The Psalmist referred to Heaven itself as “glory”; “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:24). We pilgrims are a people who are truly blessed because we have received a glimpse of God’s glory through Jesus. Peter wrote, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). So, we call out to Him through our spirits, drawn to His love and kindness, grace and mercy. 

Remember the old Fanny Crosby hymn, “To God be the Glory”? The first verse is something we can hum and dwell on in the day ahead.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
so loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Father God. We echo the words of the hymn and pray as Jesus taught us, “For Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever”. Amen.

Resurrection Bodies

Posted on by korgrocker

“But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.”
1 Corinthians 15:35-39 NLT

Obviously, some people in the Corinthian church had asked two questions – “How will the dead be raised?” and “What kind of bodies will they have?” These seem like logical questions, perhaps asked by a new believer who had been raised in a culture that didn’t really believe in such things. Mainstream First Century Greek thought generally rejected the idea of bodily resurrection, viewing it as impossible, even for gods; to them, death meant the permanent dissolution of the body, with the soul going to a shadowy Hades. So here was a man called Paul, preaching about the Son of the only real God, the God-man who had been killed on a Roman cross, buried in a tomb carved out of rock, but who had been resurrected and provided with a body that was real, although it also had special powers. But Paul continued with the astonishing revelation that all believers will also receive a body just like that of Jesus.

My wife and I have a two-year-old great-grandson, who is at the “why” stage in his early years. Faced with a new situation, he has to find out “why” he is getting a particular response from an adult around him. His mind is like a sponge, absorbing all the new knowledge he is given, a process that places a specific responsibility on his parents and others who come into contact with him. A new Christian, recently saved, will also have many questions, although in the two questions today we have a “How” and a “What”, instead of a “Why”. In response, Paul used the analogy of a seed being planted to produce a plant. We all know the result of planting a seed in fertile soil: after a period of time, a green shoot will appear and keep growing until it becomes a mature plant. He said that the seed planted is different from the plant that grows, a process that follows God’s purposes for the vegetable kingdom. Paul continued to describe the differences with the animal kingdom. 

There is a general belief that once they die, a person’s soul goes to Heaven and then looks down on the loved ones left behind, showing approval, or otherwise, of how they are living their lives on earth. But there is a problem with this expectation, because it is not based on anything more than an emotional whim. The Bible teaches that there are two places for the disembodied spirits in the afterlife. For a believer, their spirit immediately goes to be with the Lord in a state of conscious presence. “Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Paul also wrote, “I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live” (Philippians 1:23-24). This state of “conscious presence” Jesus described as being in paradise. The thief on the cross next to Jesus said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise”” (Luke 23:42-43).

There, the spirit of the believer will live until it is given a new resurrected body. But the unrighteous go to a place of torment. We read in the story of the Rich Man and a poor beggar called Lazarus that the Rich Man died “and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames’” (Luke 16:23-24). There, the unrighteous spirits will await final judgment in the “Lake of Fire” (see Revelation 20). To an unbeliever, all this seems a bit harsh, and, sadly, many people, when presented with Biblical facts, will reject them.

So, the responsibility for us pilgrims is to do what Jesus has asked us to do. To those believers questioning why it was taking Jesus so long to return, Peter wrote, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9). We pilgrims have been commissioned to make disciples of the people around us, fulfilling God’s desires and purposes for this world. Jesus said that all who believe in Him will not perish. “Perishing” is the default state, leading to the position the Rich Man found himself in after death. But Jesus continued that all who believe in Him will inherit eternal life in a place He called Paradise. This has to be Good News. But we won’t find Good News presented to us in news reports and social media. Jesus has left the responsibility for spreading the Gospel to us. I carry tracts in my pocket just in case I meet someone whom the Holy Spirit has prepared for such an encounter. I expect pilgrims everywhere will do the same, but perhaps the next person we meet will go away with a new revelation of God, and the angels in Heaven will start preparing for a party. Are we ready for just such an encounter? Mordecai said to Queen Esther, “If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). We pilgrims are in a unique place in history, in this world for “such a time as this”.

Dear Father God. You want no one to perish, and neither do we. Thank You for Your grace and patience. Amen.

