Resurrection and Life
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Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’" (John 11:25-26)You probably recognize this reference as being associated with the raising of Lazarus from the dead as Martha questions Jesus about this important topic.
Until a few months ago, I held a fairly traditional understanding of this important passage. It was just last summer I read a short little book by Wanda Shirk entitled Resurrection: A Promise Fulfilled. I was especially challenged by one page which deals with this passage.
Although I am still working through the implications, I have come to believe that she accurately interprets the text. Since this issue of CA follows Easter, it is timely for us to consider what resurrection is and what it means to us.
We’ve dealt with the word before, but for the benefit of new readers a brief word study will be helpful. The word comes from the Greek anastasis meaning to stand up again. Literally it has reference to a physical revival of the body. Spiritually it signifies a moral recovery.
Since we know that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven," we are compelled to deal with resurrection in a spiritual sense. To do otherwise puts us on a path that takes us away from truth.
Before continuing, reread the opening passage several times paying special attention to its structure.
The construction is a form of parallelism which is often encountered in Hebrew thought and writing. Jesus begins by saying He is two things: resurrection and life. These are aligned with what follows in the next phrases. Let’s associate them appropriately to draw the picture He is presenting.
"I am the resurrection ... he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies." "I am the life ... everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die." Get the picture?
Pay attention to the future nature of this teaching. Jesus speaks of two classes of people who believe in Him: those who die prior to the consummation, and those who are alive when it comes. Paul’s teaching is consistent with this, "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." (1 Cor. 15:51-52)
When would that consummation be? At the end of the age. What age? The Old Covenant economy. Our tradition teaches us that disciples were concerned with the timing of the end of the so-called "church age." That is unsupportable biblically.
Nothing they were taught or said implies an intervening age. There WAS an interim period when the Old Covenant was "passing away" and the "true light" of the New Covenant was already shining. Though there was a transition period between the covenants there was no intervening age.
Until the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the Old Covenant system continued alongside the New. We see the tension that created throughout scripture. Most Christians today believe that salvation came at Calvary or Pentecost, but Hebrews 9:28 makes it very clear that salvation was to come to fruition at the consummation (in 70): "...so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (NIV)
I’m not particularly fond of the NIV but it is popular and it captures the meaning of this passage well. I invite you to check out a variety of translations. When you do, I think you will agree that the NIV is consistent with the meaning of the original at this point.
Now, notice again what it says. Salvation will come when Christ appears a second time. Hebrews is a very late book and the author makes it clear that salvation has not arrived. What does he mean by this?
Remember the context of Hebrews? We are seeing a comparison/contrast of the old covenant system with the new: the earthly versus the heavenly.
With that in mind we easily understand what the author means here. On the day of atonement, the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place initially to offer sacrifices for his sins and then appeared to the people.
He then returned to the Most Holy place to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. When he appeared the second time, it was to announce their salvation. Since the blood of bulls and goats couldn’t take away sin, that salvation was for only one year. Here we see the efficacy of the sacrifice Christ made for us.
As Hebrews is being written, that second appearing is still future. Though the writers of the New Testament are confident of their salvation, that confidence looks forward to a future event which will vindicate them and reveal the sons of God. Recall Paul’s words in Romans 13:11, "And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed."
Paul’s writings make it abundantly clear that he was confident of his salvation. However, he also makes it clear that there is a future aspect of that salvation and the hour for it is at hand. If not, the admonition to "awaken" is untimely (at best).
If that second appearing has not occurred, we have no assurance of salvation and "...we are of all men, most miserable." Why? The dead have not been raised and we who live have no assurance of life eternal.
Salvation came only after God accepted the sacrifice and the High Priest made the proclamation. If Christ our High Priest has not announced our salvation, our standing before God is questionable. Worse than that, we interpret history to demonstrate that what He taught was incorrect. The promise was for that generation and they were not disappointed.
Any honest student of the Bible is compelled to admit that it teaches the imminent coming of Christ to announce the salvation of believers. Unfortunately most would rather practice biblical gymnastics than abandon the traditions they have accepted.
When Christ appeared in A.D. 70 judgment fell upon those who held to their traditions. The sons of God were revealed, and the kingdom of God was re-established. Our God reigns!
In Christ, mankind was reconciled to God. Those who believe in Him "will never die." If that is true (and I certainly believe that it is), why do we as Christians need resurrection? We have both right standing with the Father and eternal life because we were "raised up with Christ." (Col. 3:1)
When we pass from this life we are stripped of the mortal and emerge into the glory of our eternal state. We can only define that new body in the broadest of terms: spiritual, incorruptible, imperishable, heavenly, eternal, etc. For us, Christ IS the life. His question to Martha challenges us today, "Do you believe this?
Bible 101
If you have been diligent to follow the process outlined in these lessons, you should already be making some interesting discoveries. Chances are you have been tempted to explore rabbit trails and rush to study questions that have been generated by your fact finding mission. Write them down for now. Stay focused on working through the process.
