The resurrected life - a daily Christian reality

Romans 6:4-5 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not only an objective event that took place 2,000 years ago.  The New Testament repeatedly describes how the resurrection of Jesus Christ forms the fabric of the Christian faith and experience itself. In addition to affirming the "event" of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, we would also equally affirm the "experience" of such resurrection power and life as central to what it means to be a Christian.  In today's post I simply want to list some of the New Testament passages that use Jesus' resurrection from the dead to describe the Christian life.  Though it is the day after Easter, we should never go a day as Christians without praising God and realizing how central Jesus' resurrection from the dead is central to life and spiritual life. The aim today is to simply see why Jesus' resurrection is truly a daily reality for Christians.

1. Romans 6:4-5 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection

2. Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

3. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

4. Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

5. Philippians 3:10-11 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

6. Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

7. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

8. 1 Timothy 3:15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

9. Hebrews 7:24-25 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

10. 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

11. 2 Peter 1:3-4 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

12. 1 John 1:1-2 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us

13. Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood

14. Revelation 1:18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

The most awesome news! He is Alive!

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. (NASB)

Introduction: 
Paul had just finished demonstrating how central the truth of Christ's resurrection is to Biblical Christianity in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.  Paul puts down the shield of defense and takes up the sword of scripture and proclaims - "But now Christ has been raised from the dead..."!  What follows is a demonstration of why Christ's resurrection from the dead makes the Gospel not only the Biggest and Best News - but moreso the most Awesome news! We will first give the entire text of 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 with key underlined words that will be explained later in this post:

1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (20) But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam 1 all die 2, so also in Christ 3 all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming 4, 24 then comes the end 5, when He hands over the kingdom to theGod and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. (NASB)


Christ's resurrection is the Biggest News because it covers every major doctrine and section in the Bible

1 Corinthians 15:20-28 is such an important section of 1 Corinthians 15 because of the scope of material that it covers. In the above text I underlined five words that are significant in this text, since all of them put together provide a basic outline of the entire Bible! The reader is encouraged to look at the endnotes I mentioned earlier to see the further implications of the five terms. We can take those five words above and summarize them accordingly:

a. "Adam" = refers to creation

b. "die" = refers to the curse

c. "Christ" = the focal point of scripture, and the One who raised from the dead

d. "His coming" = This speaks of Christ's Personal, Visible, Physical return at the end of this age

e. "The End" = This refers to the conclusion of all things when Christ hands over everything He has submitted under His reign to God the Father.

So with those five terms: creation, curse, Christ, coming and conclusion, we can see why Christ's resurrection is such big news in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28. Christ's resurrection demonstrates that creation will be redeemed, the curse has been reversed for believers in Christ and that Christ is central to understanding history and eternity. Furthermore, Christ's resurrection also demonstrates what Christ will accomplish in His second coming as well as how He will bring all things to their appropriate conclusion.

Why Christ's Resurrection is awesome news!
The more you read and study 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, the more amazed you become at the range of ground touched by the resurrection.  But let's not forget that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is as much personal as it is profound.  1 Corinthians 15:20-28 serves to demonstrate the personal importance of Christ's resurrection to the Gospel asserted in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand. (2) by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. (3) For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (4) and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (NASB)  


Did you catch how many times the personal pronouns (you, our) were mentioned in the text?  Paul emphasizes the personal pronouns ten times in a span of four verses to communicate how the Gospel is the Best News around.  Personally it gains you access to God, to Jesus, to His forgiveness, to all His rich graces and to the hope of an eternal home.  Not only that, but since the pronouns in the original Greek are plural, that means you and I who believe on the resurrected Jesus get to enjoy all of His saving benefits together!   

Truly the Resurrection of Jesus Christ makes the Gospel both the Biggest News and the Best News.  "Big" because of all the doctrines and events that it has either affected or will ever affect.  "Best" because you who by grace through faith believe on Him are personally and eternally saved from wrath, saved unto Him and saved to live forever with Him.  Whenever you combine the fact that Christ's resurrection is the biggest and best news - you come away with the most awesome news: He is alive!

Endnotes______________________

1. Creation: We see the historical Adam mentioned in 15:21-22. God created man originally perfect. Adam was not a myth, but a real person.  As we read later on in 1 Corinthians 15:45a "So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.”

2. Curse: This second word summarizes what Paul says when he mentions in 15:22 how all born into Adam "die". We know from Genesis 3 that after Adam and his wife had eaten the forbidden fruit, God consigned both they and their descendants to a curse. Whenever we consider these first two ideas: creation & curse, we begin to see God's aim in redeeming and restoring that which was lost as a result of sin and death. Romans 8:20-21 notes - "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." 