Bad Company

Posted on by korgrocker

Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.”
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 NLT

Sooner or later, all Christians will encounter the thorny problem of “bad company”. We might like to be protected from the sin and evil that is so prevalent around us, but we have little choice because we rely on the world and its resources for our livelihood. We have to work somewhere to earn the money to live, we have to buy food in a supermarket, and in the process, we are in contact with people who do not share our faith. Worse, we have a government that has currently abandoned the Christian roots that founded this country. So we believers are forced to live in a world we don’t really want to be in. Everywhere we go, we are in contact with sin and evil shown by the people we encounter, and the results of years of rebellion against God can be found in the society and infrastructure around us. And then we have the problem of having friends who are not believers. In many ways, we are intricately involved in a world with no escape. Jesus said to His disciples, “I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do” (John 17:14-16). We don’t belong here any more, but Jesus was clear; we are in the world whether or not we want to be, and He asked our Heavenly Father to keep us safe from the evil one.

“Some of you don’t know God at all“

Paul warned the Corinthians that some in their midst had earned the label “bad company”. These were the ones who were saying that there will be no resurrection of the dead. It also appears that the church in Corinth had been infiltrated by people who claimed to be Christians but weren’t. Paul wrote, “For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all”. These were people conspicuous by their attitude to sin. In my early Christian days, I increasingly found out about what sin was, but in my spiritual immaturity, I puzzled over the behaviour of some of the believers in the church I was saved in, believers who seemed to have a strange attitude to living a sin-free life. So their use of expletives in conversation I found offensive. Their behaviour in social contexts was more worldly than I would have expected. They watched TV programmes that I definitely felt were not suitable for Christians to watch. Were they the sort of people that Paul labelled “bad company” and those that “don’t know God at all”?

“So you must live as
God’s obedient children“

In years spent working in an office, it was easy to find those who carried the label “bad company”. But these were people who knew no better, because they were fully paid-up, passport-carrying, citizens of the kingdom of the world. And so they lived lives compatible with that kingdom. But when we pilgrims discovered the narrow gate into the Kingdom of God and decided to stay there, believing in Jesus and all He did for us, we inherited a dilemma. We became a people who do not belong to the kingdom of the world. The problem is that we still have to live our physical lives there, with our spirits living in a different Kingdom. Peter wrote, “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then” (1 Peter 1:14). In some wonderful way, God has resourced us to be able to live in the world. Yet, we need not be tainted by the sin and evil we find there. The spiritual resources that are so bountiful in God’s Kingdom are ours for the asking, and they, coupled with our wills, enable us to avoid being corrupted by the “bad company” around us. 

Jesus said,
“I am the Light of the world”.
‭‭

The Apostle John wrote, “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7). Walking in the light means living a life that follows Jesus, abandoning sin and all worldly behaviour incompatible with God’s Word. Walking in the darkness means living a life of sin in an evil, secular society. There is no middle ground. Sadly, we are human and lapse into dark ways from time to time. However, in 1 John 1:9, we read, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness“. Jesus is the Light of the world, and we follow Him because He knows the way to eternal life.

Dear Lord Jesus. You came to this world to show mankind the way to Heaven. Please help us to show Your light to the world around us and please help,us to avoid “bad company”. In Your precious name. Amen.

The Ephesians Beasts

Posted on by korgrocker

“For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you. And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!” Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.””
1 Corinthians 15:31-33 NLT

It appears that the early believers in Ephesus were having a difficult time. The Romans loved their “games,” where gladiators fought each other, often to death, and unfortunate people were set against wild animals such as lions for the entertainment of the crowd. So when this movement of Christ-followers emerged, they became candidates for the lions unless they recanted their faith and denied Christ. But looking closer at 1 Corinthians 15:32, it seems Paul was referring to having to fight the wild beasts, who were the people of Ephesus. He wasn’t, as far as we can tell, a violent man, so to what was he referring?

“The name of the Lord Jesus
was greatly honoured“.

As a background, Paul found himself in Ephesus on his Third Missionary Journey. We read in Acts 19:8, “Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God”. At first, he had great success: “This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10). After the “Seven Sons of Sceva” episode, we read, “The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honoured. Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices” … “So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect” (Acts 19:17-18, 20). 

But all was not well in the Ephesian silversmith industry. A businessman called Demetrius had a good business going, manufacturing images and shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. We are told that he “kept many craftsmen busy”. A riot broke out when the silversmiths objected to Paul’s preaching, claiming it was damaging their livelihood. We can read all about it in Acts 19. On this occasion, Paul was prevented from getting involved by the Ephesian believers, but the raw hatred and religious fervour could have spilt over into violence against Paul. There was also a possibility that Paul’s “wild beasts” referred to the demonic influences in Ephesus, with the Seven Sons of Sceva’s attempt to cast out a demon indicating the demonic stronghold present in that city. 

