We are “children of the resurrection”In His dispute with the Sadducees about the resurrection, Jesus makes an unusual statement: "...they can no longer die; for "Child of x," refers to direct descent when x is the name of a person. When x is an object or quality, however, "child of x" indicates that the person so described has some relationship with x or has the quality of x. For instance, Jesus called James and John "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17), perhaps because of their lightning-quick tempers or their thunderously loud voices. The apostles nicknamed Joseph "Barnabas" (Aramaic for "son of encouragement") for his outstanding characteristic. Other examples are in Matt. 23:15, John 12:36, and 1 Thess. 5:5. What, then, does it mean for us Christians to be "children of the resurrection"? It means that to be raised to everlasting life has become part of our nature, our genetically programmed spiritual destiny. Yes, the potential is there that we could pervert God's intention for our new life in Christ, but the wonder is that we could be saved at all, weak and stumbling as we are. God has made provision for our weakness, not to give us an excuse to sin more, but to encourage us to hold on to Jesus (1 John 2:1-2). Just hold on and keep the faith. When this brief life is over, the new will begin. But to be "children of the resurrection" also means something for right now. It means God intends our present existence to be characterized by vitality, power, and, well, joy. Jesus says that everyone who believes in Him - who really and fully commits and submits to Him - has eternal life now. Such believers have already crossed over from death into life (John 5:24). Their present life is a resurrection kind of living. Children of the resurrection! It's exciting for later, but also motivating us to live for Him right now. |
| —Steve Singleton DeeperStudy.com |
Want to go deeper?When you do a word study, you should not just study the occurrences of a single word but of its close synonyms, what we would call a conceptual group. Actually, there are at least three Greek nouns for male offspring in the New Testament: huios ("son"), teknon ("child"), pais ("child, "son," "servant" or "slave"), and paidion (the diminutive form of pais, "little child, child"). The article above discusses the metaphorical uses of huios ("sons of thunder," "son of destruction," "son of encouragement," etc.). Verses using teknon in a similar way include "children of Abraham" (Matt. 3:9; Luke 3:8; John 8:39; and Rom. 9:7) and "children of Sarah" (1 Peter 3:6). The one such case with paidion is Heb. 2:13-14, which applies Isa. 8:18 to Christians, calling us God's "little children." References to Christ as God's pais might refer to His relation to the Father as the Beloved Son, but they might also call up the Old Testament image of the Servant of the LORD, of which Christ is the fulfillment. The context must decide which is intended. Take a look at these verses and decide for yourself: Matt. 12:18; Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30).
K. P. Yohannan. Reflecting His Image Intimately (2004). Let K.P. Yohannan take you on a journey back up the mountain to the source of true, living water--Christ Himself. It's easy to let life build up on you and let cares and worries pollute your heart so that you cannot reflect Christ clearly. Rediscover God's ultimate purpose for your life: to reflect His likeness and walk in His newness of life. Recommended for online reading: J. M. Shaw. "The Witness of St. Paul," 2:347-348 in his article, Resurrection of Christ, 2:329-367 in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, ed. James Hastings (1919). |
they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection " (Luke 20:36). What is the meaning of "children [literally 'sons'] of the resurrection"?
