Winston Salem church of Christ

INTRO:

A. Before getting into discussing how the Bible teaches on the resurrection, I have a question – How does the world teach on the resurrection? By world I do not mean other religions such as Hinduism which does not teach a resurrection but instead teaches a reincarnation. What I mean is, is the concept of a physical resurrection within the consciousness of the world, and if it is, how does the world teach it? I suggest to you…are you ready? I suggest to you that the story of the resurrection is found in the story of Frankenstein. What is the story of Frankenstein?

A. By Plain language in both the Old and New Covenant: (Daniel 12:1-2; John 5:28-29)

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Notice the similarity between the two passages

B. By Example:

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Elijah – 1 Kings 17:17-24

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Elisha – 2 Kings 4:18-37

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Elisha’s Bones – 2 Kings 13:21

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Lazarus – John 11

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Jews – Matthew 27:52-53

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Jesus (first fruits) – 1 Corinthians 15:20

C. By Metaphor: Israel (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>The nation of Israel is the dead body being resurrected. So if this is not our bodily resurrection, how does it teach the reality of the resurrection? Simple – God would not use in a parable something which could not happen to describe that which could happen. Think – would God use the impossible to boost confidence in the impossible? To paraphrase the words of Jesus in Mark 2 and Matthew 9, “Which is easier, to resurrect the dead or bring a nation back from exile?” Apparently, the Jews thought the resurrection was easier because apparently they already believe in that!

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Ezekiel 37:12-14 NASB “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. (13) “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. (14) “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.’”

D. By Type (Antitype): Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel; Israel

1. Genesis 11:29-30 – Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was barren; she had no child.

1. There is nothing in the Bible by accident. Everything has a purpose. That last phrase is a hint. Sarai was barren; she had no child. The Holy Spirit is preparing the reader. Something spectacular is about to happen! The text does not say – Sarai had no children. This is not about her not yet having any children. This is about why – she was barren. For our purpose, barrenness typifies death and resurrection.

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Israel begins

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Israel becomes again

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Israel spiritualized

2. “There is no doubt that in the construction of Genesis, a major break in the narrative is intended between 11:32 and 12:1. Indeed, it is perhaps the most important structural break in the Old Testament and certainly in Genesis (except for the possibility of Gen.2 and 3 – PDH). It distinguishes between the history of humankind and the history of (physical) Israel (and the hint of spiritual Israel), or between the history of the curse and the history of the blessing….” For our purposes, it distinguishes between that which does not exist, and that which does – death and resurrection.

3. While the history of mankind begins out of nothing, “God does not begin the history of Israel ex nihilo (although one could almost say He does begin it in barrenness or that which was formless and void – PDH). The history of promise does not emerge in a vacuum. Rather, the new history emerging from God’s call in 12:1-3 is wrought by the power of God from the stuff of 11:30-32. The connection of 11:30-32 and 12:1-9 is proposed here for the purpose of understanding the new beginning worked by the power of God’s word.

a. There is a parallel between the creating of the nation of Israel, and the creation of the world. After the creation of the heavens and the earth, the earth was formless and void. In other words, it was dead. As of yet, there was no life. It was barren. Abraham and Sarah were also barren, and procreatively dead (Rom.4:17).

b. Notice the close connection between Abraham, creations, and resurrection correlated in Rom.4:17:

Romans 4:17 – (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the sight of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

1) This is the text in the N.T. which parallels creation, bodily resurrection and justification by grace through faith. Remarkably, they are the same!

4. “Here we stand before the most incredible announcement in the tradition of Israel. The family of Abraham has derived naturally from historic antecedents, as indicated in the genealogies of Gen.10-11. But that natural derivation now results in nothing. It ends in barrenness (11:30). The reference is cryptic and seems to be only descriptive. There is no reflection on the cause. There is no suggestion of punishment or curse. It is simply reported that this family (and with it the whole family of Gen.1-11) has played out its future and has nowhere else to go. Barrenness is the way of human history. It is an effective metaphor for hopelessness. There is no foreseeable future. There is no human power to invent a future.” In other words, the human way ends in nothing. Nothing is gained by simply being human. The way of the world is death.

a. The spiritual analogy in both the N.T. and O.T. to Sarai’s barrenness is man’s works and man’s entire life cycle. Our works are barren. Our works do not produce life, but death. Our life ends in barrenness, in death.

b. We must understand that while we cannot be saved without our works of obedience, it is not our works of obedience that save us. Our works, in and of themselves, are barren.

c. Baptism is nothing more than getting wet except for the grace of God which produces a new creation, a new resurrection by God’s justification through grace. And just as we have to rely on God for our spiritual resurrection, we rely on God for our bodily resurrection.

d. Jesus is the resurrection and the life (Jn.11:25).

5. “But barrenness is not only the condition of hopeless humanity. The marvel of biblical faith is that barrenness is the area of God’s life-giving action. Barrenness is no stranger to this family of promise. After all, Sarah, Rebekah (25:21), Rachel (29:31), and Hannah (1 Sam.1:2) were barren. So also was Israel in exile (Isa.54:1f; Gal.4:27). A proper hearing of the Abraham-Sarah texts depends upon the vitality of the metaphor of barrenness. It announces that this family begins its life in a situation of irreparable hopelessness.”

a. We see this theme of barrenness portrayed several times in the OT – Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel. God is trying to get our attention

b. When we come to the N.T. we again see the use of barrenness by God.

1) Elizabeth, John the Baptist’s mother (Lk.1:7).

2) Mary (barren in that there was no seed [Gen.18:14; Lk.1:37]). Maybe we could describe this as more extreme than barrenness.

6. Spiritually speaking, we must all consider ourselves as barren without God. And physically speaking, our lives end in barrenness – without hope – except the hope of the resurrection.

E. By Implication: Matthew 22:23-33; 1 Cor.15:12-19

F. By Analogy: 1 Corinthians 15

<!–[if !supportLists]–>G. <!–[endif]–>By Imitation/Reenactment – Romans 6; Colossians 2

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Denying Baptism is an immerision:

<!–[if !supportLists]–>o <!–[endif]–>Is more than denying the meaning of a word baptizo

<!–[if !supportLists]–>o <!–[endif]–>Is more than denying the metaphor of a burial (Romans 6; Colossians 2)

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>It is Denying Two Purposes of Baptism:

<!–[if !supportLists]–>o <!–[endif]–>As a witness of the resurrection of Jesus

<!–[if !supportLists]–>o <!–[endif]–>As a witness of the resurrection of mankind

<!–[if !supportLists]–>H. <!–[endif]–>By Result of Imitation/Reenactment: Romans 6:4, 8-13

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>Our lives are lived as resurrected lives.

<!–[if !supportLists]–>· <!–[endif]–>“We are already raised in Jesus, and that resurrection already takes a bodily form, as our bodies are molded by the form of teaching to which we are committed and as we enact the liturgy of Christian living.” (Peter Leithart)

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I. By the Spirit’s Work Done in Baptism – Romans 8:9-11, 23

John 5:28-20

1 Thess.4:

By the Incarnation?

By the Lord’s Supper

(Perry D. Hall)