Paul’s reference to “fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus” was perhaps referring to his experiences there. The riot in Ephesus would have been a frightening experience, and at such times, men behave as “wild beasts”, out of control and capable of violence. But if we have difficulty understanding the silversmith’s anger and reaction, think about the UK Miners’ Strike in 1984, where there were scenes of violence directed against the police and the government. If the Prime Minister of the day, Margaret Thatcher, had personally tried to reason with the miners, she would have been just as vulnerable as Paul would have been, had he found himself before the braying mob of Ephesian beasts.

Paul pointed out to the Corinthian believers that there was no value in fighting the “wild beasts”, regardless of what they were, if there was no resurrection from the dead. Why should I have faced into such danger for no benefit, Paul argued? In fact, to make his point to those who believed there was no resurrection, Paul went on to say that the people might just as well make the best of their lives on earth. He quoted from Isaiah 22:13, “But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”” 

The same logic applies to believers today. If there is nothing to look forward to after death, then why bother with having faith in a lie? If, when we die, there’s just blackness and a realm of nothingness, we might as well live life to the max, complete with every sin imaginable. But because of Jesus, and our faith in Him, we, like Paul, have a different future from those around us who don’t believe there will be something better over the terminal horizon. Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1-3). A few verses on in John 14, Jesus also said, “ … I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”. 

We pilgrims have much to look forward to. A life to come that is worth fighting for. A life that will be in God’s presence in a place Jesus called Paradise. So we keep short accounts with God as we persevere in our journeys to glory. We follow the Master in obedience, doing His work as He has ordained. The enemy, the devil, and his minions will do their utmost to destroy us, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4). We are equipped for the battles ahead, and we put on the spiritual armour of Ephesians 6 with the confidence and certainty that we are on the winning side.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Jesus. We thank You for all He did for us at Calvary, and for showing us the way to glory. Amen.

Risking Death

Posted on by korgrocker

“If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptised for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again? And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.”
1 Corinthians 15:29-31 NLT

There is no point, said Paul, to face into all the danger that being a Christian involved in those days, if there was to be no resurrection of the dead. Previously, in this chapter, in this his first letter to the Corinthians, he answered those in Corinth who were saying that there would be no resurrection of the dead. This was despite what Paul and his colleagues in ministry were teaching. And Paul made several points to them about what this would mean in practice. 

Jesus died and rose again
on the first Easter Sunday
morning

Firstly, he said, “For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either” (1 Corinthians 15:13). To deny that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to so many witnesses was to do what some people do today. They were trying to rewrite history because it didn’t suit their particular worldview. We have those today who deny that the Holocaust actually took place, but just to deny that something ever happened doesn’t change the facts. Jesus died and rose again on the first Easter Sunday morning. Of course, we remember the Sadducees who were around between 200BC and about 70AD. They were a rich and powerful sect of mainly businessmen who denied that the dead would be raised, and they were also very prominent in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council. Paul knew that they believed that there was no resurrection and he used this to good effect when he was brought before the Sanhedrin. Acts 23:6, “Paul realised that some members of the high council were Sadducees and some were Pharisees, so he shouted, ‘Brothers, I am a Pharisee, as were my ancestors! And I am on trial because my hope is in the resurrection of the dead!’” The Council was made up of Pharisees and Sadducees, and absolute mayhem resulted as they fought over their different beliefs about resurrection, to the extent that the local commander of the Roman forces had to send soldiers in to rescue Paul. 

Secondly, Paul made the simple statement, “And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:15). It would be a sad place for Paul, if he had made up all the stories and facts about Christ’s resurrection. To find out that he was lying would have been a terrible place for him to be in, and totally contrary to the purity of the Good News that he preached. 

Thirdly, Paul pointed out that “ … if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins”(1 Corinthians 15:17). The fact of Christ’s resurrection is a fundamental cornerstone of our faith. Without it we are just a deluded set of fantasists believing in fairy stories and heading for an unknown post-death fate.

Paul said, “I face death daily“.

