The one glorious thing about the Christian faith, that separates it from all other religions, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There is an additional promise that his believers will also be resurrected just like their Master. The popular theologian N.T. Wright speaking of early Christianity says, “For almost all of the first two centuries, resurrection in the traditional sense holds not just center stage but the whole stage.” (Wright 42) This was what made early believers so excited. By resurrection, we mean a physical/spiritual/glorified/risen body like Jesus, that is no longer bound by time, space, or fleshly constraints.
WHAT THE GREEKS THOUGHT ABOUT THE RESURRECTION
Christianity was born into a Greek world. This was brought about by the fourth century BC conquests of Alexander the Great. Very soon after Jesus’ resurrection and the establishment of the early church, the Jewish church quickly became largely a Greek-speaking church. The church soon came into a collision with Greek ideas and Greek theology.
Much of the Greek thinking was formulated by Plato (429?–347 BC), one of history’s most influential philosophers. Plato believed in a perfect spiritual realm, populated by “forms” or “ideas” that are eternal and changeless. These forms were the basis of all the things we see in the natural world. We can observe that Plato had some small insight into spiritual reality. As other Greek philosophers dealt with Plato’s ideas, they began to see the spiritual or heavenly realm as the real and desirable realm and they began to spurn the natural world and the fleshly realm. This was particularly true of Gnostic thinkers. The theologian Anthony Hoekema says: “According to the Greek philosophers, man’s body is evil and is a hindrance to his full existence. Hence at death, the body disintegrates while the soul lives on – there is here no hope for a bodily resurrection.” (Hoekema 239) Even Plato himself saw the body (Gk. soma) as a tomb (Gk. sema). The Greek idea was thus to rid oneself of the body and to spurn the earth and earthly things.
HOW THE GREEKS INFLUENCED THE CHURCH
Most of the early church leaders were at least Greek speakers since Greek was the international language. Many of these leaders were steeped in Platonic and Neo-platonic ideas. For instance, Clement of Alexandria said, “. . . before the advent of the Lord, philosophy was necessary to the Greeks for righteousness. And now it becomes conducive to piety; being a kind of preparatory training to those who attain to faith . . .” (Geeky Christian) Eusebius of Caesarea said Plato was, “the only Greek who has attained the porch of (Christian) truth.” (Geeky Christian) However, it is amazing that the Apostle Paul had earlier called all this Greek wisdom mere “foolishness” (1 Cor. 3:19).
Some of the Greek philosophers began to withdraw from the world. These retirees became known as “solitaries” or “monachoi” in Greek. The places of solitude where they retreated came to be known as “monasterion,” from whence we get “monastery.” (Hatch 167) It is easy to see how quickly and thoroughly the Greek ideas began to affect Christianity. The aesthetic life was sought out and the body was chastened and almost despised. The great Augustine, who influenced many centuries of Christians, went so far as to even spurn sexual intimacy within the bonds of marriage.
Wright says: “…in much Western piety, at least since the Middle Ages, the influence of Greek philosophy has been very marked, resulting in a future expectation that bears far more resemblance to Plato’s vision of souls entering into disembodied bliss than to the biblical picture of new heavens and new earth.” (Wright 80)
WHAT THE JEWS THOUGHT ABOUT RESURRECTION
From very early times some Jewish people believed in the resurrection. Job, one of the Bible’s earliest characters proclaimed, “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:26). In Jesus’ time, we see Martha expressing the Jewish hope of resurrection in the last days (Jn. 11:24). However, it was only Jesus the Jew who brought this resurrection life and immortality to light through his gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). Jesus claimed personally to be both “the Resurrection” and “the Life” (Jn. 11:25).
The Jewish people have some very specific views about life, the flesh, the world and the future. They believe that the world and universe were created by God and that his creation is good (Gen. 1:4-25). They believe that human beings are made in the image of God and for God’s purposes (Gen. 1:26-27). Because of that, humans are very special. They are even called the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19). They believe that the world around us is basically good, although it has been greatly influenced by evil. They believe that human beings can have resurrected bodies and that the earth itself will be perfectly restored and made new (1 Cor. 6:14; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1). They believe that marriage is good and that sex in marriage is good and blessed (Prov. 5:18-19). While the Greeks despised manual labor the Jews felt that it is good and blessed by God. Even in Eden, before the fall of humanity, there was work for people to do.
