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Wednesday 20 October 2010

1 Corinthians 15:35-41 - Resurrection is natural!


Paul then turns to the question of the nature of the resurrection. "How are the dead raised?", "What kind of body will we have?". These are perfectly understandable questions, for we have no direct experience of resurrection, it does not normally happen.

However, Paul declares that these sorts of questions are foolish! He then points them to seeds. All plants grow from seeds, but the plant bears no superficial resemblance to the seed at all. So the process of resurrection is not actually as unusual as at first appears. Creation reflects the glory and nature of God. So Paul is saying we need to raise our eyes a little, to take a broader view of things.
Paul then points to the vast variety of types of life, and the variety in creation. All of it is wonderful, but all of it is different. We can get so self-centred that we miss out on things. Look around and see! This has interesting consequences for the science-religion debate. There actually should be no conflict between science and religion. Nor are they completely separate activities, as is commonly said by those who are not seeking conflict. The problem arises when we look at science in the wrong way. This has lessons both for militant atheists, and for some "creationists" of a particular ilk. We should explore the universe and how it works, but to people of faith this shows us the wonder of the workings of God. It can also help us to understand how God works. Both some scientists and some "creationists" need to take the blinkers off.
For here Paul is saying that looking at the world shows that resurrection is actually a perfectly reasonable and understandable phenomena! In v20-28 he argued from theological grounds, here he is arguing from natural grounds.

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