Fourthly, and in connection with the last point, Paul said that “ … why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour? For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you” (1 Corinthians 15:30-31). It would be hard enough to live out a life of denial, but to be so convinced by that lie, involving facing death, as he was doing, every day,  beggars belief. In the first century, many martyrs died for their faith, and Paul was well aware that he was in danger himself. 

We pilgrims, believers in the resurrection, will never experience the danger of death in response to our faith. But we are increasingly experiencing persecution through the passing of secular laws and through ridicule and exclusion in various places in our society. But we know that this would happen because Jesus Himself warned us about it. So we stand strong in our faith, believing in our salvation and in the One who made it all happen.

Dear Lord Jesus. You came to this world proclaiming the words of eternal life. We have nowhere else to go, and we pray for the strength to hold firm in this, our hostile, lost and evil world. In Your precious name. Amen.

Baptising the Dead

Posted on by korgrocker

“If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptised for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?”
1 Corinthians 15:29 NLT

Here is a strange verse that has confused theologians over the years, theologians who would rather it were not there, but who have to try to explain it anyway. In addition, some religious groups have zoomed in on this verse and have used it, or are using it, as a means to give someone who has died a second chance in the afterlife. Their logic is quite simple. Referring to this verse, they believe that on behalf of a dead person, they can make a public confession of faith, essentially enabling the deceased to be baptised. They think that eternal life is unavailable for those who have not been baptised, so allowing themselves to be baptised on the dead person’s behalf opens Heaven’s doors to the soul that otherwise would not gain entry. Presumably, the aforesaid soul would have been hanging around the pearly gates, hoping that someone back on earth would have remembered them. Of the religious groups practising baptism for the dead, the Mormons are the most prominent, and the practice commenced with the heretical beliefs of Marcionism, which emerged in the second century AD.

We pilgrims know and understand that salvation is a personal matter. For example, we read Ephesians 2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God”. In Peter’s Acts 2 sermon, he said, “ …  Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. The “each” emphasises the personal nature of faith, and the fact that we cannot enter Heaven on someone else’s coattails, using their faith as a means of entry. 

“God saved you by his grace
when you believed“.

Is baptism essential to inherit eternal life? John 3:16 does not say ‘all who believe in Him and get baptised will not perish but have eternal life’. There have been many over the centuries who have died believing in Jesus, but because of one reason or another have not been baptised. The first was the penitent thief on the cross adjacent to Jesus’s. He had no opportunity for baptism or religious training. He had not taken Holy Communion or been to a Bible Study or prayer group. But Jesus, seeing the state of his heart, said, ‘Today you will be with me in Paradise’. And what about those from denominations that do not believe in full-immersion baptism? Without a proper full-immersion baptism, will they too be excluded from Heaven? 

So what did Paul mean when he wrote about people who were being baptised for the dead? Perhaps there was a distorted belief amongst the Corinthian Christians that there was such a possibility, and Paul was providing some correction with verse 29 of 1 Corinthians 15. We mustn’t forget that in those early days of the church, there was no Canon of Scripture as we enjoy today. In the febrile environment of spiritual gifts and the new life in Jesus, it was always possible that one or two believers became a little overenthusiastic in their beliefs. And of course, it would be natural for those still alive to worry about the whereabouts of the soul of a deceased loved one who had not been baptised. 

Regarding believers being baptised on behalf of those who are already dead, there is a theory that uses the analogy of an army, where a soldier steps up to take the place of a fallen comrade. In the first century, Christian martyrdom occurred, and there may have been a sense that another believer must step up and be baptised on behalf of the martyred Christian to maintain church numbers. Or perhaps Paul was being a bit tongue-in-cheek when he wrote that verse, presenting a view that was obviously incorrect.

We pilgrims cannot be baptised on behalf of another person; that much is clear. We will all one day have to stand before God to provide an account of our lives, and it will not be a valid position to claim salvation through someone else’s efforts. Romans 14:12, “Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God”.

Dear Father God. We know that salvation is a personal experience, and not one that we can adopt on behalf of someone else. But we pray for our loved ones, our friends and our families, that they too will embrace the wonderful Good News about Your Son, Jesus. In His precious name. Amen.

Authority

Posted on by korgrocker

“For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.”
1 Corinthians 15:25-28 NLT

In these four verses today, the word “authority” occurs six times. A dictionary definition of authority is “the moral or legal right or ability to control”. In connection with God, “authority refers to His absolute and supreme right to command, rule, and act in the universe, a right inherent in His nature as Creator and Sustainer of all things. This authority is total and unchallengeable, in contrast to human authority, which is always delegated and limited”. All this is fine on paper, but what does this mean for the ordinary pilgrim trudging through life? 