3. Christ: So the question is: "will creation ever be redeemed and will the curse ever be reversed?" As you read on down through 1 Corinthians 15:23ff, you get the answer to that question in one Person - Christ. Christ's resurrection from the dead demonstrated two vital truths: He has reversed the curse upon all who by grace through faith believe on Him and that the created order will be redeemed. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 presents creation and the curse - the problem, and 15:23 present the solution - Christ. For the remainder of 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, we will see how Christ will accomplish the Father's purposes. Remember, everything that Paul is writing hinges on the reality of Christ's resurrection - its that big! So we have seen creation, curse and Christ. 

4. Coming: 1 Corinthians 15:23b states in the NASB "after that those who are Christ's at His coming". In the above translation I rendered this word "Personal Return" to underscore the nature of Christ's second coming. The Personal Return of Jesus Christ is captured by the Greek word "parousia" that speaks of a King returning to his home city or country after having won a battle or a war. The inhabitants come out to meet the King and to reconnect with their Ruler, and he with them. 

5. Conclusion: 1 Corinthians 15:24 starts out with the simple but profound phrase: "then comes the end..." Christ's resurrection from the dead not only demonstrated the accomplishment of His first coming - redemption, but it also guarantees what He will accomplish when He come again - Rulership. As you go down through the remainder of 1 Corinthians 15:25-28, Paul details what he means by verse 24, as well as showing the relationship between "the coming" and "the end".  We would advocate that there is an implied space of time between "His coming" in verse 23 and "the end" in verse 24.  Furthermore, I personally see the implied "space" being explicitly 1,000 years as detailed in another scripture - Revelation 20.  In 1 Corinthians 15:25 I included the term "to clarify", since verses 25-28 are a clarification of verse 24.  Paul is proposing an actual ordering of major events outlined in Biblical prophecy or eschatology:

Christ's                  Christ's 2nd coming      He must reign   End

Resurrection-------Resurrection of saints--Millennium of--- of

(first fruits)            (those with Christ)         Rev 20 seems    all

                                                                        to fit here         things

                                                                        Resurrection

                                                                        of the wicked

                                                                        will occur at

                                                                        the end of the

                                                                        Millennium or

                                                                        1,000 year reign

                                                                        of Christ.

With that basic order, harmonized with other prophetic texts, we gain a sweeping understanding of history and prophecy.  Following the end, Christ will have handed all things up to the Father, which will then take us into eternity. 

Paul - A Murderer Turned into a Missionary

Acts 9:1 "Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest."

We explored several days ago how the post resurrection appearance of Jesus Christ changed the very first eyewitness of His post-resurrection glory - Mary Magdalene.  We noted how as a result of her encounter with the risen Christ - Mary Magdalene was changed from a mourner to a missionary. Her desperate situation of mourning was altered by a direct encounter with the risen Savior, resulting in a definite change - whereby she was able to proclaim: "I've seen the Lord!" 

In today's post we turn our attention to the eyewitness account of the post-resurrected Jesus by Saul of Tarsus who later became Paul.  We see Paul's testimony of his encounter with the risen Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:8 "and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also."  In three places in the Book of Acts we find Paul's testimony (Acts 9; 22 and 26).  We will confine our study mainly to Acts 9, with Acts 22 and 26 supplying additional details to complete the full picture.  

As we saw in Mary Magdalene's transformation: there was a desperate situation, a direct encounter and a definite change.  We will use these same headings to describe Paul's situation.

1). Desperate Situation: A Murderer persecutes the church

2). Direct Encounter of Paul by Christ

3). Definite Change: A murderer becomes a missionary

In explaining Paul's dramatic change by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, we will note two reasons for noting the significance of this event: Such power is available today and such power is necessary to live effectively for Jesus Christ.

Desparate Situation: A Murderer persecutes the church Acts 9:1-3

Many people tend to nearly forget what Paul's life was like before Jesus.  However by his own testimony the evidence is overwhelming with regards to his desperate situation as a murderer - that is to say - as one who was responsible for the deaths of many Christians. Acts 9:2 begins - "and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." As we dig further into the other occassion where Paul testifies about his pre-conversion days - the picture becomes darker.  In Acts 22:4-5 we read - "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons 5 as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished." Acts 26:10-11 paints the darkest picture - "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 "And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities."  Make no mistake about it - Saul of Tarsus was the last man anyone would had ever expected to be the greatest missionary for the cause of Christ.  In his spiritually dead, uncoverted state, Saul was the church's public enemy #1.  This man was desparate and in need of a resurrection from tomb of religious rebellion and unbelief. 

