April 2007 - Volume 2, Issue 11

The Resurrection Body of Christ the Lord (Part 3)
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

In the early years of Church history, there were men who denied the true humanity of Jesus. They were the Docetics, a significant branch of Gnosticism. They considered it blasphemous to imagine an infinite, holy, transcendent God contaminating Himself by assuming human flesh. This attitude reflected Greek philosophy, which held that matter is evil, and only the mind and spirit are good.

This was a deadly heresy, and was confronted head-on by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament Scriptures, especially in the writings of John. Note, for example, this statement: "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God" (1 John 4:2). And, "many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist" (2 John 7).

The creation account in Genesis assures us that every physical, material thing God ever created, including the human body, was "very good" (Genesis 1:31). Moral, ethical evil is found in man's "heart" (the center of rational thought, moral choices and self consciousness), not his body: "for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries..." (Matthew 15:19; cf. Matthew 12:34).

The Apostle Paul echoes this thought with regard to those who follow demonic doctrines, such as: "commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused . . ." (1 Timothy 4:1-4).

Doctor Luke, "the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14), Paul's frequent travel companion and medical helper, was especially fascinated by the physical body Jesus manifested after His resurrection from the dead. Luke assures us that it was "Jesus Himself (who) stood in the midst of them," having passed through the locked door into their hiding place (Luke 24:36). It was not "a spirit" that looked like Jesus (Luke 24:37-39).

To demonstrate the genuineness of His physical body, the now glorified Christ said to them: "Have ye here any meat? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before them" (Luke 24:41-43). The way He partook of this food immediately reminded them of the many times they had shared meals with Him during the previous three years.

Similarly, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus "knew Him" when "as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them" (Luke 24:30, 31). Something about His gestures and mannerisms at meal times in His public ministry fully confirmed His identity to them.

There were no fast food restaurants in ancient Israel. Mealtimes were special times to get acquainted with people. It is significant, therefore, that our Lord "shewed Himself alive, after His passion (i.e., death), by many infallible proofs, being seen of them (the apostles) forty days . . ." (Acts 1:3). It is often overlooked that one of these "infallible proofs" of His true identity was the way He "assembled together with them," (Acts 1:4), literally, "shared salt (i.e., ate) with them."

The Apostle Peter never forgot these precious meal times with the resurrected Savior. In his message to the Roman centurion Cornelius (and his relatives and friends), Peter said: "Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead" (Acts 10:40, 41).

To Be Continued...

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
Pray for Dr. Whitcomb and his many upcoming speaking engagements. This is a vital need that you can fulfill before the throne of God's grace in order to help this ministry.

On Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Westview Baptist Church/Community Bible Church of Summerville in North Charleston, S.C. For more information, call Pastor Al Edgington at 317-414-0171.

From Monday, May 14, to Friday, May 18, Dr. Whitcomb will teach at the Word of Life Bible Institute - Canadian Extension, in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. For more information, call Dr. Doug Reider at 519-376-3516, or visit www.wol.org.

On Saturday, May 26, Dr. Whitcomb will participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum in Hebron, Ky. For more information, visit www.answersingenesis.org.

On Sunday, May 27, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Kenton Baptist Church of Kenton, Ky. For more information, call Pastor Steve Watkins at 859-356-9425, or visit www.kentonbaptist.org.

For additional details about these events, please visit our web pages at www.whitcombministries.org and www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

(*Answers in Genesis-sponsored event. For more information on these conferences, visit www.answersingenesis.org/events.)

Broadcast schedule updated for SermonAudio.com
Our schedule of upcoming broadcasts for www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb is updated regularly on our website, under "God's Gracious Workings - News and Notes." At this time, we are adding brand new messages on the book of Exodus that were delivered by Dr. Whitcomb to the Duluth Bible Church in Duluth, Minn., last fall.

As of this writing, we have a total of 317 messages archived on our SermonAudio pages. Of these, 279 are sermons, lectures, radio interviews and other talks by Dr. Whitcomb. Other speakers featured include Dr. Whitcomb's wife Norma, a Bible teacher to ladies; Dr. Thomas Ice of the Pre-Trib Research Center; Dr. Terry Mortenson of Answers in Genesis; Dr. Renald Showers of Friends of Israel; and others.

We invite you to make full use of these messages, and trust that they will bring joy and blessing to you.