Letters to the Church

Salvation includes the bodily resurrection of the saints and life in the New Creation, which will occur when Jesus arrives . Central to the doctrine of salvation is the promise of  redemption . God will not abandon what He first created, and both the term and the concept mean the  recovery of what was lost . The universe is enslaved by sin and condemned to decay and death. In God’s redemptive plans, the end state of redeemed things and persons is vastly superior to their original state, and this principle is epitomized in the promises of bodily Resurrection and New Creation.

Paul links the bodily resurrection of believers to the New Creation. Both events are vital for our complete redemption – Romans 8:1-23. There is “ now no condemnation ” of anyone who is “ in Christ Jesus .” This happy condition exists because the “ law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death .” In his Letter to the Romans , the Apostle Paul links our salvation to the inheritance of Christ and the coming redemption of our bodies and creation itself .

Paul reminded Timothy of the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death since false teachers were denying the future resurrection of believers . Paul responded to false teachings about the resurrection of believers in his second letter to Timothy. Certain voices denied this essential truth. “ God did not give us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind ,” and this included overcoming our anxieties about death. Jesus was victorious over death and now gives men and women life “ through the Gospel .”

The arrival of Jesus at the end of the age will mean the resurrection and the end of the Last Enemy, namely, Death - 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. Certain members of the congregation in Corinth denied the future resurrection of the righteous. Paul responded by stressing how necessary our resurrection is and by appealing to the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection was and remains the precedent for our future resurrection and life in the coming age. We will be raised bodily when he “ arrives ,” and his appearance will mean nothing less than the end of Death itself.

Paul exprime son objectif d'aller jusqu'au bout, un processus qui aboutira à la résurrection corporelle lorsque Jésus arrivera dans la gloire . Paul a demandé à la congrégation de Philippes de continuer à leur “ achèvement ” en Jésus. La résurrection corporelle doit avoir lieu pour la consommation de ce processus et l'achèvement de notre salut. Cela se produira lorsque Jésus apparaîtra “ sur les nuées du Ciel .” Dieu continuera à accomplir ce qu'Il a commencé avec notre conversion “ jusqu'au Jour du Christ .” Le salut est un processus tout au long de notre vie.

Paul expresses his goal of going on to completion, a process that will culminate in bodily resurrection when Jesus arrives in glory . Paul instructed the congregation of Philippi to go on to “ completion ” in Jesus. Bodily resurrection must take place for the consummation of this process and the completion of our salvation. This will occur when Jesus appears “ on the clouds of Heaven .” God will continue to perform what He began with our conversion until “ the Day of Christ .” Salvation is a process throughout our lives.

Paul presents his Gospel in Romans from humanity's plight due to sin to the resurrection of the dead and the New Creation . The Apostle Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the “ Good News of God ” in his Letter to the Romans . Paul was dealing with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish believers in the Assembly and preparing the ground for taking the Gospel to the western regions of the Roman Empire. In the process, he addressed related topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and the New Creation.

The saints will be assembled before Jesus on the Last Day, and the wicked will be collected for judgment and cast from his presence . On the Last Day, the righteous and the unrighteous will be “ gathered ” before Jesus, the former for vindication and salvation, and the latter for judgment and condemnation. This event is linked in the New Testament to Christ’s “ arrival ” at the end of the age when he will resurrect the dead, judge the dead and living, terminate the “ Last Enemy, Death ,” and consummate the Kingdom of God.

In explaining the resurrection, Paul lists key events that will precede or coincide with the arrival of Jesus at the close of the present age . Paul outlined the events that will occur at or shortly before the “ arrival ” of Jesus in  1 Corinthians . The Greek noun ‘ Parousia ’ or “ arrival ” is one of several terms Paul applies to the future coming of the Lord in his letters. Regardless of which term is used, the Apostle always refers to one “ coming ,” one “ appearance ,” one “ revelation ” and one “ appearance ” of the Son of God, not two or more.

Christ’s real Death and bodily Resurrection are foundational and indispensable to the Apostolic Faith . The Apostle Paul discussed the future resurrection of believers in  2 Timothy , in response to denials of this “ sound teaching ” by false teachers. Faith in the promised resurrection of the righteous is central to the hope of salvation taught by Jesus and proclaimed by his Apostles. This teaching is unquestionably reliable  because it is based on the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus .