Are You Ready to be Resurrected from the Dead?
God has raised people from the dead; and He will bring all people to the final resurrection from the dead, on the last day (Jn 5:25–29). There will be two types of resurrection when Christ returns to earth in glory (Mt 24:29–31). The first type is the resurrection of judgment for those who committed evil deeds. The second type is the resurrection of life for those who did good deeds.
Good or evil deeds are not the catalyst that produces one’s appearance in the first or second resurrection type, however. Rather, one’s deeds are the fruit of that person’s justified or unjustified position (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16). All are conceived in Adam; therefore, all are positioned in sin and death, which is the state of condemnation (Jn 3:18). Stated another way, Adam was judged in the Garden of Eden, and all of humanity was in him (Rom 5:12–21). This is why all people are conceived in sin, shapen in iniquity (Ps 51:5).
The soul, of each one conceived, is dead. The natural man is dead in his trespasses and sins (1 Cor 2:14; Eph 2:1). This means his very nature is sin (Eph 2:3). With the wages of sin being death (Rom 3:23), we understand that men die (in their bodies of death). In fact, it is appointed for men to die, once, and then comes the judgment (Heb 9:27).
In the death of the body, the soul is separated, and one immediately realizes whether he or she is destined for hell, or whether he or she is going to be with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8). There is no room for wild notions of purgatory. Souls in hell, or in Christ, simply wait for the resurrection of the body, which is at a point in time known only to God (Mt 24:36).
God raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 13:30; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:20), as typified in Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11). Lazarus died, again, after being brought back. The final resurrection, however, will result in glorified bodies for God’s elect, redeemed, regenerated, who died in Christ (1 Cor 15:42, 50, 52–54). This is the body Jesus had when He was resurrected on the third day following His crucifixion. All of this is through the glory of the Father (Rom 6:4), which is shared by our Lord Jesus (1 Pet 1:21).
Christians already have a foretaste of the resurrection, “But 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 (Rom 8:11).” Regeneration (Jn 3:1–8; 1 Pet 1:3) is the resurrection of the soul. God makes alive (spiritually) His elect (Eph 2:5 Col 2:13), redeemed at the appointed time, in His predetermined plan (Acts 2:23).
Abraham believed in the power of God to resurrect his son, Isaac (who he was about to sacrifice on a homemade altar), to whom were the promises of the seed of Abraham (Heb 11:19). Why is it considered incredible, by some, if God does raise the dead (Acts 26:8)? The Christian faith hinges on the resurrection (1 Cor 15:14). It is an utterly essential component to our Gospel message (1 Cor 15:3–4).
Lazarus was not the first to be raised by Jesus, and even Elijah, was a participant in this good work of God. The Bible teaches that each Person of the Trinity is active in this work. God the Father raises the dead (Acts 13:30; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:20). Jesus Christ raises the dead (Jn 6:39–40, 44, 54, 11). God the Spirit raises the dead (Rom 8:11).
As Christians preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:16–17; 1 Cor 2:2), we display the faith given to us by God (Phil 1:29) — a faith that includes the resurrection (1 Cor 15). We, of course, would never proclaim Jesus, had our souls not been raised from the dead, already. God has given us the Spirit of the resurrected Christ (Rom 5:5), who is the life of God Himself (Jn 11:25; 14:6). Christian, you are the manifested evidence of the resurrection life. This is why you believe in the resurrection and unashamedly tell others of this good work of God in history, in Christ, in you, and in the day of the Lord to come.
Are you ready to be resurrected from the dead? Friend, if you are reading this without the Spirit of Christ, please know that God is glorified in giving life to whom He pleases (Ps 115:3; 135:6), according to His sovereign will (Rom 9:15–16). Do not mock God in unbelief or call Him unfair, but repent of your sins (Acts 17:30) and turn to God in Christ. There is only one name, given among men, under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
Christian, resurrection is your past and your future. Eternal life has been evidenced in you. You are alive to God. You are unashamed of the Gospel of God because His Word is in you, transforming you, renewing your mind (Rom 12:2), with your spirit being renewed day by day by His Spirit (2 Cor 4:16; Eph 4:23; Titus 3:5).
Your preparation for the glorious day of the resurrection of your body is simply to live the resurrection life in you, today, “for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Rom 14:8).” Never forget…you belong to the Lord (1 Cor 3:23) because you were bought for a price (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23), with His precious blood (1 Pet 1:19), which was sprinkled on you in the sanctifying work of the Spirit (1 Pet 1:2), who indwells you (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9, 11; Jas 4:5).
It is God in you, who is willing and working His plan of good works, prepared beforehand for you (Eph 2:10), according to His good pleasure (Phil 2:13). This is what it means to rest in Christ (Heb 4:1, 3, 10), to wait upon the Lord (Is 40:31), to trust in the Lord with all your heart, for He is the One who is directing your steps (Prv 3:5–6), causing you to walk in His statutes (Ezek 36:27).
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Rejoice, and again rejoice, now and forever more! He is risen indeed (Mt 28:6), and beloved, you will join Him, very soon, body and soul in the indestructible life that is everlasting. The Apostle wrote, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil 1:21)!” Paul was clearly ready for the resurrection. Are you ready for that?
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
October 15, 2022
