Life after death – resurrection
Resurrection and life after death
Jesus’ resurrectionThe Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after the crucifixion. The rising from the dead of believers on the Last Day in a new, or risen, life. is central to most Christians. These Christians believe that his crucifixionRoman method of execution by nailing someone to a cross, often until they die of asphyxiation; used on Jesus and many others. and his resurrection meant that there is the possibility of eternal life for all human beings who are judged to be good. Therefore, death is not to be feared for those who have lived morally and done God’s will.
I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
Resurrection of the dead
Christians believe that the dead will be resurrected on the Day of JudgementThe last day, when God judges all of humanity according to how they have lived.. St Paul worked to convince the early Christians of this. He wrote in a letter:
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
Later, in the same letter, St Paul wrote: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God … For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:50–2)
Some Christians understand this to mean that after judgement, worthy souls will achieve a spiritual resurrection – the soul and not the body will be raised from the dead. Others believe in a physical resurrection, where the physical body will be resurrected along with the soul. Most Christians agree that, through his death and resurrection, Jesus defeated death, making it possible for the dead to be resurrected after the world has ended.
Question
What is meant by ‘spiritual resurrection’?
The soul will be raised from the dead but the physical body will not.
