A Biblical Theology of Death and Resurrection

A Biblical Theology of Death and Resurrection

Today is Easter, the day we celebrate Christ’s Resurrection. Christ’s resurrection is the basis for our hope.

With good evidence Christians believe that, three days after his crucifixion and death, Christ arose bodily from the dead.

Our views about the Resurrection matter because how we live today will be a function of what we hope for tomorrow.

This morning I want to examine the biblical subjects of Death and Resurrection from 30,000 feet, i.e. from Genesis to Revelation, what theologians call a “Biblical Theology.”

I. Facts

Every worldview has three dimensions. 1st A theory of Creation. 2nd An explanation for what went wrong. And 3rd a theory for how to fix it.

Lets apply this matrix to the subject of death and resurrection.

A. Creation

God is absolute, uncreated life. We could say that God is hyper- life. He is Life on steroids. His life has always been and always will be. It has no beginning, and it has no end. This means there is no death, no decay, and no change in God. In fact, death is God’s great, eternal enemy.

(1 Corinthians 15:25–26) "25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

Because God is absolute, uncreated life, he is the source of all life. This is true for Amoebas, Human Beings, and for Angels. He created human beings to share in his life. i.e. his immortality. He created the physical world free from death and decay. This means he created the time-space world to be immortal.

B. Fall

The penalty for sin was death. That death was first spiritual and secondly physical. Death and sin are inseparable.

(Genesis 2:17) "17For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”"

(Psalm 90:7–10) "7 For we are brought to an end by your anger…. 9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. 10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away."

(Romans 5:12) "12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—"

(Romans 6:23) "23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Some speak of dying with dignity. However, there is nothing dignified about death. Death is humbling. Death is depressing. Death usually occurs in a context of suffering. Death is a perversion of God’s intention. It is not God’s plan.

When Adam sinned he and Eve died. Their death began spiritually, but it terminated in physical death.

Death spread from man to the creation that God put under man’s dominion.

We have looked at death and life through the first two lens of a Christian worldview, Creation and Fall. God created all that is with immortality. Sin is the problem. Sin produced death.

Because God was not satisfied to leave creation under the tyranny of death, he began to speak of a better day.

C. Redemption

1. OT Predictions: God will restore Immortality

From Gen. 5 forward God began to speak of the reversal of death and decay. The first hint was that Enoch did not die. Later, Elijah will also not die. Instead, both were taken bodily into heaven (Gen 5:22-24, 2 Kings 2:1-14). They did not experience death.

Since the OT saints were not always sure of life beyond death, these events were meant to convince them of the opposite. There is life beyond the grave. Death is not the ultimate end of existence.

On top of this, there were three resurrections in the OT. All three occurred during the revival that occurred under Elijah and his disciple, Elisha. Their lives literally bristle with immortality. First, God sent Elijah to a widow from Zarephath who cared for the prophet. When her son died Elijah raised him from the dead. This was the first resurrection in scripture.

As God was taking Elijah into heaven, his successor, Elisha asked for and received a double portion of Elijah’s Spirit. That is why two resurrections occurred under his ministry. First, a generous women from Shunem cared for the prophet when he travelled through her area. She did not have a son, so to reward her, Elisha prophesied that she would conceive and give birth to a son. He was born, but ten years later died of sunstroke. Elisha stretched himself out upon the boy’s corpse, prayed, and God restored him to life. The second resurrection.

After Elisha died and was buried, some men were burying another man nearby. Frightened by the approach of Moabite raiders they threw his corpse towards Elisha’s grace. When the corpse touched Elisha’s bones it immediately came back to life (2 Kings 13:20-21). This was resurrection three and three is the number for emphasis.

In addition to these resurrections, there was a growing consensus amongst the prophets that a day of resurrection was coming. The first prophetic utterance came from King David about 1,000 BC.

(Psalm 16:10–11) "10 For [God] will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Two hundred and fifty years later just after the lives of Elijah and Elisha, Isaiah prophesied.

(Isaiah 25:8) " [God] will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people [death] he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken."

(Isaiah 26:19) "19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead."

Two hundred years later, in about 550 BC, Daniel , inspired by the HS, returned to this crucial subject.

(Daniel 12:2) "2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

Because of these stories and the prophetic announcements of Isaiah and Daniel, by the time of Jesus’ birth all Jews, with the exception of the Sadducees, believed in a future resurrection of the both the righteous and the unrighteous.

2. Jesus: The Resurrection and the Life

Jesus referred to himself with many “I am” statements[1]. With reference to death he said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” In other words, I am the One sent by God to destroy death. He said this right before he performed his last miracle of resurrection—the raising of his friend Lazarus. He said it various ways. John 10:10 “I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly.”

Like Elijah and Elisha Jesus possessed the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life, resurrection life. Unlike the prophets, however, Christ’s anointing was absolute. Like Elijah and Elisha Jesus raised exactly three people. (Remember, in the Bible three is the number for emphasis).

Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11ff)

Jesus raised Jairus’ Daughter (Matt 9:18ff)

Jesus raised Lazarus (Jn 11)

A week after Lazarus resurrection Jesus was crucified. His body died. On the third day he was raised to life. Christ’s resurrection, however, was utterly unique from the six that preceded it. It was the seventh resurrection in the Bible. The number seven speaks of perfection, completion, or ultmacy. Jesus’ resurrection differed from those that preceded in three ways.

1st Jesus raised himself from the dead.

(John 10:17–18) "17 I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.”"

2nd Everyone else that was raised eventually died. Jesus’ resurrection was permanent.

3rd Jesus resurrection was representative. The six resurrections that preceded Christ’s were strictly for the benefit of the decedent or his immediate family. But God raised Jesus for the eternal benefit of every person who believes in him. In other words, Christ’s resurrection was representative. It means the salvation of billions. What are the benefits to you and I?

New Birth—(1 Peter 1:3) "3 [God the Father] has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"

Justification—(Romans 4:25) "25 [He] was…raised for our justification."

Motivation— (Colossians 3:1) "1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

Resurrection——(Romans 8:11) "11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."

The resurrection is already, but it is not yet. Through New Birth we have begun to taste resurrection life, but immortality will not be ours until the general resurrection at Christ’s coming. The Spiritual precedes the Physical. Just as Adam died spiritually, but didn’t die physically for 900 years, so New Birth imparts spiritual life, but physical death will not be conquered until the final resurrection. Here is how Revelation describes the post resurrection world.

(Revelation 21:4) "4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”"

II. So What?

A sermon is not a sermon until it meets the “so what? test”. In other words, so what? Why does this sermon/subject/scripture matter? Let me close with three reasons why it matters. There are more.

1. Hate Death

When you are at a funeral it is natural to feel sorrow and loss for a loved one. But in addition, Christians should feel deeply grieved over the existence of death itself. Death should make them angry. Why? Anger is the proper response to the horror of sin. Anger says “things are not the way they are supposed to be.” So, do you hate death with God’s hatred? Is death your enemy?

2. Christ’s cross was the death of death.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” How did he conquer death? The conquest of death began with his own death. In the words of John Owen it was “The death of death in the death of Christ.”

This just means that Jesus took the death sentence that we all deserve. The natural question then, is this: Why do we still die? We still die because, as we have already seen, the benefits of Christ’s death are already but not yet. “Already” means that we are forgiven. We are alive in Christ. We have tasted resurrection life. Spiritual death has been conquered.

However, “not yet” means our bodies are not raised. Physical death still occurs. But because of the cross, death is on a leash. Christ’s resurrection overturned the inevitability of death. It will be forever destroyed at Christ’s coming. That is the “not yet.”

Easter means “immortality’ has begun. It is already, but not yet.

3. The Consequences of the Resurrection depend upon our Relationship to the Gospel

Preaching to Governor Felix, twenty years after Christ’s resurrection, Paul capitalized on the hope in the Resurrection that was popular in his day.

(Acts 24:14-15) 14 But this I confess to you… I worship the God of our fathers… 15 having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 16 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man."

Paul’s witness to Felix assumed one central idea. Ultimately, there is no mortality. Yes, unless we are alive when Christ comes, we will all experience mortality in this world. However, on the last day, Christ will return. He will come to abolish his last enemy, death. How will he do this? By raising both the just and the unjust.

Everyone will participate. We will all be raised with one purpose in mind—to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive God’s justice.

If this is true, life is deadly serious. Why? All the little choices that we make in daily life have eternal consequences.

“There will be a resurrection of the both the just and the unjust,” Paul told Felix. The “unjust” in Paul’s phrase are those who do not believe the gospel. These will be raised. They will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. When Christ asks, “Why should I let you into heaven?” They will respond something like this.

“We tried really hard. We were certainly as good, in many cases better, than those around us. Since you grade on the curve, you will certainly let us in. After all we were sincere. We tried hard.”

But Christ will respond in the words of Matt. 25:41, “Depart from me you cursed into the fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.”

I can assure you that the unjust will wish that they had never heard of Easter. They will look back on today’s celebration and weep and gnash their teeth. They will wish with all of their heart that they could come back and live life over. They will wish that they had responded to the gospel with faith and repentance. Why?

Because they will be in a state of eternal, conscious torment, and the problem will be the word “eternal.” They will be in a state of immortality. God will have destroyed his last enemy, death. Immortality will be their great problem. They will wish they were mortal. They will want to end their existence, but that will be impossible. Immortality will make escape from their final sentence impossible. Death will be denied those who want it the most.

However, for those Paul calls “the just.” There is better news. The “just” in Paul’s usage are those justified—those declared “not guilty” at Christ’s expense. They heard the gospel and joyfully responded with faith and repentance. They increasingly believed the gospel and looked through it to see the infinite goodness of God, which is his glory.