Resurrection of the Body

Definition and Meaning

The resurrection of the body is the belief that when Jesus Christ returns (the Second Coming), the dead will be raised to life as embodied beings. It is distinct from the idea that only the soul survives, that is, the immortality of a disembodied soul. Christianity views the human person as a unity of soul and body and understands salvation to include the body as well.

The older Korean translation of the Apostles' Creed renders this article as "I believe in the body's living again and in living forever," while the newer translation renders it "I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting." This confession is closely connected with eternal life and the Last Judgment.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, passages such as Daniel 12:2 and Isaiah 26:19 speak of the dead awakening. In the New Testament, the center of this doctrine is the risen Jesus, and Paul presents the resurrection of Christ as the ground for the resurrection of those who believe in him (1 Corinthians 15:20–22). Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, often called the Resurrection Chapter, calls the resurrection body a "spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:44) and teaches that the dead will be changed into incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51–52). John 5:25–29 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 are also commonly cited.

In the early church, Gnosticism regarded matter and the body as inferior. The Church Fathers defended the resurrection of the body against this view; Tertullian's On the Resurrection of the Flesh is known as a representative work. After the Reformation, Protestant confessions of faith also carried the doctrine forward. For example, the Westminster Confession of Faith confesses that on the last day the dead will be raised with the selfsame bodies.

Practice in the Korean Church

The resurrection of the body is accepted by Korean Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, Full Gospel, and Anglican churches alike. It is confessed in the Apostles' Creed during Sunday worship and is frequently addressed in Easter sermons and at funeral services. Funeral services and memorial services emphasize the hope that the deceased will be raised, and 1 Corinthians 15 or 1 Thessalonians 4 is often read.

There is little dispute among denominations over the doctrine itself. Differences arise instead in eschatology, with respect to the timing and order of the resurrection. Premillennialism, which holds that the saints will be raised first, before the millennium, reads the "first resurrection" of Revelation 20 as a literal event. Amillennialists generally hold that the righteous and the wicked will be raised together on the last day. In some cases both views coexist within a single denomination.

In the past, some church members reportedly insisted on burial, believing cremation to be incompatible with faith in the resurrection. Today most Korean churches accept cremation, holding that the manner in which the body is laid to rest does not hinder the resurrection.