TRANSFORMED: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE (34 OF 36)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
This content is part of a series.
Transformed: More than Meets the Eye (34 of 36)
Series: Saints Gone Wild
Keith Krell
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
Do you like Star Trek? Are you a "Trekkie?" If so, you have probably seen Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. You may recall a conversation between Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) and an aspiring young Starship commander facing a difficult and dangerous test. Kirk uttered these powerful words: "How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life." Although no one would accuse Admiral Kirk of being a great theologian, he nailed it on this point! How we deal with the reality of our inevitable death radically affects how we deal with our lives in the present. We could say, "Live in the present with the future in view."
In 1 Cor 15:50-58, Paul concludes his glorious resurrection chapter. These closing verses are a climactic song of victory, a kind of symphony. (A number of composers down through the ages have set this text to music. Brahms' Requiem and Handel's Messiah quote from it.) It's a symphony in three movements. The first movement celebrates the future transformation of our bodies while the second movement celebrates the future termination of sin. The final movement celebrates the future compensation of our work.
1. Celebrate the future transformation of your body (15:50-53). In these first four verses, Paul explains that an earth suit, a natural human body consisting of flesh and blood as we know it, is unsuitable for heaven. Hence, those believers still alive when Jesus returns at the rapture will receive their new bodies by transformation rather than by resurrection. Paul introduces this section in 15:50 like this: "Now I say this, brethren [believers], that flesh and blood [one's physical nature] cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." Paul makes it clear that you and I can't go to heaven just as we are today. No matter how healthy, strong, and beautiful we may be, we are ...
Series: Saints Gone Wild
Keith Krell
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
Do you like Star Trek? Are you a "Trekkie?" If so, you have probably seen Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. You may recall a conversation between Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) and an aspiring young Starship commander facing a difficult and dangerous test. Kirk uttered these powerful words: "How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life." Although no one would accuse Admiral Kirk of being a great theologian, he nailed it on this point! How we deal with the reality of our inevitable death radically affects how we deal with our lives in the present. We could say, "Live in the present with the future in view."
In 1 Cor 15:50-58, Paul concludes his glorious resurrection chapter. These closing verses are a climactic song of victory, a kind of symphony. (A number of composers down through the ages have set this text to music. Brahms' Requiem and Handel's Messiah quote from it.) It's a symphony in three movements. The first movement celebrates the future transformation of our bodies while the second movement celebrates the future termination of sin. The final movement celebrates the future compensation of our work.
1. Celebrate the future transformation of your body (15:50-53). In these first four verses, Paul explains that an earth suit, a natural human body consisting of flesh and blood as we know it, is unsuitable for heaven. Hence, those believers still alive when Jesus returns at the rapture will receive their new bodies by transformation rather than by resurrection. Paul introduces this section in 15:50 like this: "Now I say this, brethren [believers], that flesh and blood [one's physical nature] cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." Paul makes it clear that you and I can't go to heaven just as we are today. No matter how healthy, strong, and beautiful we may be, we are ...
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