Litigious:The claim that no one in heaven, including Jesus, has a physical form misinterprets 1 Corinthians 15:50. The phrase "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" does not mean that physical bodies are excluded from heaven. Rather, it signifies that corruptible, mortal bodies cannot inherit the imperishable kingdom. As Paul explains in the surrounding verses, believers’ bodies will be transformed into glorified, immortal BODIES (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 53). This transformation does not entail abandoning physicality but perfecting it, as demonstrated by Christ's resurrected body.
Myself:Again it means what it says your church has no recognized authority here the Bible has all the authority unless you can find some scripture that says otherwise we go with what the verse clearly states no physical forms in heaven, christ is no longer human.
See galatians ch.1:1
Litigious:The argument that Christ’s glorified body negates His physicality misunderstands the nature of glorification. A glorified body is still a body, but it is no longer subject to decay, suffering, or death. Jesus' ability to appear and disappear after His resurrection (e.g., Luke 24:31, John 20:19) reflects the properties of a glorified body, not a denial of its physical reality. These accounts affirm that Christ retained His humanity in a perfected state, consistent with His ongoing role as the risen Lord.
Myself:We reject your church's authority sola scriptura,find a verse that says that don't simply assert anything or we would have no choice but to reject it where are your scriptures. Galatians ch.1:1 luke 24:31 shows him disappearing into thin air that certainly does not seem very human to me. And in broad daylight no one recognized him.clearly something similar Genesis ch.19 was happening.here galatians ch.1:1 makes it plain that he was no longer human.
Litigious:Finally, the claim that Christ is no longer human and that His resurrected appearances prove He became solely a "spirit being" lacks scriptural support. Paul consistently teaches that Jesus’ resurrection affirms both the continuity of His identity and the transformation of His body (Romans 6:9-10, Philippians 3:21). The notion that Jesus "became" a spirit contradicts the clear testimony of Scripture, which emphasizes the physical reality of His resurrection as the firstfruits of the redeemed (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
Myself His becoming superhuman won't alter his identity any more than his becoming human altered it so your argument makes no sense.
Ps. Among instances where thayer's lexicon considers dia to denote instrumentality by an authority
Winer's Grammar, 379 (355))) ἐγένετο or ἐκτίσθη: John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6 (where he is expressly distinguished from the first cause: ἐξ αὐτοῦ (Winer's Grammar, 419 (391))); Colossians 1:16 (Winer's Grammar, the passage cited), cf. Hebrews 1:2 (Philo de cherub. § 35). The instrumental cause and the principal are distinguished in 1"
tropically Christ is called πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως (partitive genitive (see below), as in τά πρωτότοκα τῶν προβάτων, Genesis 4:4; τῶν βοῶν, Deuteronomy 12:17; τῶν υἱῶν σου, Exodus 22:29), who came into being through God prior to the entire universe of created things
Brown Driver Briggs on qanah at Proverbs ch.8:22
of God as originating, creating, קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ Genesis 14:19,22; Deuteronomy 32:6 (Israel), Psalm 139:13 (כִּלְֹיתָ֑י); Proverbs 8:22 ( חכמה q. v.).
First, 1 Cor. 15:50 is often misinterpreted to mean that no physical forms exist in heaven. However, Paul is not rejecting physicality itself but rather the corruptible, mortal state of human bodies. The context of the passage clearly indicates that Paul is discussing the transformation of the believer's body into a glorified state—imperishable and immortal (1 Cor. 15:42-44, 53-54). This glorified body retains continuity with the original but is perfected for eternal life. If physicality were entirely excluded, Paul would not emphasize the transformation of the body but its abandonment, which he does not.
ReplyDeleteThe argument that Christ's glorified body negates His physicality also contradicts the Gospels' resurrection accounts. The declaration in Luke 24:39 was meant to refute the disciples' assumption that they were seeing a ghost or apparition. Jesus demonstrated that His resurrected body was physical, albeit glorified, capable of engaging with the material world while also possessing supernatural properties. The ability to appear and disappear (Luke 24:31, John 20:19) does not negate the physical reality of His body; instead, it showcases the unique properties of a glorified body, which transcends the limitations of a mortal one.
Jesus did miraculous works with His body prior to His resurrection as at Matthew 14:26 where Jesus is seen walking on the water.He was not recognized for several reasons, all of which are indicated by the contexts.
In John 20 it was early in the morning and still dark, (v1), and Mary was not expecting to see Jesus alive. Nowhere does the text say Jesus appeared to Mary as a gardener. It was Mary's mistake, not Jesus' appearance.
In John 21:4-12 Jesus was on the seashore, while the disciples were at sea in a ship. It was early morning. The disciples were approx. 100 yards from the land. Fog would have been raising from the water at that early hour obscuring the disciple's view. Jesus' subsequent actions were those of someone possessing a body.
Luke 24:16. The eyes of these disciples were "holden," or "veiled."
Jesus did this so they could not recognize Him because though He was the Living Word and had taught them for over three years He now wanted to direct their attention to the written Word. When they saw from the scriptures that Jesus must suffer and be raised again He then unveiled their eyes so they could recognize Him. The implication is very plain if Jesus had not "veiled" their eyes they would have recognized Him. If He was in "another form" there would have been no need to veil their eyes at all.
