The Resurrection and Life Everlasting

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: II Corinthians 5; Lord's Day 22
Psalters: 355, 384, 249, 32
  1. Soul resurrection.
    1. Faith in the resurrection of the body includes faith in the resurrection of the soul at the moment of death (Lk. 23:43; 16:22).
    2. This denies the theories of annihilation, purgatory, and soul sleep.
    3. The intermediate state is time from a believer’s death to Jesus’ return when our bodies are raised.
      1. Death is the terrifying separation of the body and the soul.
      2. A believer’s communion with Christ is not broken by death, but intensified (8; Phil. 1:23; Ps. 73:24).
    4. We must be careful what we say about the intermediate state, for we know very little about its exact nature.
      1. Increased communion with Christ is experienced by the believer.
      2. But this communion is not fully perfect for three reasons.
  2. The resurrection of the body will take place when Jesus returns (John 5:28,29; I Thess. 4:16,17).
    1. The Bible speaks of the resurrection of the body: II Cor. 5:1; Phili. 3; I Cor. 15:43-44.
    2. God calls our physical bodies out of the dust and makes them like the glorious body of Christ.
      1. Faith in the risen Christ is a faith which believes in the glorious bodily resurrection (Rom. 8:23b).
      2. The resurrection of Christ’s body is the cause of the resurrection of the bodies of those in Christ (I Cor. 15).
    3. We need our bodies in heaven as much as we need them on the earth.
  3. We are raised to “life everlasting.”
    1. This is the blessedness of perfect, unending life (Jn. 17:3).
    2. We know only a little of this glorious life, because it is other worldly.
    3. By faith we have a certain and sure hope.