{"id":18393,"date":"2021-04-02T07:46:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T11:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christskingdom.org\/staging\/8402\/?p=18393"},"modified":"2026-06-08T07:50:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T11:50:29","slug":"the-resurrection-death-to-life-in-spirit-and-body-211","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christskingdom.org\/staging\/8402\/the-resurrection-death-to-life-in-spirit-and-body-211\/","title":{"rendered":"The Resurrection: Death to Life in Spirit — and Body (211)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The Resurrection: Death to Life in Spirit --- and Body<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By Steven J. Hogan<\/p>

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~ A Saturday Morning Post #211 ~

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Our biggest problem, by far, is death.<\/strong> People physically die, and all people are spiritually dead – and that\u2019s the truth. Now there are two kinds of death, physical and spiritual – and they are related in that sin is the cause of both. People physically die because of their sin, and people are spiritually dead because of their sin. \u201cThe soul who sins will die\u201d<\/em> (Ezek. 18:4). \u201cThe wages of sin is death\u201d <\/em>(Rom. 6:23). \u201cYou were dead in your trespasses and sins.\u201d<\/em> Ephesians 2:1

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The sobering truth is that people who are physically alive are spiritually dead,<\/strong> which means they are separated from God and spiritually lifeless, unless they have been spiritually saved. And the person who is not spiritually saved during his life on earth, and then physically dies, will be eternally dead, painfully separated from God forever. What is so sad is that many people don\u2019t understand this enormous spiritual problem of sin and death. They have been deceived by their wrong thinking, and by the devil himself. \u201cThe god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving\u201d<\/em> (2 Cor. 4:4, 11:13-15). Some people don\u2019t even believe in sin, others believe you can sin but there are no consequences, and others think they will be annihilated, will go out of existence when they die, but that\u2019s just not true – these are all deadly errors, much worse than having a physical disease, like Covid-19. 1 John 1:8-10

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In our world, most people focus on the physical.<\/strong> There are doctors, nurses, hospitals, special diets, medicines, nursing homes, supplements, gyms, and exercise. None of these are wrong in and of themselves, but \u201cbodily discipline is only of little profit\u201d <\/em>(1 Tim. 4:8). Most people are overly concerned about physical issues but don\u2019t realize that sin and death are their primary problems. You know that Covid-19 has resulted in global havoc, and has now consumed and controlled people\u2019s lives for over a year. Think of the virologists and immunologists, and the efforts by countries to solve this one little, but big, physical problem. I am not saying we shouldn\u2019t have doctors, nurses, etc., and shouldn\u2019t do what we can to help people be safe and well. The point I am making is that we tend to focus on the physical and not the spiritual. Our far bigger problem is sin, ignoring God, rebelling against Him, disobeying Him, worshiping idols, but not loving Him. And the consequences of not dealing with this deadly sin problem are not just temporal, but eternal, and are not just physical, but spiritual.

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Most people who focus on the spiritual do not have the correct answers<\/strong>, many of whom should know better, like ministers, rabbis, imams, swamis, etc. To sum it up, most of them say that the way to get right with God is by our own efforts, that we need to carry out religious duties, that our good deeds will outweigh our bad deeds, and then we can go to heaven and live forever. But this thinking is not right – it\u2019s terribly wrong and spiritually dangerous, and the results are eternally deadly and extremely painful. People need to know that hell is real, is justly deserved, and a devilish place where sinners are punished forever. \u201c\u2018Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil\u2019\u2026 these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.\u201d<\/em> Matthew 25:41, 46

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What then is the answer?<\/strong> The answer is not \u201cwhat\u201d <\/em>but \u201cwho\u201d<\/em>? It\u2019s the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He came down to earth about 2000 years ago and become a man and, therefore, a mediator between God and man. Sin is man\u2019s main problem, the cause of both spiritual and physical death, and Christ, the perfect God-man, could pay for our sin. Christ dealt with our sin by taking it upon Himself while dying on a cross, His Father then pouring out His wrath upon His Son instead of upon us. That\u2019s why Christ cried out, \u201cMy God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?\u201d<\/em> (Matt. 27:46). \u201cGod made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him\u201d<\/em> (2 Cor. 5:21). Everyone needs to know that there are only two options – either you pay for your own sin by being punished forever in hell, or Christ pays for it Himself.\u00a0