A Scripture often quoted is Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God”. This can be a hard verse to swallow, as we look on at the secular and often confused actions of our politicians, who these days seem to lack the moral compass required to guide them in what is right and what is wrong. But we remember that their authority only extends as far as God allows, because there is a higher authority, God Himself. Increasingly today, Christians find themselves marginalised in the debates and laws that are taking place in our halls of power. Currently, hot topics include ideologies around gender and suicide, taking over from the legacy of abortion and divorce legislation. We might object to paying taxes or a TV licence fee, but these things fall within the jurisdiction of the governing authorities, and God will allow punishment for those who refuse to pay. Romans 13:4, “The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong”.

Jesus has the authority
to grant us eternal life

Jesus was the God-man with authority. Matthew 28:18, “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth””. We also know that Jesus had authority over the spiritual realm. Mark 1:27, “Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” On several occasions in His ministry, Jesus demonstrated His authority over demons, casting them out of the people they were inhabiting. Jesus’ High Priestly prayer commences, “After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him” (John 17:1-2). This Scripture is of immense importance to us pilgrims because it assures us that Jesus has the authority to grant us eternal life. Remember “whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life”? Jesus did not just utter the words. He has the authority to ensure they happen.

“The Son radiates God’s
own glory and expresses
the very character of God“.

In Hebrews 1:3 we read, “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven”. Of course, God has ultimate power and authority over everything because He created everything. And part of His plan was that through Jesus, we would be redeemed from the realm of the devil’s authority. Our salvation was only made possible by Jesus coming under His Father’s authority and enduring the pain and shame of the Cross on a Friday long ago. 

We pilgrims have authority because Jesus commissioned us in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples. Mark’s Gospel expands on this – Mark 16:17-18, “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed”. As we read through the Book of Acts, we see the disciples’ authority being applied to the world around them. We have been granted authority to do God’s work, in line with His will and purposes for each of us pilgrims, and we must not exclude the Spiritual Gifts if the Holy Spirit empowers us to use them.

Once Jesus has completed His mission in this world, then all authority will be returned to God. We know that because we have had the benefit of reading the rest of God’s written work, the Bible. But in the meantime, we work and act within the authority God has given us, in the process finding the sweet spot for our redeemed lives now and forever.

Dear Father God. We know that the word “authority” can be a hard one in a world where it is so often abused. But we look to You as the Source of all we are, and pray for guidance in the situations we experience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Last Enemy

Posted on by korgrocker

“After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)”
1 Corinthians 15:24-27 NLT

Adam and Eve knew nothing about death. It was a human condition that was totally foreign to their experience and thinking. Although they would not have been inherently immortal themselves, the fruit from the Tree of Life made it possible for them to live forever. But then along came sin, initially in the form of a serpent. We know the story, of course, of how God’s words were twisted in a way that seemed good to Eve. Of how Adam too succumbed to the subtle temptation, with the result that the last enemy, death, blossomed and spread over the world and over the ages ever since. God, however, still desired fellowship with His created people, and as we read through the Old Testament, we see time and time again those moments when Heaven and earth came together. A moment when God was pleased by human faith and fellowship. We read about Abraham, who pleased God with his faith – Genesis 15:6, “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith”. We read about Enoch, who just disappeared one day, “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him” (Genesis 5:23-24). We can only assume that God was so pleased with Enoch that He wanted Him in Heaven with Himself. 

But ever since the Adamic expulsion from the Garden, humans have had to face the last enemy – death. It was Benjamin Franklin who wrote in 1789, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”. In this life there will come a time when we pass over the Great Divide into another existence, where our souls will survive our physical bodies. To many, the act of dying is fraught with fear, even terror, but their lives end even though they fight the inevitable minute by minute. Someone I knew, however, maintained that he wasn’t afraid of dying. It was just that he didn’t want to be involved. To others, they experience a good death. I had a friend who, with a terminal cancer diagnosis, calmly and faithfully put his affairs in order, spending his last days with his Bible and listening to his favourite worship music. The day before he died, he spent with his family, his wife and four children, encouraging them and expressing his love. And then, peacefully and full of faith, he committed himself into God’s hands. A good death, inspiring and faith-filled. 