Definite Encounter by the risen Christ - Acts 9:4-9

As Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus to persecute more Christians, the suddenness of Jesus' appearance to Him results in Paul being knocked off of his horse onto the ground.  Acts 9:4 records Jesus telling Saul: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Note how He does not say: "Why are you persecuting my church?" Truly its as Jesus said in his days here on the earth in Matthew 25:45 "Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." 

Now in short order we can detail through Acts 9 the elements of Jesus' post-resurrection encounter with Saul that led to him becoming dramatically changed.  These elements also explain what takes place in the conversions of people today who go from being sinners apart from salvation to saints in salvation. Please note the following:

A. Call             Acts 9:4-5 

Like Paul, every sinner must first be engaged by the call of Christ to their hearts. John 5:24-25 spells this out, with Jesus describing salvation as beginning with Him spiritually raising the sinner from the tomb of unbelief by means of His voice. This miracle call is brought to us by the Holy Spirit as described in Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

B. Quickening  Acts 9:6

The call of Christ brought by the Holy Spirit leads to the quickening of the human heart by the Spirit. (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3, 23)  If you have ever gotten a splinter in your finger and responded with a quick pulling back of your hand - then you know what it means to be "quickened". Or better still, the word "quickening" is still used today to describe the first movement of a baby in a mother's womb - whereby she feels the "first signs of life" within her - i.e "quickening". If I were to call your name - you would look my way.  If I did not call your name, there would be no response.  The Bible connects the quickening, or the work of regeneration to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:18 (KJV) states - "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." Ephesians 2:1 (KJV) "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."

C. Conversion to faith. Acts 9:7-9

The quickening, regenerating work of the Holy Spirit simulaneously brings about faith - in which the sinner excercises saving faith and repentance.  Paul testifies that when He had been encountered by Jesus in Acts 26:19 "So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision." We know Paul is speaking of His response to Christ by faith because from true saving faith proceeds the fruit of obedience as so described in Paul's opening statement about the Gospel in Romans 1:5 in the phrase: "the obedience of faith". 

We know that this call, quickening and conversion was not caused by just a mere vision.  This was a literal, direct encounter with the post-resurrected, post-Pentecost Jesus.  In all three testimony accounts (Acts 9,22,26) wee witness all of Paul's companions seeing the bright light and hearing a voice.  Only Paul of course was able to understand the words. Such physical phenomena, witnessed by others, makes this experience out to be a genuine encounter with Christ. 

Definite Change: A murderer becomes a missionary - Acts 9:10-22

In the whole sequence of events that follow from Paul's dramatic encounter to his eventual preaching of Jesus, the calling of Jesus on his life bore fruit.  Following his time of recovery in Damascus under the watch care of an obedient Ananias (Acts 9:10-16) we see the healing of Saul and his being filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 9:17.  In obedience to what had occured from His conversion to saving faith, Saul is baptized (Acts 9:18) and having been strengthened by the partaking of physical food is ready to serve the Lord. 

Acts 9:20-22 records the outcome - "and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ." As Paul testifies in Acts 26:18, Jesus told Him to proclaim the following message - "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."

Conclusion:

As we have considered yet another person changed by resurrection power - the Apostle Paul - we noticed the following:

1). Desperate Situation: A Murderer persecutes the church

2). Direct Encounter of Paul by Christ

3). Definite Change: A murderer becomes a missionary

In explaining Paul's dramatic change by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, we noted two reasons for noting the significance of this event: Such power is available today and such power is necessary to live effectively for Jesus Christ. It is wonderful to think about how such power and the Person of Jesus is brought to us by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:11; 1 Peter 1:3)  Truly salvation is a miracle that can change any sinner into a saint with a message of hope about how Jesus can change any life at any time. 

P3 Biblical Evaluation of Near Death Experience (NDE) Books - Doctrinal issues and final consideration

Introduction and review:

A couple of days ago we began a series on Biblically evaluating the growing fascination among Christians and the culture alike over books authored by those who have had “Near Death Experiences” (or what is referred to in the literature as NDE’s). In 2004 Don Piper’s book “90 minutes in Heaven” became an overnight sensation in a pastor’s retelling of his alleged hour and half experience in heaven following a traumatic car accident.  In 2010 another book, featuring the alleged recounting of heavenly experiences by six year old Colton Burpo in the wake of emergency surgery sent the book in the coveted #1 New York Times Best Seller List.

