Resurrection

THE END OF DEATH

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will terminate the Last Enemy, Death, and resurrected saints will receive immortal bodies.

Certain men of the church in Corinth were denying the future bodily resurrection. Paul responded by stressing the necessity for resurrection. In doing so, he appealed to the past DEATH and resurrection of Jesus as the basis for the resurrection of believers. His disciples will be raised from the dead when he “arrives,” and that will signal the end of death itself.

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PLIGHT TO SOLUTION

/ David R Maas / Leave a comment

Paul presents the gospel beginning from humanity’s plight due to sin until the resurrection of the dead through Jesus Christ.

In his letter to the churches in Rome, Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the gospel. He touches on its key subjects, including death, redemption, the Law, the resurrection, and the New Creation. He begins by describing the plight of humanity caused by sin, then he describes the solution provided by God through Jesus Christ.

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QUICKENING SPIRIT

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There is no life without the Spirit of God, for it is His Spirit that creates, animates, sustains, and restores all life, and now, only through Jesus.

To his disciples, Jesus declared that “the spirit makes alive [‘quickens’]… The words which I have spoken to you are spirit, and they are life.” Here, his words echo the scriptural principle that life and the “spirit” are inextricably linked. The “flesh” is not inherently evil, but it has no life without the spirit. And the words of Christ are added into the mix, for there is no “life” found apart from them.

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SIN, DEATH, GOSPEL, RESURRECTION

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Paul presents his gospel from humanity’s plight due to sin to the resurrection of the dead and the New Creation.

In Romans, Paul presented his most detailed explanation of the gospel. His purpose was to deal with conflicts between Gentiles and Jews in the church and to prepare the ground for taking the gospel to the west, and he touched on related topics, including death, redemption, the Law, the resurrection, and the New Creation.

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RESURRECTION AND THE SPIRIT

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The gift of the Spirit is the “first-fruits” and foretaste of the future resurrection and the coming New Creation.

Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of faith. God counted his faith as “righteousness” even when he was uncircumcised. This means He justified him apart from the “works of the Law.” Therefore, he became the father of all men who are also “from faith.” Circumcision was added later as the “seal” of his justifying faith.

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