The Resurrection and Salvation
by Larry Herrin on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 10:38am
If you don't believe in the “general resurrection” of the dead are you a Christian? Since it is often confused with “reincarnation”, we need to understand what “resurrection” means. Let's examine reincarnation first. It is the rebirth of the soul in another body; either human, animal or vegetable. The eternal soul is called the “atman” in Buddhism. The only way to escape the many cycles of rebirth is through having good “karma”, the belief that actions in this life effects our life in the next.
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In the oriental pagan belief system if you do good in “this life” you'll be promoted, let's say from vegetable to animal, and if you do even better, then all the way to human! Conversely, if you have “bad karma” then you're demoted. Through meditation and good attitudes you can reach nirvana and be released from these many cycles of rebirth. This belief would be silly if it had not been adopted by gnostics, Theosophists and theorists such as Carl Jung in his Analytical Psychology Theory. This belief is a large portion of what Christians call “The New Age”. As such we should never insult God by participating in yoga, transcendental meditation, affirmations, the martial arts or any other practice associated with pagan beliefs.
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As you can see, “reincarnation” requires “good works”. Although that belief is in total error (according to God) its major fallacy is that you can work your way to heaven! We go to heaven by the grace (undeserved gift) of God and all other ways will condemn us to eternal punishment. Jesus is the Way and the only way!
.
John (KJV) 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
.
This one verse says it all. You must be saved through the vicarious death of Jesus on the cross. If you depend on your works or balancing life forces, I'm sorry. You're out of luck … or should I say “grace”?
.
Jesus is the way. He was born to die, died in our place, but was resurrected for our God lives! Resurrection is when the human body is restored in perfect condition with its lifeblood flowing again. That body will never die, but live eternally in God's realm; heaven. Jesus was resurrected and he's in heaven right now and is our mediator with God. I look forward to eternity with my creator and the One who saved me from eternal punishment!
.
Jesus, like me, knows in advance that the body will be resurrected:
.
Matthew (KJV) 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."
.
What if Jesus remained in the tomb ...his grave. What would that do to your belief in Him? Instead of being a savior, Jesus would be a dreamer. Not so. His tomb is empty and many saw him ascend into heaven. Your Messiah lives today.
.
There were many who didn't believe in the bodily resurrection.
.
Matthew (ESV) 22:23”The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.' 25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. 26So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27After them all, the woman died. 28In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her." 29But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." 33And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.”
.
Denial of the resurrection denies God's power. If you deny the resurrection Jesus said that you are ignorant because you don't know scripture. Jesus even describes what our life will be like and our new relationships to each other! Can a Christian deny the resurrection and yet believe? Believe in what … that Jesus was a good man and a great teacher?
.
Acts (ESV) 17:32”Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this." 33So Paul went out from their midst. 34But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.”
.
Paul preached the gospel which included Jesus and the resurrection. Paul, provoked by the Holy Spirit, presented a new message. Acts says “Many of them therefore believed...” Those who believed were called what? BELIEVERS. What do you have to do to be saved? BELIEVE! What happens if you don't believe? You're not a disciple of Christ, regardless of all your good works and quotes, and your destiny is eternal punishment.
.
I conclude that belief in the resurrection is a large and equal part of being “born again”. Not only are you saved by a belief in Christ, but part of that belief is that Jesus lives … a belief in the resurrection. Because Jesus lives Christians have eternal hope.
.
One of my childhood heroes made me question this doctrine. We were all told about the strong religious faith of Abraham Lincoln and the good works of the man. He may have even been my relative since his grandmother was a “Herrin” and lived near my family in Kentucky (His Herrin cousins lived in Greene County, mine in nearby Pulaski). I read in one of his latest biographies a quote that Lincoln made when his son died. I won't try to paraphrase or quote it here, but he indicated that his dead son did not have an afterlife … that his son was eternally dead!
.
Lincoln, likely didn't believe in the resurrection. This really startled and depressed me because this man of faith apparently had limited faith. God's power is limited. God's son is dead. How can that be? Was Lincoln a believer? Where does his soul reside? Did he change his view about the resurrection? How far does God's mercy extend? All of these are profound questions, but for me, I believe that Jesus was resurrected. He lives today! I will soon join him in my stately room in his celestial mansion! No wonder Lincoln was melancholic! He knew he was to be assassinated, but apparently had no eternal hope. I would hope that his views changed later in life. Perhaps so.