To be as fair as possible, the books are well written and prove very interesting to read.  Certainly their emotionally compelling recounting of surviving trauma in the face of death draws the reader into the world of the author.  With that said, the question that keeps pressing in the back of this writer is: are these types of book Biblical? Are they helping or hurting the cause of Christ? Are they faithful to the Gospel and Biblical Christianity or do they ultimately undermine the message? Answering such questions will be the aim of this paper. This author has aimed to show that books written about NDE’s are ultimately without the authority, clarity or profitability in comparison to the only book that is singularly authoritative on matters related to life and death, heaven and hell - the Bible.  Yesterday's post aimed to answer the question about what role, if any such books function in understanding life and Bible doctrine.  We concluded that in the final analysis they don't really offer help and that the reader needs to search the scriptures instead.  Today we conclude our study.

Some doctrinal deviations that can be observed in Near Death Experience books

1). Confusion on Heaven. All of these books present a man-centered and angel-centered view of Heaven, with God in the background or mentioned in passing. The Bible on the other hand presents Heaven as the God and Christ centered reality, with the angels and people being in the back ground or mentioned in passing. See for example Revelation 1:1-20; 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-13; 11:15-17; 12:10-12; 14:2-3; 15:3-4; 19:1-10; 21:1-9; 22:16-21.

2). Scripture ends up being not enough. These books are communicated as eyewitness accounts of experiences in Heaven and thus, whether meant by the authors or not, become treated as authoritative sources for describing heaven.  The danger of such books is that over time, though such books would never be declared by many people to be on par with scripture, in practice the appearance of DVD-based Bible study curriculum featuring these writings unnecessarily blurs the lines. 1 Such central truths as the clarity and unity of scripture tends to be softened when these types of book are consulted and read. Todd Burpo writes in the book “Heaven is for Real”: When you look at the book of Revelation and other biblical teachings about Heaven, it’s kind of fragmented.” 2

The Scriptures on the other hand are alone sufficient and powerful in deepening one’s faith not only for a life-time but for all eternity. (Psalm 19:7-14; 2 Timothy 3:15-4:4) Any theology, Sunday School curriculum, sermon, lesson or devotional ought to never have as its foundation an experience, but rather scripture.

3). Blurring or conflict with key doctrines. Don Piper’s book claims there is no mention of death or the blood of Jesus in any of the songs sung in Heaven. When one compares references in Revelation 5:9-10 and 5:12 of the songs being sung, with references to the blood and the atoning work of Jesus, the conflict between what is written (scripture) versus subjective experience is shown.  On page 121 of Todd Burpo’s book “Heaven is for Real”, we see references to people having wings.3  The ready acceptance of such a description by the author blurs the line between what the Bible shows to be the difference between human beings and angels. (compare Hebrews 2:16) Clearly there are serious doctrinal issues with these books that do not line up with scripture.

Why must people be warned and cautioned about Near Death Experience type books?

Many readers may wonder why I am making such a big deal about these types of books and why I cannot recommend them. First, the authors are passing these writings off as non-fictional experiences that count as revelations about Heaven, Hell, Life and Eternity.  Such books should never be written in the first place. The Great Apostle Paul had an experience in 2 Corinthians 12 where he saw visions of Paradise and the Third Heaven and yet he was not at liberty to recount what he saw. Should not such Biblical cautions be exercised? This author would without reservation say yes.

Second, the Apostle Peter reminds us of the nature of scripture in 2 Peter 1:20 “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation.” To take a private experience, uninspired and perhaps more laden with emotional and physical trauma than spiritual insight, and place it in print for millions to read is to in a practical sense make new scripture!

Thirdly, Christians ought to be far more discerning in the positive endorsement of such literature.  The Bereans in the wake of the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey and preaching were described as follows in Acts 17:11 “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”

Closing Thoughts and recommendations

In place of these fallible books, the Christian reader ought to turn to their Bible and seek out what God has to say about Heaven, Hell, life and eternity. Good resources such as Bible Dictionaries, Concordances and online websites such as Biblegateway.com can point the reader to those scriptures that describe these subjects.