HOW CHRISTIANS VIEW THE RESURRECTION TODAY
Because of the Greeks, we have come very close to losing the precious doctrine of the resurrection. Wright says: “Frankly, what we have at the moment isn’t, as the old liturgies used to say, ‘the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead’ but the vague and fuzzy optimism that somehow things may work out in the end.” (Wright 25) Today in our churches we no longer speak much about the resurrection and certainly few people seem excited about it.
The Barna research group has done some surveys concerning this. They found these troubling statistics regarding attitudes toward the traditional Easter or Resurrection Season. Only 55 percent of born-again Christians specifically link the season with the resurrection of Jesus. Protestants in general register a mere 51 percent rate. (Barna) Wright reports: “A survey of beliefs about life after death conducted in Britain back in 1995 indicated that though most people believed in some kind of continuing life, only a tiny minority, even among churchgoers, believed in the classic Christian position, that of a future bodily resurrection.” (Wright xii) It seems that many today are not unlike the Corinthians, who were steeped in Greek thinking and felt there would be no resurrection of the dead. If there is no resurrection our faith is in vain (1 Cor. 15:12-14).
WHAT ARE SOME POSSIBILITIES OF RESURRECTION IN OUR FUTURE
When it comes to the Resurrection and the last days, we indeed see through a mirror dimly (1 Cor. 13:12). However, there are some truths that seem to emerge from God’s word. When the last trumpet sounds the righteous dead will be raised with eternal and incorruptible bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-53). Generally, interpreters feel that this last trumpet ends this Present Evil Age and ushers in the Age to Come. The Kingdom of God will then be expressed first in the Millennial Age. Again, because of the Greek influence, many early Christian leaders and writers tried to demean the Millennial Age and do away with it entirely. It was much too earthly and fleshly for them and their theology. It also exalted Israel and many early Christian leaders were quite antisemitic. It is interesting that today numerous Christians do not believe in a Millennium.
Revelation 20:5 plainly calls this the First Resurrection. There will be a later resurrection of all people and afterward the judgment of all humankind. Clearly, we believers should want to be a part of the First Resurrection. God created mankind to rule the earth for him. Adam and Eve failed miserably at this task. It is just like God to go back and fix this problem. He did so through his Son Jesus who became the last and perfect Adam (1 Cor. 15:45). Through faith in him we Christians can regain the rulership which Adam lost. The Bible says that mankind will reign on earth again. Revelation 5:10 says: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” In Revelation 20:6, we also read: “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”
It is almost as if the whole creation is waiting breathlessly for this event – “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed” (Rom. 8:19). Religion professor Albert Wolters in Creation Regained writes: “Humankind, which has botched its original mandate and the whole of creation along with it, is given another chance in Christ; we are reinstated as God’s managers on earth. The original creation is to be restored.” (Quoted in Alcorn 89) Randy Alcorn says: “The gospel is far greater than most of us imagine. It isn’t just good news for us – it’s good news for animals, plants, stars and planets. It’s good news for the sky above and the earth below. (Alcorn 125) Even the trees of the field will clap their hands (Isa. 55:12).
When we look carefully at the Bible it appears that the Millennial Age will be a time of renewal and reconstruction of this present earth. It also appears that God’s resurrected saints will have a part in this project. The possibilities for us are absolutely limitless and endless. We can see why the earliest Christians were so excited about the Resurrection. When we meditate on it the Resurrection will blow our minds. As we live triumphantly in Christ, we will even be able to cooperate with God as he brings about the earth’s permanent deliverance from the bondage of sin, decay and death. We were made from the earth. We were made from mere dust. Wright says, “Dust we are and to dust we shall return. But God can do new things with dust.” (Wright 158).
-Jim Gerrish
wordofgodtoday.com
Published 2022
Randy Alcorn, Heaven.
https://www.barna.com/research/most-americans-consider-easter-a-religious-holiday-but-fewer-correctly-identify-its-meaning/
geekychristian.com/christianitys-platonic-heaven/
Edwin Hatch, The Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages upon the Christian Church.
Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible and The Future.
N. T. Wright, Surprised By Hope, Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.
Coming soon in this series: How The Greeks Stole The Millenium & How The Greeks Stole Heaven.