Abolishing Death

Christ’s real Death and bodily Resurrection are foundational and indispensable to the Apostolic Faith.

The Apostle Paul discussed the future resurrection of believers in 2 Timothy, in response to denials of this “sound teaching” by false teachers. Faith in the promised resurrection of the righteous is central to the hope of salvation taught by Jesus and proclaimed by his Apostles. This teaching is unquestionably reliable because it is based on the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

As Paul wrote, “God did not give us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind.” The theme of “sound teaching” is prominent in this epistle, and the future resurrection is a basic component of the Apostolic Faith since Jesus “nullified death” when God raised him from the dead – (2 Timothy 1:9-10).

[Photo by Madeleine Maguire on Unsplash]

Paul described the center of his Gospel in 1 Corinthians, “That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he has been raised on the third day”– (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

The real death and bodily resurrection of Jesus were essential to the message preached by Paul. Christ is the “power of God who saved and called us…according to His peculiar purpose and grace given to us in Christ Jesus before the times of the ages” – (2 Timothy 1:9).

This salvation has only been manifested recently, though it was put in motion eons ago. As promised in the Hebrew Scriptures, the arrival of the Messiah inaugurated the time of fulfillment. This included the general resurrection of the dead, which began with Jesus, the “firstborn of the dead.”

• “God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to the peculiar purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages but has now been manifested through the appearance of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has nullified death and thrown light upon life and incorruptibility, through means of the gospel.” - (2 Timothy 1:9-10).

Paul did not mean death no longer occurs when he declared that Jesus “nullified death.” The Greek verb does not mean to “destroy” or annihilate something, but to “nullify” it, to make it ineffective, to “discharge or idle” it, to invalidate its legal claim (katargeô, Strong’s Concordance, #G2673).

The complete cessation of Death, its reality, and its hold on humanity, will not occur until the “arrival” or ‘Parousia’ (παρουσια) of Jesus. As the author of Hebrews writes, through his death, Jesus “destroyed him that had the dominion of death, that is, the Devil, and delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” - (Hebrews 2:14-18).

Death still occurs to all men, including believers, but no longer is it capable of holding us in its iron grip. We need no longer fear it since he has overcome death on our behalf. When he returns, he will abolish it with absolute finality by raising us from the dead and giving us immortal bodies. “Death! Where is thy sting!” Death will be no more after Jesus comes in all his glory - (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).

Christ's resurrection brought life and “immortality” to light. The Greek noun translated as “immortality” does not mean “eternal.” Immortality is the opposite of death, it is deathlessness. That is what the Greek noun means, “death-less, without death.” Those who receive immortal bodies will never die again – (aphtharsia, Strong’s Concordance - #G861).

Immortality is not a condition we possess by nature. It was lost when Adam sinned, and death has reigned over all living creatures ever since. However, we will be raised and transformed when Jesus returns. This will not be the case for all men. Only those redeemed by his death will be raised to “everlasting life” - (1 Corinthians 15:50-57).

HIS RESURRECTION

Paul instructed Timothy to “remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.” His past resurrection is the rock-solid foundation of our faith and the unwavering guarantee of our resurrection when he returns - (2 Timothy 2:8-18).

Paul was persecuted on account of this Gospel, and central to it was the proclamation that God’s Son died, and three days later, He raised him from the dead. That proposition was contrary to the beliefs and philosophies of Paul’s time, just as it is to the ideologies and practices of the world in which we now live - (Acts 17:16-21, 17:32).

Paul may have suffered for the Gospel, but he did so that the “elect may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with everlasting glory… If we die with him, we will also live with him… If we suffer, we will also reign with him”- (2 Timothy 2:8-18).

Death still occurs, but it will not have the last word. “Salvation,” resurrection, and “everlasting glory” will be obtained when Jesus returns to gather his elect. Those who deny this future hope engage in “profane and empty babblings” that lead to ungodliness - (1 Corinthians 15:10-20, 1 Timothy 6:20, 2 Timothy 2:16).

To deny the resurrection is to reject the essence of the Gospel. There is no “Good News” apart from the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Doing so is the opposite of “sound teaching.” In 1 Corinthians, Paul rejected denials of the resurrection with eloquence and logic:

• “For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. Moreover, if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. Then they also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable. But now has Christ been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who sleep” – (1 Corinthians 15:16-20).

If Jesus does not raise the dead bodily when he returns, our salvation will remain incomplete, and we will become without hope and forever lost. Belief in the future resurrection is based on the unshakable foundation of Christ’s past Death and Resurrection. Denying the resurrection is foolishness, and effectively suicidal, rendering the Gospel of Jesus Christ powerless to save us.

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SEE ALSO:

• The Death of Death - (The Last Enemy, Death, will be overthrown when Jesus arrives at the end of the age - 1 Corinthians 15:20-25)

• Final Events - (Paul lists the key events that will occur on or just before the return of Jesus, including the abolishment of Death and the bodily resurrection)

• Redemption, not Abandonment - (Redemption means recovering what was lost, including the bodily resurrection of the believer and the New Creation)