Why is death an enemy to most people? It is inevitable and final, but something that cannot be controlled. News reports appear from time to time with claims made by scientists that they can reverse or even halt the effects of ageing. The cosmetics industry makes claims that it can extend the youthful appearance of those who can afford it. All because people are afraid of that last enemy. This year, there is legislation in the UK that seeks to give people the right to end their own lives. By some twisted logic, some people would rather control their last days in a selfish attempt to avoid the uncertainties of the final moments. Depriving their friends and families of their presence and burdening them with feelings of guilt and loss. 

Paul summed up his dilemma in Philippians 1:20-24,  “For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honour to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live”. And so it is with Christians everywhere. Jesus told us that He is preparing a place for us to live in after we die. John 14:2-3, “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am”. And we have a glimpse of what that place will be like – to the thief on the adjacent cross, Jesus called it Paradise. 

“Our mortal bodies
must be transformed
into immortal bodies“

Jesus also promised us that through His sacrifice at Calvary, those who believe in Him will have eternal life. They will never die. And it gets better. One day, we will have a body that will be immortal just like His. 1 Corinthians 15:53, “For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies“. Paul called death the last enemy, but because of God’s promises, we have nothing to fear. To him, death and consequent release from his physical body were the best options, such was his faith in Christ. But like Paul, while we have breath, we still have work to do for God.

Dear God, our Heavenly Father. We look forward to being in Your presence, a place where there is no more sickness and death. Please continue to encourage and support us as we live out our earthly lives, day by day, doing the work You have asked us to do. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The End Will Come

Posted on by korgrocker

“But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.”
1 Corinthians 15:23-25 NLT

There seems to be an order of events set out in Paul’s writings today. 

  • Christ is resurrected
  • Christ returns
  • “All who belong to Christ” will be resurrected
  • Christ reigns for a period, humbling His enemies
  • “Every ruler and authority and power” is destroyed
  • The End will come
  • The Kingdom is turned over ”to God the Father”.

“they will see the
Son of Man coming
on the clouds of heaven“

Now we know that Christ was resurrected on that first Easter Sunday, and there are hundreds of witnesses to that fact, so the next big event that we need to look out for is His return to this earth, His Second Coming. Jesus’ disciples asked Him about when this would be. He replied, “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come” (Matthew 24:6-8). On that basis, the “birth pangs” that precede Christ’s return have been happening since the day He left the Mount of Olives and returned to Heaven, and have continued for the past two thousand years. As we read on in Matthew 25, a number of other signs will occur, such as the time when the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus, is preached throughout the whole world (that milestone is getting ever closer). False messiahs will appear; there will be astronomical events that occur in the heavens, “and then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). 

We can turn to other Scriptures and fill in some gaps about what is to come, but all that will be academic unless we pilgrims are ready for the next step, the return of Jesus for a second time. So, what should we be doing? The Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). John pointed out that if we want to be like Jesus when He comes, then we need to pursue being like Him now. The message from the Parable of the Three Servants in Matthew 25 is all about being faithful to Him while He has been away. Matthew 25:21, “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together! ’” 

“Well done,
my good and faithful servant.
You have been faithful“

We must also be aware that towards the time when Jesus returns, there may be periods and occasions of suffering. Matthew 24:9-12, “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold”. These will be sober times, and we must be alert and faithful to the promise that we have in Jesus. We note that Jesus warned about deception from false prophets, and we can look back over the years to see that people have been deceived into following cults and movements based on a false premise or a skewed interpretation of the Bible. To save ourselves from such deception, we must faithfully read the Bible and become very familiar with what it contains. Every new idea or a message preached that we haven’t heard before, we must check it out, and, painful though it might be, we must walk away from anyone or any church that tries to deceive us. Society is awash with strange ideologies generated by people who are nothing more than useful idiots deceived by the devil. We must also be aware of the spirit of the age in which we live. It is a spirit of lawlessness summed up by the last verse in the Book of Judges, “ … all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25b). The Nike spirit of “if it feels good, then just do it” prevails today. We human beings can also easily deceive ourselves in an “everyone does it” culture.

But one day, all these enemies of God will be humbled, because we read in Philippians 2:10-11, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father“. They will have no other option when the Lord of lords and King of kings rules over all.

Dear Father God. We look forward to the days when Your Son Jesus returns. We too pray the words in the last chapter of Revelation, “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.