.
In the oriental pagan belief system if you do good in “this life” you'll be promoted, let's say from vegetable to animal, and if you do even better, then all the way to human! Conversely, if you have “bad karma” then you're demoted. Through meditation and good attitudes you can reach nirvana and be released from these many cycles of rebirth. This belief would be silly if it had not been adopted by gnostics, Theosophists and theorists such as Carl Jung in his Analytical Psychology Theory. This belief is a large portion of what Christians call “The New Age”. As such we should never insult God by participating in yoga, transcendental meditation, affirmations, the martial arts or any other practice associated with pagan beliefs.
.
As you can see, “reincarnation” requires “good works”. Although that belief is in total error (according to God) its major fallacy is that you can work your way to heaven! We go to heaven by the grace (undeserved gift) of God and all other ways will condemn us to eternal punishment. Jesus is the Way and the only way!
.
John (KJV) 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
.
This one verse says it all. You must be saved through the vicarious death of Jesus on the cross. If you depend on your works or balancing life forces, I'm sorry. You're out of luck … or should I say “grace”?
.
Jesus is the way. He was born to die, died in our place, but was resurrected for our God lives! Resurrection is when the human body is restored in perfect condition with its lifeblood flowing again. That body will never die, but live eternally in God's realm; heaven. Jesus was resurrected and he's in heaven right now and is our mediator with God. I look forward to eternity with my creator and the One who saved me from eternal punishment!
.
Jesus, like me, knows in advance that the body will be resurrected:
.
Matthew (KJV) 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."
.
What if Jesus remained in the tomb ...his grave. What would that do to your belief in Him? Instead of being a savior, Jesus would be a dreamer. Not so. His tomb is empty and many saw him ascend into heaven. Your Messiah lives today.
.
There were many who didn't believe in the bodily resurrection.
.
Matthew (ESV) 22:23”The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.' 25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. 26So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27After them all, the woman died. 28In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her." 29But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." 33And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.”
.
Denial of the resurrection denies God's power. If you deny the resurrection Jesus said that you are ignorant because you don't know scripture. Jesus even describes what our life will be like and our new relationships to each other! Can a Christian deny the resurrection and yet believe? Believe in what … that Jesus was a good man and a great teacher?
.
Acts (ESV) 17:32”Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this." 33So Paul went out from their midst. 34But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.”
.
Paul preached the gospel which included Jesus and the resurrection. Paul, provoked by the Holy Spirit, presented a new message. Acts says “Many of them therefore believed...” Those who believed were called what? BELIEVERS. What do you have to do to be saved? BELIEVE! What happens if you don't believe? You're not a disciple of Christ, regardless of all your good works and quotes, and your destiny is eternal punishment.
.
I conclude that belief in the resurrection is a large and equal part of being “born again”. Not only are you saved by a belief in Christ, but part of that belief is that Jesus lives … a belief in the resurrection. Because Jesus lives Christians have eternal hope.
.
One of my childhood heroes made me question this doctrine. We were all told about the strong religious faith of Abraham Lincoln and the good works of the man. He may have even been my relative since his grandmother was a “Herrin” and lived near my family in Kentucky (His Herrin cousins lived in Greene County, mine in nearby Pulaski). I read in one of his latest biographies a quote that Lincoln made when his son died. I won't try to paraphrase or quote it here, but he indicated that his dead son did not have an afterlife … that his son was eternally dead!
.
Lincoln, likely didn't believe in the resurrection. This really startled and depressed me because this man of faith apparently had limited faith. God's power is limited. God's son is dead. How can that be? Was Lincoln a believer? Where does his soul reside? Did he change his view about the resurrection? How far does God's mercy extend? All of these are profound questions, but for me, I believe that Jesus was resurrected. He lives today! I will soon join him in my stately room in his celestial mansion! No wonder Lincoln was melancholic! He knew he was to be assassinated, but apparently had no eternal hope. I would hope that his views changed later in life. Perhaps so.
Welcome to the blogosphere, cousin!
ReplyDeleteIf you want to go further in to resurrection study, N.T. Wright's The Resurrection of the Son of God is really good. His more popular treatment of similar (though not exactly the same) ground in Surprised by Hope is also good.