Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Virgin Monk Boy's avatar

This is so honest, and honestly? More faithful than most of the literalists I grew up with.

Paul never describes resurrection as a corpse getting up and walking around. He writes:

“What you sow does not come to life unless it dies… It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:36, 44)

“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:50)

That’s not resuscitation. That’s transformation.

Even the Gospel stories point to something other than physical continuity. Mary doesn’t recognize Jesus in the garden (John 20:14). The disciples walk beside him on the road to Emmaus and still don’t know who he is until the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:15–16). He appears, disappears, passes through locked doors. Whatever it was, it wasn’t the same body.

The earliest Christian confession was simple. Not “I believe the tomb was empty.” It was “Jesus is Lord.”

That’s not about one moment in history. That’s about an ongoing reality.

So yes. I believe in the resurrection too. Not because I think Jesus’ corpse reanimated, but because I’ve seen what dies and comes back to life in me.

And just like you said, not in the way they think.

Expand full comment
Tara Gelhaus's avatar

'Holy shit. Jesus is Lord.' and 'Holy shit. Paul gets it.' Had me rolling! Because, 'No shit Sherlock'! 😂 But I get it. Part of me still wants a literal resurrection. The rest of me is learning to embrace the figurative one. But maybe there's a way to still hold both as true. Either way, I don't know if I would have embarked on this journey if I thought I'd never find my way back to Jesus. His love is too precious for me to ever let go of it. Thank you for showing me that I can find my way back to him.

Expand full comment
30 more comments...

No posts