Is the Bible sufficient enough in its revelation about Heaven, Hell, Life and Eternity? Think about these statistics: The Heaven where believers go when they die is mentioned and described in the Bible some 150 times, with 34 mentions in the Gospels by Jesus.  Hell is found some 95 times and is mentioned 17 times by Jesus. Demons are mentioned 95 times; Satan is found 115 times and good angels are found in some 400 places in the scriptures. The Bible alone is God’s infallible (cannot fail = John 10:35), inerrant (without error = Proverbs 30:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; Titus 1:2); clear (Luke 24:44-45) and all-sufficient (2 Peter 1:20-21) revelation about such matters. Thus it would be contended that the reader seek the scriptures and the Jesus revealed in them, since the Bible alone is sufficient to shape our understanding of life, salvation and eternity.

Endnotes:

1. http://www.donpiperministries.com/ For example, on Don Piper’s website we see the advertisement for his wife Eva Piper’s new book: “A Walk Through the Dark – How my husband’s 90 minutes in heaven deepened my faith for a life time”.

2. Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. Heaven is for Real. Thomas Nelson. 2010. Page 149.

3. Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. Heaven is for Real. Thomas Nelson. 2010. Page 121.      Todd Burpo writes:“But when I asked him what Pop looked like, Colton would talk mainly about his clothes and the size of his wings.”

P2 A Biblical Evaluation of Near Death Experience Books - What place, if any, do they have in understanding life and Bible Doctrine?

Introduction and review:

Yesterday we began a series on Biblically evaluating the growing fascination among Christians and the culture alike over books authored by those who have had “Near Death Experiences” (or what is referred to in the literature as NDE’s). In 2004 Don Piper’s book “90 minutes in Heaven” became an overnight sensation in a pastor’s retelling of his alleged hour and half experience in heaven following a traumatic car accident.  In 2010 another book, featuring the alleged recounting of heavenly experiences by six year old Colton Burpo in the wake of emergency surgery sent the book in the coveted #1 New York Times Best Seller List.

To be as fair as possible, the books are well written and prove very interesting to read.  Certainly their emotionally compelling recounting of surviving trauma in the face of death draws the reader into the world of the author.  With that said, the question that keeps pressing in the back of this writer is: are these types of book Biblical? Are they helping or hurting the cause of Christ? Are they faithful to the Gospel and Biblical Christianity or do they ultimately undermine the message? Answering such questions will be the aim of this paper. This author will aim to show that books written about NDE’s are ultimately without the authority, clarity or profitability in comparison to the only book that is singularly authoritative on matters related to life and death, heaven and hell - the Bible.  Yesterday's post went over some of the history of NDE (Near Death Experience) accounts.  Today we continue by evaluating what place, if any, NDE books and literature should have in understanding life and Bible doctrine.

How should we regard the place of NDE’s in our way of understanding life and Bible doctrine? – a Biblical and personal assessment

Many theologians and Bible teachers have pointed out that in the Bible we can understand human beings as occupying one of three states: There is a living state, followed by an intermediate state that begins at death and concludes at resurrection (resurrection of the righteous for believers and a second, separate resurrection of the wicked for unbelievers).  The third and lasting state, the eternal state, entails the New heavens and earth for believers and Lake of fire for unbelievers following the Great White throne judgment in Revelation 20.

The issue of one’s immaterial soul/spirit temporarily leaving one’s body and coming back, and the questions surrounding the possibility and conditions for such phenomena is admittedly difficult to place. Without a doubt the Bible does describe scenarios of people being brought back from the dead or resuscitated. (2 Kings 4:18-37 and John 11:38-46)  In the 2 Kings account Elisha raises the son of the Shunammite woman while Jesus brings back to life Lazarus who had been dead for four days.  In looking at passages such as these, one can observe that in no instance of people being resuscitated back to life do we them composing literature to describe their experiences. The silence of such “NDE” testimonies should catch the reader’s attention.

With regards to more modern day examples, this author exercises caution and a listening ear when approaching the subject of Near Death Experiences (NDE’s). Dr. Gary Habermas, a Christian Apologist and Professor at Liberty University writes: “Some ask, How can one gain evidence for life after death from individuals who have not yet died? The medical distinction must be made between biological death, which is physically irreversible, and clinical death, which is a cessation of measurements such as pulse or heartbeat. (Near-death experiences are not viewed as miraculous returns from biological death, though such would provide an additional reason to reject naturalism!) It is difficult to deny that there are many cases of corroborated experiences beyond (and during) clinical death.” 1

As a pastor who has attended the bedsides of those who have passed on from this world to the next, this author can testify that in those closing moments that the person’s actions, facial expressions and words seem to indicate the patient witnessing and perhaps glimpsing things that are otherwise unseen. This author’s mother, an ER nurse for many years, relayed many stories of patients whom she saw evidence similar behaviors. Such events in the general course of human experience cannot be denied. The issue at hand in these posts is not about the possibility of these experiences, but rather whether or not such experiences should be put into writing.