At this point you should have a good handle on the facts pertaining to the significant elements in the book you have chosen. You should also have a written summary statement for each chapter. Remember, we are framing the picture here. Once we have grasped the context we can begin to move on to interpretation.
This month we want to work on a summary statement for the book as a whole. Our fact finding helped us to identify key words and phrases. They generally answer one of the five questions: who, what where, when, why, and how.
Read through the chapters again and mark each key word. Do one word each time through so you can focus your attention on what the text says about it. List what you have learned about each key word.
Of course that means you will read through the text many times but that is part of getting so familiar with it you can almost quote it. If you are faithful, you will be amazed how much you retain when we are through with this exercise.
As you read be on the lookout for:
Words and phrases of contrast (things which are opposite that which is being taught). They are often introduced with but, however, nevertheless, etc..
Words of comparison (parallels drawn between things that are similar).These are often identified by phrases using like or as.
Time references answer the "when" question and frequently are indicated by words and phrases like after this, until, next, then, when, before, while, etc..
Terms of Conclusion or Results connect causes to effects. There is a popular saying that goes, "When you see the word therefore it is a good idea to ask what it’s there for! Other terms of conclusion are so that, in order that, for this reason, etc..
In addition to this, I like to write out summaries of the text itself. Whether you do this verse by verse, or by paragraph, I find it very helpful to put the text in my own words. Frequently, this process helps me to identify passages that I assumed I understood but really didn’t. Try it out and see if it helps you.
All these steps will help you refine your summary statements for the chapters and lead you to a summary statement for the book. That should keep you busy until next time.
Building Your Christian Library
One of the first Bible study tools people buy is a Bible Dictionary. There are a number of them but one is clearly preferred by most students: Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. You can find the 1940 edition of NT words at http://www.menfak.no/bibel/vines.html .
The dictionary provides information on over 6,000 Hebrew and Greek words and allows the user to cross-reference the words with the Strong’s numbering system I mentioned last time. This opens up easy access to a variety of word study helps that help the serious student get a better grasp of the meaning of a word in its context.
Another excellent New Testament work is The Complete Word Study Dictionary by Spiro Zodhiates. He uses the Strong’s numbering system so you can find the right Greek word without learning the alphabet, but learn it anyway!
Zodhiates has several word study books including interlinear style versions for the Old and New Testaments. The original language (with its Strong’s number) appears above the English text and there is a condensed Lexicon at the back of the volume which allows you to look up the word by its number. It is a great tool. Each of the three volumes mentioned are about 1,500 pages so they are a bit big to carry around.
Short of learning the biblical languages, these helps will be a welcome addition to your library as you study God’s word.
If you haven’t done so already, visit a bookstore and take a look at these helps. Invest in the ones that are right for you.
How Comfortable Are You?
Reading through the story of scripture there is a particularly remarkable observation to be made. Adam and Eve were put in the most comfortable setting and relationship we can imagine and yet they forfeited that gift.
The rest of scripture tells the story of men and women who, though still fallen, were called by God out of their relative comfort into uncomfortable situations. It is something of a given that those who are faithful to the call of God on their lives will have uncomfortable experiences, yet most professing Christians cry out to God to keep them from discomfort.
Many of the divisions in God’s people today are bred by the desire for comfort. It is uncomfortable to work through differences, discover where we are wrong, admit it and make corrections that draw us closer together. It is much easier to seek out those who agree with us and form a club that encourages us to stay in our comfort zone without the requisite guilt that diligence would normally bring to bear on our attitude. (next page)
How different the Bible story would be if any number of characters had chosen comfort rather than obedience! Noah could have partied with his friends and God’s favor would have been shown to another. Abraham could have remained in relative comfort in Ur but he sought "...a city whose builder and maker is God."
Moses could have lived in luxury in Pharaoh’s court but his flight to escape discomfort turned into the very thing that forced him into the thick of conflict. God does move in mysterious ways!
David was comfortable tending his sheep and could have happily lived out his life in that occupation as many others did. But the call of God on his life left him no option but to serve. One has only to read the Psalms to understand that his life of service was not a matter of comfort.
None of the disciples had to follow Christ as He called them. They willingly left the comfortable routine of the familiar to follow a man who didn’t even have a place to lay His head. The world called them fools.
We could go on with this list and I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on how other Bible characters put obedience before comfort. Spend time too considering more contemporary examples of people you know who did the uncomfortable thing and in the process brought glory to God and grew in faith.
Are you comfortable? Is that comfort a matter of contentment regardless of the circumstances or because of them? There is a big difference you know.
When we make comfort our aim, we will ultimately come to discomfort, but when we make obedience our goal we will know the "peace that passes understanding." The circumstances may not be pleasant but they are fuel for our faith and fertile soil for God to show His power and majesty.
Humor in the Pew
If you haven’t visited The Carpenter’s Apprentice online, I invite you to stop by and follow the link to "The Light Side." There you’ll find the beginnings of a collection of humorous true stories related to church services, bulletins, personal ministry, etc. There are lots of sites with such stories but I want this one to be "ours."