The suggestion that Gal. 1:1 implies Jesus is no longer human is unsupported by the text. This passage highlights the divine authority of Paul's apostleship but says nothing about Jesus ceasing to be human. Instead, it emphasizes the divine power that raised Jesus from the dead, which is consistent with the NT's teaching of Christ's glorified, resurrected body.
The assertion that Jesus "became" a spirit contradicts the central Christian teaching on the resurrection. In Phil. 3:21, Paul affirms that Christ "will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious BODY." This transformation does not involve discarding physicality but perfecting it, as Christ's glorified body serves as the model for believers. Furthermore, Romans 6:9-10 declares that Christ, "having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him." This underscores the permanence of His resurrected, glorified state as both fully divine and fully human.
Finally, the claim that Jesus' identity as God would remain intact regardless of His form misunderstands the significance of the Incarnation and the resurrection. Jesus’ humanity is not a temporary phase but a permanent aspect of His identity as the God-man. The Church teaches, based on Scripture, that Christ's resurrection is the "firstfruits" of the redeemed (1 Cor. 15:20-23), affirming that His glorified body is the prototype for the future resurrection of believers.
The mere assertion that Paul clear statement that the physical cannot enter the superphysical realm proves nothing.
ReplyDelete1Corinthians ch.15:45KHV"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.(Pneuma) " same as at John ch.4:24.
When Paul writes about "flesh and blood" in 1 Corinthians 15:50, he is not referring to the physical substance of the human body, but rather to humanity in its current mortal, corruptible state. The context of 1 Corinthians 15 addresses the transformation that must occur for believers to enter the eternal, incorruptible state required for the heavenly realm. This transformation does not imply the complete rejection or destruction of the body but rather its glorification and renewal. Paul emphasizes this point in verses 53 and 54, where he states that "this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." The phrase "put on" strongly suggests a transformation or enhancement of the current body, rather than its elimination or replacement with something entirely different.
ReplyDeleteThe Jehovah's Witnesses' interpretation that Jesus' resurrection was purely spiritual and that He ceased to exist as a human being misreads this text and ignores other clear biblical evidence of Christ's bodily resurrection. For instance, after His resurrection, Jesus presented Himself to His disciples in physical form, demonstrating that He was not merely a spirit. In Luke 24:39, He says, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." This clear statement from Jesus refutes the idea that His resurrected state was purely spiritual. The presence of His wounds further underscores the continuity between the pre-resurrection and post-resurrection body, though now glorified.
Furthermore, the argument that 1 Corinthians 15:45 ("The last Adam was made a quickening spirit") supports the claim that Jesus became a spirit in His resurrection is unfounded. The term “spirit” (Greek: pneuma) in this context does not indicate that Jesus ceased to have a body but rather describes the source of His life and power in the resurrection. Paul contrasts the natural life of Adam, who was animated by physical means, with the life-giving power of Christ, whose resurrection life comes from the Spirit of God. This understanding is reinforced by Paul’s own words in Philippians 3:21, where he states that believers’ bodies will be transformed to conform to the glorious body of Christ. Jesus’ resurrection body was therefore physical, but glorified and supernatural, not constrained by the limitations of mortal life.
Additionally, the phrase "flesh and blood" is a common idiom in Jewish thought, referring to the human condition marked by frailty, mortality, and sinfulness. This idiomatic meaning is evident in other New Testament passages, such as Matthew 16:17, where Jesus says to Peter, “Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Here, “flesh and blood” clearly denotes human limitations and does not refer to the physical body in itself. Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 15:50, Paul uses this phrase to emphasize the need for a transformation from a mortal and corruptible state to an immortal and incorruptible state, suitable for the eternal kingdom of God.
The suggestion that Christ’s physical body could not be raised because “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom” also contradicts the testimony of the empty tomb. If Jesus’ resurrection was merely spiritual, the physical body left in the tomb would have been irrelevant. However, the angel’s proclamation in Matthew 28:6—“He is not here: for he is risen”—points directly to the absence of His physical body as evidence of His resurrection. The bodily resurrection is further affirmed in Acts 2:26-31, where Peter explicitly connects Jesus’ resurrection with the prophetic declaration in Psalm 16 that God would not allow His “Holy One to see corruption.”
DeleteLastly, the assertion that a spiritual resurrection was necessary to prevent Christ from "taking His body off the altar" misunderstands the biblical teaching on atonement. Hebrews 9:22 states that it is the shedding of blood—not the destruction of the body—that atones for sin. Christ’s physical resurrection does not nullify His sacrifice; rather, it completes the victory over death and sin. Jesus Himself declared in John 10:17-18 that He had the authority to lay down His life and to take it up again, indicating the intentional and divinely empowered nature of His resurrection.
So the phrase “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” does not teach that Christ ceased to have a physical body or became a purely spiritual being in His resurrection. Instead, it highlights the necessity of transformation from mortality to immortality for entrance into God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus’ resurrection was bodily, as evidenced by His post-resurrection appearances, the empty tomb, and the testimony of Scripture. His glorified body serves as the prototype for the transformed bodies believers will receive, affirming the biblical hope of a future resurrection that encompasses both spirit and body.