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The person who repents of his sin, who sincerely tells God he is sorry he sinned against Him,<\/strong> and believes that Christ took his place and paid for his sin is born again, is forgiven, becomes spiritually alive (Eph. 2:1-5). This is good news, the greatest and most important news in the world, that through Christ we can defeat both sin and death – and it\u2019s because of God\u2019s great love for us. \u201cGod demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us\u201d<\/em> (Rom. 5:8). \u201cFor God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.\u201d<\/em> John 3:16

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Jesus Christ didn\u2019t stay dead, and He couldn\u2019t, and that\u2019s because He was God<\/strong> and as God and man, He defeated sin and therefore death, seen when His Father raised Him from the dead. The only answer to our problem of being spiritually and physically dead is Jesus\u2019 death-and-resurrection. And Jesus\u2019 resurrection clearly proves He is the Victor, the Conqueror of sin and death, thereby being the One who can give us both spiritual and physical life. \u201cThis man\u2026 you nailed to a cross\u2026 and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power\u201d <\/em>(Acts 2:23-24). And a person who is physically alive on earth becomes spiritually alive when he believes in Christ, and after he physically dies (unless he is raptured), he will be glorified, be given a perfect body, be physically alive forever. (1 Thess. 4:15-17). Jesus said, \u201cDo not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades<\/em> (hell).\u201d Revelation 1:17b-18

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Jesus speaks of our new spiritual life and new physical life this way: <\/strong>\u201cThis is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day\u201d<\/em> (John 6:40). We are spiritually made alive when we believe and are physically made alive when Christ raises us up. Paul says it this way: \u201cThese whom He justified, He also glorified\u201d<\/em> (Rom. 8:31). We were justified, spiritually made alive, when we believed in Christ, and are glorified, physically made alive, when the church is raptured \u201con the last day.\u201d<\/em> Paul also tells us, \u201cHe who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus\u201d<\/em> (Phil. 1:6). And you see this gap of time between becoming spiritually alive and physically alive. For Christians, this good work of salvation began in the past when we were born again, and it will be completed in the future when Christ returns to rapture the church.

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The greatest chapter in the Bible on the resurrection is 1 Corinthians 15.<\/strong> The main message is that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and therefore Christians will be raised from the dead – and we are talking about physical resurrection and life. \u201cFor as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ\u2019s at His coming\u201d <\/em>(1 Cor. 15:22-23). Christ\u2019s resurrection took place about 2000 years ago, but our resurrection will take place in the future, \u201cat His coming.\u201d<\/em> It’s sad that many Christians do not even think about how their salvation is not yet complete. But be excited and filled with hope, for it will happen soon, at the end of this age, at the coming of Christ, which is not many years from now. “…waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved.”<\/em> Romans 8:23-24

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Since we live in the end-times, it won\u2019t be long before Christ\u2019s comes back to glorify us,<\/strong> to give us our brand-new body, to \u201ctransform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory\u201d<\/em> (Phil. 3:21, 1 Cor. 15:42-44). This most amazing transformation takes place at the sounding of the last trumpet – \u201cBehold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep <\/em>(physically die), but we will all be changed <\/em>(physically glorified), 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 will be changed. This perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.\u201d <\/em>1 Corinthians 15:51-53

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How should you live during this church age,<\/strong> knowing this wonderful news about Christ\u2019s resurrection in the past and your resurrection in the future? You are to live a holy life, a brand-new life. “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so too we might walk in newness of life” <\/em>(Rom. 6:4). You are to know that you have the resurrection power of Christ and can carry out all His plans for your life. \u201cI pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened, so that you will know\u2026 what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places\u201d<\/em> (Eph. 1:18-20). You are to know the Lord and have this close relationship with Him, daily experiencing His resurrection power in your life. \u201cI count all things to be loss\u2026 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection\u201d<\/em> Phil. 3:8-10

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Finally, be exceedingly thankful and wholeheartedly working for the Lord<\/strong>, knowing that it won\u2019t be long before you leave this earth and are with Him forever. \u201cThanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil in the Lord is not in vain.\u201d<\/em> 1 Corinthians 15:57-58

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P.S. As a Christian, you need to know and be excited about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and about your resurrection in both spirit and body. Here are three previous posts on the importance and the blessings of the resurrection – “The Resurrection and the Rapture of the Believers”<\/em>,<\/a> and “Christ’s Resurrection Means the Best Is Yet to Come”<\/em>,<\/a> and “The Resurrection and the Rapture – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.”<\/em><\/a><\/p>

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