The Resurrection Debate: Transformation or Exchange?

I'm continuing my discussion of the Resurrection Debate between skeptic Steven Carr and Christian John Twistleton. Today, we'll discuss Paul's view on the actual process of resurrection. Did he see it as the transformation of one body into another, which is consistent with an empty tomb? Or did he believe that the soul leaves its earthly body and enters a heavenly one, which allows for Jesus to "rise" even as his earthly body remains in the grave (Steven Carr's position)? Both sides deem this to be an important issue, since Christian apologists view the empty tomb to be a crucial piece of evidence for Jesus' resurrection. Is it a part of the earliest Christian traditions, which Paul represents and contains? Or is it a later story, which makes it more likely to be unhistorical?

Steven appeals to specific passages to defend his position. He refers to Romans 7:24, in which Paul exclaims in near desperation, "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (NRSV). For Steven, this expresses Paul's desire that his soul leave his earthly body, not that his earthly body be transformed. II Corinthians 5:1 is another important text for him: "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Steven interprets this to mean that our human bodies will be destroyed before we receive our new bodies. That's not bodily transformation, as far as Steven is concerned!

But didn't Paul say in I Corinthians 15:51 that we "will not all die, but we will all be changed"? Doesn't that imply transformation of the earthly body? Steven responds that the Greek word translated "change," allasso, can mean "to exchange one thing to another." The word appears in Hebrews 11:10-12:

"And, 'In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like clothing; like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end.'"

Here, the author of Hebrews says that the heavens and earth will perish and be exchanged for something else. It's like taking off one set of clothes and putting one another. And that's Steven's interpretation of Paul on the resurrection: Christians put off their earthly bodies and put on new, heavenly bodies. For Steven, the earthly bodies don't turn into heavenly bodies.

In my interaction with Steven under my post, I Corinthians 15:35-36: O Foolish Corinthians!, Steven asks, "How can a corpse be transformed when it no longer exists?"--when it has decomposed, he means. I respond, "Why can't [God] take the dust and create it into the new body--when the corpse is dust, that is?" And Steven replies to that, "Paul goes out of his way to trash the idea that resurrected beings are made from the dust of the earth." Here, Steven is referring to I Corinthians 15:47-49, which distinguishes our earthly bodies of dust from our heavenly, resurrected bodies. For Steven, Paul denies that God will fashion our heavenly bodies from dust, which means that our heavenly bodies will have no relation whatsoever to our old, earthly bodies. As far as Steven is concerned, Paul does not say that God will transform our earthly bodies of dust.

Here are five points:

1. Having glorious heavenly bodies that differ from our present earthly bodies of dust does not preclude an empty tomb. Daniel 12:2-3 states:

"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."

Here, the dead awaken and receive astral bodies. Waking up is consistent with them getting up and coming out of their graves, which would render the graves empty. Paul's statement that Christians will receive heavenly, spiritual bodies does not entail that their tombs must contain their earthly bodies, for God can transform the earthly bodies into something heavenly.

2. On one occasion, Paul explicitly says that God will transform our earthly bodies: "He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself" (Philippians 3:21). I'm sure Steven has thought about this passage, so I'll see how he responds.

3. When Paul says in II Corinthians 5:1 that our present earthly bodies will be destroyed, maybe he just means that we'll die. He may be affirming that, even though we might perish because our earthly bodies are corruptible, God still has hope for us, since he plans to give us new, heavenly bodies, which cannot pass away. The point is that God will replace our perishable bodies with ones that are imperishable, and he does that when he transforms our earthly bodies to become gloriously and heavenly.

4. Paul in Romans 7:24 wants to be delivered from this body of death. And he will be--when his corruptible body is transformed into an imperishable body. At that time, he won't have a body of death! But Paul may actually believe that the solution to his problem can come before his physical death, for he says in Romans 8:2 that "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death."

5. How does Paul envision Christians receiving their new bodies? Notice the following passages:

1 Corinthians 15:53: "For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality."

II Corinthians 5:4: "For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."

God puts our new, heavenly bodies over our perishable, earthly bodies. That sounds like transformation! Steven mocks this concept, equating it with Russian dolls and Harry Potter's invisibility cloak. But how else can one explain the perishable putting on the imperishable, or becoming further clothed, or the mortal being swallowed up by life (not eliminated and replaced with life)? God will endow our mortal bodies with spiritual qualities, such as immortality. Yes, our new bodies will be different from our old ones, but God creates the new ones from what has died.

Soon, I will look more at Paul's teaching on the resurrection. Stay tuned!