The ones there presently are a sampling of some I have experienced. I’d really like to add yours to the mix so feel free to write or email your true stories. Credit will be given to the contributor.
Here are a couple of samples you may have missed if you haven’t been to the website.
The Pharisee and The Tax Collector
A number of years ago, I listened intently as the preacher expounded at great length on this familiar Bible story. He dealt at length with the issue of pride and the many ways it finds entrance into our lives. He noted the humility of the tax collector's prayer, "Be merciful to me a sinner" and offered it as an example of how we should petition our Father. However, he spent most of the time addressing the attitude of the Pharisee whose heart overlooked its own failings and focused on the weaknesses of the tax collector.
Following the invitation hymn, an elder of the congregation came forward to offer the closing prayer. I don't remember all that he prayed that night because his opening sentence absolutely floored me. He began his prayer with, "Father, we thank you that we are not like the Pharisee ...."
Think about it!
A Mother’s Day Prayer
Mother’s Day is just around the corner so this story seems timely. Following the Mother’s Day sermon at the congregation we were attending in 1978, an older teen was called upon to lead the closing prayer. His opening words were, "Dear Lord, we thank you for our mothers, without whom most of us wouldn’t be here...."
I’m not sure where he thought the rest of the population came from but the muffled chuckles told me his great one liner wasn’t missed by the assembly.
The Apprentice’s Journal
It is my great joy to present to you, our second grandson, Joshua Wade King. He was born March 26, 2002, at 6:51 p.m. and weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. He was measured at 20 inches in length but Granna thinks they didn’t stretch him out properly and I won’t argue with an OB/GYN nurse. He did look longer than that. (
Laura and Josh are doing well. Geren is adjusting to the idea of having a little brother around and Read is now challenged with modeling Christian fatherhood for two sons.
Geren was born by natural childbirth at the hospital. Since then Laura did her homework and decided that Joshua would be born at home. Though it seems a foreign idea in our society, most babies are still born at home worldwide and there are many benefits (even grandfathers can be taught "new" things if they are willing to keep an open mind).
Laura’s pregnancy was followed by a midwife whom she spent a great deal of time selecting. A doctor was available if needed but things went better than the previous delivery at the hospital. Granna assisted the midwife and her two assistants while Read’s mother and I entertained Geren. I have developed an aversion to Veggie Tales and Bob the Builder as a result!
Sharon was able to spend two weeks helping Laura ease into the role of caring for two children (plus three dogs and two cats). It was a tearful parting for the two of them, but both households are back to the daily routine.
New life always causes reflection. God forbid we should ever cease to marvel at the wonder of it all. We live in a culture which values an eagle’s egg more than pre-born children and I pray we can escape the implications that has for our future.
A few months ago, I was raking leaves in the yard when a candidate for local office stopped by to ask for my support. We visited about several things and then I asked him about his position on the life issue. He replied, "I’m pro-life" but I knew that needed explanation because of the time in which we live.
A follow-up question revealed that he accepted abortion for cases of rape and incest. "So," I said, "you believe a child can be killed if his father is a criminal. Is that right?" He was silent, so I pressed the issue, "May I ask you another question?"
With his assent, I asked, "Does every union of a man and woman result in the conception of a child." "No," he replied.
I continued, "When a child is conceived what is the source of that life?" "It’s cre-a-t-e-d b-y G-o-d" rolled slowly and thoughtfully off his tongue.
"Then what right," I asked, "do we have to question God’s decision to create life in that instance?" He didn’t answer. I explained that the life issue is an absolute litmus test for me, even in local elections.
Why? Because life is sacred and a person who will compromise on this issue will compromise on anything. We are all sinners and any of us can compromise the faith we hold. I have, and chances are you have too. That is not the issue. The compromise becomes an issue when we are aware of it and refuse to repent.
While we are in that state, we represent a threat to ourselves and others. As Christians, we should be diligent about the people we help elect to office. Our president was billed as pro-life yet he wrote the biggest check ever to Planned Parenthood. He has not stopped federally funded stem cell research and he has continued to build relations with China which has no respect for innocent human life.
Sharon and I volunteer at the local Pregnancy Care Center. She counsels women and I pray and do whatever else needs to be done during our scheduled time. The world is full of hurting women. Our churches are full of hurting women. Most of the women we see profess to be Christians.
Christians need to learn the lesson of love. We need to reach out to those who at some point made a terrible mistake in their lives and who relive that painful mistake again and again.
Abortion has become so prevalent in our time that it is almost certain you have at least one good friend who has been victimized by it. Yes they made the choice, but the vast majority would undo it in an instant if that was within their power.
With Mother’s Day upon us, let us not forget to show our gratitude to those who gave us life. At the same time, let us become instruments of healing in the lives of those whose foolish choices robbed them of a relationship God intended to be a blessing. Many grieve silently on this day for what might have been, may our hearts reach out to theirs with all the grace that we have received in Christ. As we reach out, let us work to stop the horror by withholding our support from anyone who is not pledged to end it.