Steadfast Day 10 What’s It Like?

Rebecca Adams
April 7, 2023

1 Corinthians 15:35-44
Isaiah 64:1-7
1 Corinthians 2:1-15
“Every stage of parenting is precious.”
My mom told me that when I had her first grandbaby.
What she didn’t tell me is that each stage of parenting is also progressively harder.
That’s right, mamas of toddlers, moms of pre-teen angst, and moms who are wiping away tears while planning senior graduations, it’s still going to get harder.
Because there is nothing.
Just nothing.
Like launching adult children.
Sure, there are successes and wins and many “almost wins”, but there are those crazy shaky decisions when you want to grab their shoulders saying, “Why Are You Doing This?!”
The apostle Paul never married nor prepared adult children for the real world, but I think if we had shared coffee in a little café along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, we would have had many of the same experiences and emotions.
Paul was a missionary who birthed new churches and “parented” new Jesus followers. The work was arduous and often, it didn’t seem worth it. He would spend months teaching and training, then move to the next town only to catch word the previous church had wandered away from truth.
Paul was combatting heresy after heresy in the Corinthian church as well as other churches he had birthed like those gathering in Colossae and Galatia.
Paul’s passion pervades his letters as he punctuates solid truth while tearing down nonsensical arguments. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
In his second letter to the church gathering in Corinth, Paul continues going toe-to-toe with false teaching and, like the dad of a young adult, provides warning after warning while his insides groan with the ache of knowing “his kids” are just “missing it”.
Note, however, the undergirding power source of Paul’s words; he isn’t in this parenting-a-fledgling-new-church thing alone.
“For although we live in the flesh,
we do not wage war according to the flesh,
since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh,
but are powerful through God
for the demolition of strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every proud thing
that is raised up against the knowledge of God,
and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
Paul’s words are inextricably tied to the power of God through Christ, who was raised from the dead, proving His power, divinity, and authority over all.
None surpasses the knowledge and power of God,
and He has made Himself both accessible through the sacrifice of Jesus
and knowable through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
On the heels of painstakingly proving the resurrection of Christ, and God’s promise for our own resurrection, Paul fields questions on what this resurrection will be like.
I can imagine the new Christians gathering together, thinking about eternity and collectively wondering, “What about my body? Will I still have my freckles? Will I still be a mom? Will I be an angel? A spirit singing in a choir? Perhaps a chubby cherub on a cloud? Paul, tell us! What will eternity be like?!”
“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised?
What kind of body will they have when they come?”
“You fool! […].”
(1 Corinthians 15:35-36)
Sounds like Paul is getting a little frustrated with his “spiritual children”! If we keep reading, however, we find his discourse points to the complete authority and wisdom of God. Read verses 35-49 to see how Paul uses the wisdom of God in creation to point to His infinite wisdom in preparing the life yet to come.
The issue wasn’t their query, it was the lens through which they questioned.
If you start with the premise that God isn’t strong enough to raise you from the dead, everything else will be out of alignment.
The problem wasn’t their questions.
The problem was their understanding of God.
There’s no need to worry about whether our bodies can be raised if you start with the knowledge that God raised His own Son from the grave. (Ephesians 1:20-21)
We need not fear boredom in Heaven or if our bodies will suit our new realm, for the Lord who crafted each molecule of our present reality (Colossians 1:16-17), will surely usher in a new Heaven and a new Earth where Death will have no dominion. (Revelation 22:1-5)
If you start with a poor understanding of God,
you end up with crazy ideas.
Like becoming chubby cherubs on clouds.
Perhaps, this tool Paul handed the Corinthians was meant for more than just calming queries about eternity. Maybe good theology and a right understanding of God and His character can color the other heavy things we carry around in life.
Perhaps we need to renew our minds, shifting our lens to see more clearly.
Wouldn’t you like to give that gift to your child, friend, spouse, or coworker?
Your Heavenly Father would, too, for you.
“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God”.
Romans 12:2
Start being renewed by honestly bringing your questions, beliefs, and pre-conceived ideas to the Lord in prayer. Write a list, speak them out loud to God Himself, then open His Word and see what His authoritative Spirit will say as you decide to listen to His voice.
Let His Word grip your shoulders saying,
“Daughter, walk in my ways; I’ll show you what it’s like to know Me!”
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