THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION

that will be found among the redeemed at that time. This explanation arises out of the answer to the question of

verse 35, `But some will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?' The apostle's answer

is short and pointed. `Thou fool!' The question `How?' is not always a question of faith or unto edifying. The Lord

has nowhere revealed `how' the resurrection will take place; He has revealed the fact for our hope and our faith. The

apostle, for answer, calls the questioner's attention to a phenomenon of the physical world:

`That which thou sowest is not made alive (verse 22) except it die: and that which thou sowest, thou sowest not

that body that shall be, but bare (naked) grain, it may chance of wheat, or some other grain: but God giveth it a

body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed its own body' (15:36-38 Author's translation).

There is much food for thought here. Many Christians wonder how it is possible for the individual dead body to

be raised, and ask many questions which need never arise. One might put them a question in this form. A certain

man 3,000 years ago died, and was buried. Five hundred years later, the elements that composed the first man's

body became the body of another man. He also died, and each 500 years the same elements became the body of

another man. At the resurrection whose body would it be, for all these men had it? The answer would be, `Ye do

err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God'. First of all, Scripture does not speak of the resurrection of

the body, but of the resurrection of the dead. The body is given by God at the resurrection and will be in accord

with the believer's rank. `There are heavenly bodies, and earthly bodies'. These words do not refer to the `heavenly

bodies' of astronomy, but to the resurrection bodies of believers. In the resurrection there will be some raised to sit

at the right hand of God far above all; some will walk the streets of the New Jerusalem; some will inherit the earth,

and for each sphere of blessing an appropriate body will be given.  `How' God preserves the identity and

individuality of each soul is not emphasised, possibly the explanation would not have been intelligible to us even if

it had been revealed. Then as to the differing `ranks':

`There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differeth

from star in glory, SO IS THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD ALSO' (15:41,42 Author's translation).

that is, it too is raised with a different body, and the glory of one raised believer will differ from that of another,

`every man in his own rank'. The contrasts between the body which we have `in Adam' and that which God will

give `in Christ' are given:

Corruption .....................

contrasted with incorruption.

Dishonour .....................

contrasted with glory.

Weakness ......................

contrasted with power.

A natural body...............

contrasted with a spiritual body.

The `sowing' here in each of the four instances must not be translated as of the death and burial of a believer. When

seed is sown it must be alive, or nothing will come of it. If living seed be sown, it dies, and lives again. That is the

teaching here. The `sowing' is our birth into the life of the Adamic race, the `raising' is our new birth into the life of

Following this statement the apostle says, `There is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body'. This is a

revelation. The conception which is formed of the life after death by the religions of men is that of disembodied

spirits, or souls, but the resurrection necessitates a body. The word `natural' is psuchikos and occurs in 1 Corinthians

2:14; James 3:15 translates it `sensual'. The word `spiritual' (pneumatikos) is contrasted with the natural in

1 Corinthians 2:13-15; and with `carnal' (sarkikos) in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3. The English language does not contain a

word that allows us to see the contrast clearly. If we could use the expression `soul-ical' we should the better see the

intention. `There is a soul-ical body, there is also a spirit-ual body'. Now the soul-ical body is `flesh and blood'.

Such cannot inherit the kingdom of God (see verse 50); and the fact that the verse continues `neither does corruption

inherit incorruption' is confirmatory of the interpretation of verse 42 given above.

This reference to the soul-ical body which we now possess and the spiritual body which we shall possess in that

day introduces the next amplification, viz.