One of the books I read a bit of during Lent and in preparation for Easter was NT Wright’s book, “Simply Good News.” I’ve really appreciated Bishop Wright’s teachings and theology for some time as I find him a gifted teacher as well as an insightful theologian.
One of the things that Wright has stressed for some time (see “Surprised by Hope”) is what exactly is meant by “Resurrection” in the Gospels. This is an important issue for us today, as we have slipped, I believe, unknowingly into a type of pseudo-Gnosticism that thinks of ‘Resurrection’ solely in terms of the spiritual realm. Bishop Wright says,
“Nor is it the case that the resurrection of Jesus somehow proves something called life after death. Most first-century Jews believed, in any case, that God would look after them following their death.” (p.53)
The belief in some sort of spiritual existence after death is not a new one. The Greeks had “Hades” which is not another term for what we call “Hell,” but rather for the abode of the dead. The Jews had “Sheol,” which was again the realm of the dead. The ephemeral, spiritual existence beyond this life was not new. The idea that someone would return from the dead, however, is shocking. This is, by the way, why the Gospels and Epistles go out of their way to describe an empty tomb (the body was gone) and the physicality of the risen Jesus (he ate fish and showed his scars). He was not simply a ghost. He was Resurrected.
What is the point of the resurrection of Jesus, according to Wright?
“The main point of the resurrection is that it is the beginning of God’s new world.” (p.54)
Or, as he writes beautifully,
“The ancient sickness that had crippled the whole world, and humans with it, has been cured at last, so that new life can rise up in its place.” (p.55)
This is why salvation means so much more than ‘going to heaven when you die.’ In fact, thinking of it that way misses the main thrust of the whole thing. Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is why the Christian life is not marked by waiting to die, but rather by something we call, ‘discipleship.’ Discipleship is that new life rising up in the place of the old. We Wesleyans call it, “sanctification,” but honestly, we aren’t the only ones who believe this sort of thing. It is a thoroughly Christian understanding of humanity and salvation. God will give you a new heart. The power of God is greater than the power of sin in your life. He will set you free. The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that the power of sin and death have been broken and that you can see the effects of this in your life today as you are in Christ.