It is one thing to acknowledge such experiences. However it is quite another to take such events and make them normative descriptions and interpretations of life after death.  Dr. Gary Habermas notes again: “Near-death experiences therefore cannot be used to describe (or interpret) heaven or hell but only to argue that certain types of veridical information do confirm the minimalistic conclusion that conscious life has been corroborated beyond at least the initial stages of death and that such cannot viably be explained by brain (or other bodily) activity. That such consciousness exists beyond the veil of death does seem to be a fact and as such is a serious problem for naturalism.” 2

The issue of life after death is not questioned by this author. Furthermore, NDE’s as a possibility is categorically not denied by this author due to the episodes of miraculous resuscitation in the Bible. What this author strenuously opposes is the writing of books by those who have had such experiences and such volumes being used as the basis for Bible studies and doctrinal instruction.  Although this author would generally agree with Dr. Habermas’ assessment of NDE’s, personally I would probably not grant as much weight in using such experiences. Quite frankly, when one begins to read the numerous books about NDE’s (including “90 Minutes in Heaven” and “Heaven is for Real”), there are some important points that need to be mentioned.

More tomorrow....

Endnotes:

1. Dallas Theological Seminary. 1989; 2002. Bibliotheca Sacra Volume 146 . Dallas Theological Seminary

2. http://www.donpiperministries.com/  For example, on Don Piper’s website we see the advertisement for his wife Eva Piper’s new book: “A Walk Through the Dark – How my husband’s 90 minutes in heaven deepened my faith for a life time”.

P1 A Biblical Evaluation of Near Death Experience Books - A brief History of NDE's

A Biblical Evaluation of Near Death Experience Books

2 Corinthians 5:6 “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.”

Hebrew 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men to die once and after this come judgment.”

Introduction:

These next few posts will attempt to Biblically evaluate the growing fascination among Christians and the culture alike over books authored by those who have had “Near Death Experiences” (or what is referred to in the literature as NDE’s). In 2004 Don Piper’s book “90 minutes in Heaven” became an overnight sensation in a pastor’s retelling of his alleged hour and half experience in heaven following a traumatic car accident.  In 2010 another book, featuring the alleged recounting of heavenly experiences by six year old Colton Burpo in the wake of emergency surgery sent the book in the coveted #1 New York Times Best Seller List.

What makes both of these books so popular among Bible believing Christians is that they were both written by evangelical pastors (Don Piper and Colton’s Dad, Todd Burpo).  Furthermore, both books have spawned Bible studies, with Burpo’s account  leading to a DVD based curriculum and a soon to be released movie (April 2014).1 As a pastor myself, I have read both books, have seen the Bible studies on Christian bookstore shelves, have listened to interviews of Colton Burpo and his family and have noticed the unquestioned acceptance of these kind of books by the Christian publishing world.

To be as fair as possible, the books are well written and prove very interesting to read.  Certainly their emotionally compelling recounting of surviving trauma in the face of death draws the reader into the world of the author.  With that said, the question that keeps pressing in the back of this writer is: are these types of book Biblical? Are they helping or hurting the cause of Christ? Are they faithful to the Gospel and Biblical Christianity or do they ultimately undermine the message? Answering such questions will be the aim of this paper. This author will aim to show that books written about NDE’s are ultimately without the authority, clarity or profitability in comparison to the only book that is singularly authoritative on matters related to life and death, heaven and hell - the Bible.

Evaluating the history of Near Death Experiences (NDE’s)

Dr. John C. Beck Junior wrote a review article of Richard Abane’s book:

“Journey into the Light – Exploring Near Death Experiences” in the Chafer Theological Journal wherein he summarizes Abane’s extensive historical and theological assessment of NDE’s. Dr. Beck writes: “One of the earliest is mentioned in Plato’s The Republic. A soldier, who is killed in battle comes back to life on the funeral pyre, and tells about his visit to the next world. NDEs were so plentiful in the Middle Ages that Pope Gregory the Great of the sixth century compiled a collection of them in Dialogues. NDE researchers agree that modern experiences mirror closely those of the past. Researchers study what they call the autoscopic NDE, where the experiencer allegedly becomes separated from his body and is able to view nearby objects and events from outside of his body. The ability to describe with accuracy events and objects while unconscious or clinically dead some consider irrefutable proof that NDEs are objective realities rather than subjective experiences. Next, they study the transcendental NDE where the experiencer looks into worlds that transcend or surpass our own earthly limits. They are the most interesting, because they give expanded revelations” and describe “alternate realities.” Third, is the autoscopic/transcendent combination that is “a blending of elements of both the above.” 

