RESURRECTION


As we get older the subjects of death and the resurrection naturally should become more vital and meaningful to us. The Bible for some reason makes a very big issue out of the resurrection of Jesus, and much bigger than the resurrection of other individuals such as Lazarus who also miraculously rose from the dead. 1Pe 1:3 Reads, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Most Christians likely agree that the resurrection of Jesus is one of the most important issues of Christianity. Yet, what makes Christ's resurrection so important, and something far more important than the resurrection of others like Lazarus, and which should create in mankind a lively hope that he can do the same? Quite obviously the reason Christs resurrection is so important, and more important than others who also resurrected, is what He resurrected from and what He resurrected into. Hebrews 2:14&16, Romans 1:3, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 &42, and Romans 8:11, speaking of what Jesus took upon Himself in being born of Mary, and from which He thus resurrected reads,

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 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. ...So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption

"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."


If Christ did not resurrect from our very flesh and situation as handed down from Adam, why does the Bible count Him as the firstfruit of the resurrection as this, and repeatedly say He was of the seed of humanity according to the flesh (Acts 2:30, Rom 1:3, Rom 9:5)? Apostle John writing about Christ writes, "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." It appears that those who advocate that Christ received no fleshly aspect from mankind and Mary, not only deny Christ came in the flesh but can neither see the witness of the resurrection as they should, nor understand what He overcame, and was tempted with, which are basic attributes of Christianity, and their faith is quite superficial.


Yet today the large Roman Catholic Church largely denies Christ's fleshly aspect and special resurrection. Yet not by teaching He received nothing from Mary, but by teaching His mother had an immaculate conception, and had a body so immaculate and different than the seed of Adam she was taken up soul and body into heaven, in the assumption, and which immaculate body she passed on to Jesus. How could Christ thus have really been the first fruit of the resurrection, as the Scriptures speak, if He did not even encounter the mortality and death that passed upon mankind through Adam? Could not Lazarus be just as much of a witness of the resurrection of the dead?

Further the Holdemans also largely deny Christ came in the flesh, by teaching He inherited nothing at all from Mary, and largely advocate this because of Menno Simons who together with advocating such, foolishly taught no mother contributes anything physical to her offspring. Although it seems quite inexcusable to hold to Menno's teaching, when he therewith was so obviously wrong about mothers, and with the Bible teaching so clearly Christ was the Son of man, it seems even more inexcusable that the Holdemans hold to Menno's teaching, when one realizes that Rueben Koehn one of their recent and highly esteemed leaders directly contradicted Menno's special teaching that the Word Himself turned into and became Christ's flesh, which Menno repeatedly advocated as he went about teaching Christ did not inherit anything from Mary.

How should we take the following Scripture in our day regarding those who are so willingly ignorant?

(2 John 7&10-11)"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

Note, just as Christ had power to redeem and deliver us from our mortal body of death that came upon us through Adam, why could He not firstly in Himself have overcome and delivered Himself from that same body, thereby paving the way for us to do the same, and as the Scriptures teach? It appears many Christians imagine that our powerful Christ, would have been unable to deliver and redeem Himself from what He had to redeem us from, had He encountered such in coming in the flesh, and reject the central theme of Christianity because of this imagination. These cannot really believe He was the Son of man as the Gospels state about 80 times, cannot really believe he was the seed of mankind according to the flesh as three Scriptures clearly state, cannot believe He really suffered and was tempted like us, cannot really believe He overcame, cannot really believe He is the first fruit of the resurrection. Regarding being sinless, sin is not encountering flesh and temptation, it is yielding. When all these issues hit home as I finished an 80 page article on this subject about ten years ago, I for some reason almost could not quit weeping.

The anti christ denies Christ came in the flesh, and the doctrines of devils disallows marriage and eating meats, and likely many other things God created to be enjoyed, where does that put the Catholic Church and many other churches (1 Tim 4:1-4). May God through Christ have mercy on us, and help us find that Godliness which has promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come (1 Tim 4:8).



These pages speak much more about this subject
http://www.teachmegod.com/homed4.htm
http://www.teachmegod.com/home65.htm
http://www.teachmegod.com/home168.htm

Amos;

I'm with you.

I personally believe that [to deny] that Jesus was the Son of God or that He was the son of man is to already have established one's belief and doctrine as something exclusive and special in it's own eyes. The issue isn't so much the error in belief but the exclusiveness and thinking special thoughts about oneself, this is what hurts the economy of God in us. The inaccuracy in belief is bad enough, I'm sure. In Christendom, extra-biblical doctrines and practices is the footer and foundation of religious exclusiveness. This becomes clanish and even cultish many times as it evolves.

Where a thing takes us, is how a thing is finally judged. If a thing takes us into exclusivity and thinking special thoughts about ourselves; in this we know that serious and negative error is embraced. My opinion for what it's worth is that the [attitude] is the real problem. The attitude that elevates oneself to exclusivity does the damage! The true gospel does not work this in the believer! If it's exclusive rather than inclusive, there's a serious problem! The very exclusivity embraced so tightly is the problem. The problem will not go away because it's embraced so tightly.

The anti-christs which were many at the time of John went out from those with pure faith for these thought of themselves as exclusive and special. If they were not exclusive and special in their own eyes they would not have gone out from those of pure faith who believed that Christ is come in the human flesh. "Had these been of us they would not have gone out from us!" It's not about a people, it's about pure faith! Timothy was admonished by Paul to hold fast to the pure faith that had been delivered unto him.

Jesus was the Word which was later made flesh! Flesh, is mankind. I looked closely and saw that we also are in flesh. I pinched myself and said, that's flesh. I am tempted and I say, that's the inclination of the flesh.

"Finding himself in human flesh He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross". He was man and he was God! He was of Mary and He was of God! His manhood was of the seed of David and also of the seed of Abraham and ultimately his manhood was of the seed of Adam. His Spirit was that the Father!

This same Jesus [was perfected or completed] through His sufferings and thus became the captain of our redemption and salvation. If we have fellow-shipped His sufferings and have been made conformable unto His death, we also shall be a partaker of His resurrection! That's good enough for me. Search my heart oh God and see whether there be in me a wicked way.