1 Corinthians 15:50

1 Corinthians 15:50 (ESV)

[50] I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

If we have bodies in Heaven, why does Paul make such a point of flesh and blood not inheriting the Kingdom of God? The answer lies in the fact that the Corinthian believers had begun to believe that there was only hope in Christ as long as they lived. They knew Jesus was coming back to establish his kingdom, but they were still thinking from an earthly perspective. If you died, you wouldn’t see the kingdom. Paul tells them that just the opposite is true. The cannot see the kingdom unless they die.

There is a caveat to that later in the chapter when he tells them that they either need to die, or be changed at Jesus’ coming. But either way, they do not enter into the kingdom with this perishable body. Their perspective was far to narrow. They were looking for the kingdom, but they were thinking that it was an earthly kingdom. There is a now and not yet aspect to the kingdom. The kingdom is here now among those who are believers, yet the kingdom will only be completely fulfilled in the New Heavens and New Earth after Jesus returns. Still, at least they were looking for his return.

For many today, I fear that we talk about eternity, we hold to the promise of Heaven, but we live as though this life is more important. We live in the fear of death and the process of dying. We try not to think about it, but aging comes knocking at the door before we realize it. We live in the fear of losing control of our bodies and minds as we get older. We fear loss of mobility. So here we are facing a pandemic that has many of us stuck at home. We have lost our freedom of movement for fear of getting or passing a potentially deadly virus. We face loss or we face illness and possible death. How are we going to respond?

Are we going to maintain the earthly perspective that leads to anxiety and fear, or trust that even this is simply a part of that process of dying which precedes something better? Martin Luther, in a letter to John Hess regarding the Bubonic Plague, wrote that it is appropriate to “seek to preserve life and avoid death [if] this can be done without harm to our neighbor.” But he went on to warn, “A man who will not help or support others unless he can do so without affecting his safety or his property will never help his neighbor.” Then, referring to several passages including 1 John 3:15-17, Luther harshly warns, “Anyone who does not do that for his neighbor, but forsakes him and leaves him to his misfortune, becomes a murderer in the sight of God.”

Those are harsh words. He was reminding Hess and others that this life is not all there is. We must live in light of the imminent return of Christ. My Grandmother believed that Jesus would return in her lifetime. That didn’t happen, but she was right to live as though it might. When our hopes and dreams are in this life we have become idolaters. When our hopes and dreams are in the Kingdom of God we are willing to set aside our own will and even safety when necessary, to serve in the name of Christ.

Let us be prudent, but may fear never keep us from service. Let us serve in a way that honors and protects those we serve. For us, as believers in Jesus Christ, there is something more permanent than the here and now. Protect yourself if you can. Protect others. Trust God and serve, for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Cor 15:50). We have a hope that goes beyond this life.