Dr. Beck later notes: “These are the building blocks of NDEs, though every experience does not have every element.”2

At the time the above article had been written, Betty Eadie’s book: “Embraced by the Light” had been a major hit. Numerous other books of this genre have been written over the past several years, averaging one every two or three years.  It must be underscored that these are “experiences” that end up being treated as objective fact. Practically speaking, once such experiences are put into print, such experiences become regarded as authoritative writing.

How has Bible believing Christianity regarded NDE’s over the past 20 years?

Where do such experiences fit in the development of one’s understanding of the here and now and life after death? Bible believing Christianity demonstrates a variety of responses. An otherwise reputable Bible teacher and scholar is the late D. James Kennedy who in his sermons and books treated NDE’s as valuable evidence for proving the reality of the Biblical accounts of Heaven and Hell.

On the other end of the spectrum are men such as Dr. John MacArthur who decries the accounts of NDE’s. A case in point is Dr. MacArthur’s 1996 book: “The Truth About Heaven” where he writes:  “They are inevitably shaped and interpreted by the person’s existing worldview. They are no more reliable than dream analysis for giving us any reliable understanding of the unseen world. “3 MacArthur’s book was written to offer a much needed correction to what was then perceived (and rightly so) as a dangerous trend among Christians and the culture alike to embrace books about Near Death Experiences in an uncritical and unquestioning manner.

More tomorrow.....

Endnotes:

1. http://www.thomasnelson.com/heaven-is-for-real.html

2.  Chafer Theological Seminary. 1997; 2002. Chafer Theological Seminary Journal Volume 3 . Chafer Theological Seminary.

3. MacArthur, J. 1996. The glory of heaven : The truth about heaven, angels, and eternal life. Crossway Books: Wheaton, Ill.

The need for resurrection power - John 20:19-31

John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

These past few days have been dedicated to taking a look at the life of Mary Magdalene and how the resurrection of Jesus Christ changed her life and made her a missionary for her Lord. I felt today that we needed to go forward into the rest of John 20 and consider why you and I need the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. John 20:19-31 details for us the events that followed from that dramatic encounter with Mary Magdalene. John 20:19-25 covers Jesus' second post-resurrection appearance to Peter and the other disciples.  John 20:26-28 features a second episode where Jesus appears to them eight days later so as to lay to rest the skepticism of Thomas.  The chapter then closes out in John 20:30-31 with John spelling out the purpose for why he wrote His Gospel. If one life application were to be drawn out of this text, it would be this: You and I need the resurrection power of Jesus Christ in our lives.  With those introductory thoughts in mind, let us now briefly explain what all took place through John 20:19-31 and consider the four things that Jesus' resurrection power makes available to you and me today.

The Peace of Christ. John 20:19-21

John 20:19 opens up the scene with a most pitful sight. The future leaders of Christ's church, the very men appointed by Him to be His disciples - are shut up in an upstairs room, with all the doors shut and with a heavy cloak of fear hanging in the air. Much had occurred in 24 hours. Already Peter and John had ran to the tomb upon Mary Magdalene and the women's news of a stolen body.  Having went to the tomb and Peter himself entering into the place to investigate the burial linens - the conclusion was reached that to add insult to injury - it had appeared that someone had done the unthinkable.

Yet we know that from the angel's subsequent appearance to Mary Magdalene and Jesus' post resurrection appearance - the truth had been made clear: "He is no longer in the tomb, He is risen!" Despite Mary's best attempts to convince these fearful, unbelieving disciples, their chosen course of action was to huddle in fear. What they needed was peace! 

Suddenly in the little room we read of Jesus appearing in John 20:19 and saying "peace be with you!" Three times in all we find Jesus in both His appearance to the disciples and then his appearance to them again eight days later uttering this little four word phrase. (John 20:19, 22, 26.  What power is there in God's peace, in Christ's peace? Jesus had expressed this truth previously to his disciples during his ministry prior to the cross. (John 14:27; 16:33) The Apostle Paul tells us of the power of such peace in Philippians 4:6-7  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, willguard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  

As we have noted in the past few posts, anytime Jesus made a post-resurrection appearance, there was always a dramatic change. Always! We know that this same resurrection power is responsible for the peace of God that every Christian can experience and has experienced.  Romans 8:11 notes - "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Such peace can only be explained by the same power that brought it to the disciples in their most desperate hour - namely the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. The need for resurrection power is for the sake of the peace of Christ, but notice also...

