Resurrection

Definition and Meaning

Resurrection (Korean buhwal, 復活) means "rising to life again." In Christianity the term refers to two related things. One is the event in which Jesus Christ, having died on the cross, rose again bodily on the third day; the other is the belief that on the last day the dead will be raised.

The resurrection body is not regarded as the pre-death body simply restored to life. Rather, it is understood as a transformed body that will never die again (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Many Protestant denominations regard the resurrection of Jesus as the event in which sin and death were overcome and as the basis of salvation, and in worship they confess "the resurrection of the body" in the Apostles' Creed.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, the expectation that the dead will awake appears in passages such as Daniel 12:2. Within the Judaism of Jesus' day, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection, while the Sadducees denied it (Matthew 22:23).

The four Gospels report the empty tomb and the appearances of the risen Jesus to his disciples. Paul wrote, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain" (1 Corinthians 15:17). The fourth-century Nicene Creed likewise confesses the resurrection of the dead.

In the modern era, some strands of liberal theology have interpreted the resurrection as the disciples' experience of faith or as a symbol. Evangelicals, by contrast, have emphasized the historical, bodily resurrection as central to the faith.

Accounts of when and in what order the final resurrection will take place differ according to how one understands the millennium. Premillennialists, citing Revelation 20:4-6, speak of a distinct "first resurrection" of the saints.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean Protestantism observes Easter as one of its most important feasts. On this occasion, the arrival of Horace Underwood and Henry Appenzeller at Chemulpo on Easter morning in 1885 is frequently recalled. Joint Easter services involving multiple denominations are reported to have begun around 1947, after Korea's liberation.

Many churches, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, and Full Gospel congregations, prepare for Easter with special early-morning prayer meetings during Holy Week. Easter Day itself typically includes sunrise services, choir cantatas, and the sharing of boiled eggs. The Anglican Church of Korea observes Easter liturgically in accordance with the liturgical calendar, including keeping the Easter Vigil on the night before Easter.

The hope of the resurrection is also the central theme of Scripture readings and sermons at funeral services and graveside committal services.