> I don't want to be pedantic about phrasing, but some care is
> needed here. "It is sown a physical body [_soma psychikon_], it is
> raised a spiritual body [_soma pneumatikon_]" (I Cor.15:44). As often
> in Paul, the fundamental idea of "spiritual" is not that something is
> non-material but that it fully in the proper relationship with God.
> Paul's argument in the latter half of this chapter is that there is
> _continuity_ between "physical" and "spiritual" bodies, as between seed
> and plant (so that the resurrection body is indeed a _body_, albeit a
> "spiritual" one), but that this is a continuity maintained in a
> transformation. This transformation is necessary because "flesh and
> blood [our present state of existence] cannot inherit the kingdom of
> God."
> This concept of resurrection, based on that of Jesus, is thus
> quite different from those of Lazarus or Jairus' daughter, for there is
> no hint in Scripture that those involved any such transformation.
Were Lazarus and Jairus' daughter transformed... No, i agree. But were
they resurrection was of a different meaning. THere's was to show that
Jesus was of God and Jesus's resurrection was to show that He through God
had power even to overcome His iwn death and therefore he concurred sin
through his death and subsequent resurrection. The consequence of sin is
death and that was overcome by Jesus. He was also transfromed.
Practically, Paul was speaking of a physical (i.e. bodily) resurrection
of Jesus and a spiritual resurrection and transformation. His main focus
of that passage was saying that Christ was resurrected. And given that,
how is his resurrection similar to what we will have on his second
coming. This is when Paul discribes that we are not going to be "flesh
and blood" in our resurrected form. He is speaking of flesh and blood in
the current form as being sinful and imperfect (e.g. perishable), but
when GOd returns our body will be transformed into a perfect (i.e.
imperishable) form. I look at this as the original perfect form that
Jesus had before the crucifiction and after the resurrection, the same
type of body that Adam had prior to the fall. In other words, I have no
clue (*_-) but i do think paul was saying that the body we will obtain
will be different and that is what he is refering to as our spiritual body.
John M