The Person of the Holy Spirit. John 20:22-25

What was undoubtedly a preview of the fullness of Pentecost that would occur some 50 days after these events, Jesus breaths into the disciples the Holy Spirit. As Jesus looked at them, he knew that on their own, they would not be able to function for the next 50 days.  Much work had to be done before Pentecost.  We can liken this to the prophet Ezekiel who was shown a valley of dry bones. As God says to him in Ezekiel 37:5 "Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will causebreath to enter you that you may come to life." Lest the Holy Spirit comes, lest He enters into a person and does His work of regeneration and opens their heart so that they can exercise saving faith - no one will be saved. (John 16:8-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3)  The Holy Spirit is the Agent responsible for salvation and sanctification. (Ephesians 1:18) He is also the One who enables every child of God to do the work of ministry. (1 Corinthians 12:1-6, 12-13) You and I dear Christian ever rely upon the Person of the Holy Spirit.  His fundamental ministry of indwelling us at salvation (1 Corinthians 2:10; 3:16) leads Him to seal and preserve our salvation until the day we die or until Christ appears to take us in the rapture. (Ephesians 1:13-14; Jude 24-25) His ministry of adoption and uniting us to the Person of Christ is the basis for our assurance of salvation and knowing who we are and whose were are. (Romans 8:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13) The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to understand and apply the scriptures (1 John 2:20, 27). More could be said but the point is clear - the power of Christ's resurrection is what makes available His peace and the Person of the Holy Spirit.  How we need His resurrection power. Notice now the third reason....

Personal faith. John 20:24-29

Who can ever forget doubting Thomas? What is striking about the post-resurrection narratives is the amount of doubt and unbelief that ran rampant throughout the disciples prior to their encounters with the post-resurrected Jesus. We may often wonder how that could be? Jesus spoke on no less than six occassions about His resurrection from the dead three days following His death.  Yet I think we must also realize that we who have a full Bible and who have been transformed by Christ's resurrection power unto saving faith still have those moments of fleeting doubt, worry and wonder.  Thomas knew what he was looking for.  His persistent critical mind would not take verbbal testimony alone. He also knew what crucifixion would do to a man and being a good Jew - He also was expecting to see the marks left over by crucifixion in a physical body.  The doctrine of the resurrection was a cornerstone of Jewish faith, spoken throughout the Old Testament scriptures. (Job 10:25; Daniel 12:1-3) So it would literally take a physical appearance by the risen Christ to convince an otherwise unbelieving Thomas.

John 20:24-29 records that very truth.  As Jesus engaged Thomas and challenged Him to put his finger in his nail prints and thrust his hand in his side, Thomas bowed in worship at the feet of the God man. One of the most solid delcarations of Christ's Deity is recorded in John 20:28 "Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” This declaration asserts two titles that acknowledge the resurrected Jesus as Yahweh (My Lord) and as the creator God - Elohim. This dramatic encounter brought faith to Thomas. We know that saving faith is a supernatural gifting from God that comes to us through His grace and which is placed in our otherwise empty open hands to receive and believe. (compare Matt 13:16; 16:17; Eph 2:8-9; Galatians 3:25). Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ - there would be no personal faith. 1 Peter 1:3 states -  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whoaccording to His great mercy has caused us to be born again toa living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead". So you and I need the resurrection power of Jesus Christ for peace, the Person of the Holy Spirit and personal faith.  Notice one last reason...

Power of the Scriptures. John 20:30-31

Whenever it is all said and done - if Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead, not only would the Christian faith be in vain - the the Word of God, the scriptures, would be rendered null and void. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19) John knew that in order for future generations to experience the resurrection power of Jesus Christ that includes peace, the Person of the Holy Spirit and personal faith, there would need to be God's own words which alone can convey such realities.  Romans 10:17 reminds us: "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Truly what Jesus did in His post-resurrection appearances was open the door for the New Testament scripture to penetrate, pierce and provide life to subsequent generations of people - just as had been the case for centuries with the Old Testament. (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12)  The many of the men upon whom He breathed His Spirit would be the ones to compose some of those New Testament books.  The scripture itself carries with it His Divine imprimatur and is the lone means through which the Holy Ghost imparts eternal life and ongoing growth in the Christian life. (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13)

Conclusion:

We have seen today why you and I need the resurrection power of Jesus Christ from John 20:19-31:

1. Peace

2. Person of the Holy Spirit

3. Personal faith

4. Power of the scriptures