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The Daily Word of Righteousness
"Rapture" or Resurrection?
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. (I Corinthians 15:19)
The resurrection from the dead is one of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian Gospel—the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The fifteenth chapter of the Book of First Corinthians is devoted to the topic of raising the bodies of the saints from the dead.
If our bodies are not going to be raised from the dead our faith in Christ is in vain.
In fact, the Scripture does not consider we have been brought to life until our body has come forth from the grave.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (I Corinthians 15:22,23)
We shall have attained the fullness of victory when our mortal body has been made alive by the Spirit of God. This will take place at the coming of Christ.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (I Corinthians 15:26)
The resurrection from the dead, which is the final victory of the saint, must be attained .
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection [Greek, out-resurrection] of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)
We attain the resurrection by overcoming the world, the satanic lusts that dwell in our flesh, and our self-will. If we live in the appetites of the flesh we will die spiritually. If we, through the Holy Spirit of God, achieve victory over the world, sin, and self-will, we will attain eternal life.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)
Eternal life, immortality, that which Adam and Eve forfeited, has been lost to mankind from the time of the fall. Death has been working in our flesh and spirit since our physical birth. God has given Christians the gift of eternal life, that is, He has brought us into His Presence with a view to immortalizing all that we are—spirit, soul, and body.
The gift of eternal life must be grasped. Eternal life is a demanding gift. God has not given us the gift of life as one would make a present of money but as the opportunity to attain life. There is a difference between these two concepts.
If we Christians choose to employ the grace of God in order to live righteously, we attain eternal life; we attain the resurrection out from among the dead. If we do not choose to serve righteousness, do not learn through Christ to behave righteously, we will not attain eternal life (Romans, Chapter Six).
To be continued.