The Afterlife for Christians (1 Corinthians 15)

This week we wrap up the Apostles’ Creed by looking at the future God has promised. Many think Christianity is just about avoiding hell, but Scripture paints a far bigger, better story. Pastor Ivey walks us through our real destiny: resurrection, renewal, and the new heavens and new earth. If you’ve ever wondered how the story ends, this one’s for you.

video, "The Afterlife for Christians (1 Corinthians 15)," by Pastor Ivey of Arborway Community Church, concludes a series on the Apostles' Creed. The pastor emphasizes that the creed's beliefs are the foundational "load-bearing walls" of Christianity (0:13-0:27), and understanding them helps Christians become "rounded out" in their faith (0:50-1:42).

The core message revolves around three truths of God's "renovation plan" for creation, focusing on the line from the creed: "the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting" (5:21-5:33).

Here's a breakdown of the three truths:

1. You are Forgiven (7:22-20:01):
• The pastor explains that the guilt and shame we feel are "warning signs" of sin, which is anything less than perfect (7:31-8:46).
• He highlights that all humans are broken and in need of Christ's salvation, drawing an example from Saint Paul's radical acceptance of his own brokenness (8:47-10:02).
• God cannot allow sin to go unpunished (11:04-11:07), and since humans cannot pay for their own sins, Jesus voluntarily did so by dying on the cross (11:16-12:42).
• Through Jesus' sacrifice, our sins are credited to him, and in return, we receive his righteousness (12:47-13:02).
• Forgiveness is a gift of love, not something earned through good deeds, religious practices, or worldly success (13:50-16:51). It is received by sincerely trusting that Jesus died and rose again to forgive our sins (17:22-18:17).
• Christians are identified as forgiven and righteous in God's sight (18:54-19:19).

2. Your Destiny is Resurrection (20:08-27:59):
• The video challenges common misconceptions about what happens after death, stating that for believers, while souls go immediately to be with the Lord, this disembodied state is not the end (22:18-22:49).
• Christians are promised a future resurrection where their earthly bodies, "asleep in the grave," will be raised, transformed, and reunited with their souls (23:00-23:27).
• This "new glorious body" will be incorruptible, without sickness, decay, pain, or the ability to sin (23:50-26:34).
• God's original design for humanity was to be whole, integrated beings of both body and soul, and the resurrection restores humanity to this original design (23:56-24:42).
• The Christian hope is not life in the clouds but "heaven coming down to earth," where heaven and earth are once again united, as described in Revelation 21 (26:59-27:59).

3. You Live Happily Ever After (28:39-35:30):
• The pastor asserts that God designed humanity with a desire for a "happily ever after" ending (29:11-29:18).
• This belief in a glorious future profoundly impacts a Christian's perspective on the present life, making it seem like a "prologue" to a much greater existence (29:40-30:05).
• Knowing what awaits them in eternity provides Christians with strength, endurance, and peace even in difficult times (32:48-33:17).
• The "happily ever after" means that suffering, pain, mental illness, poverty, sadness, addiction, sin, shame, and guilt do not have the final say; Christ does (34:47-35:05).
• One day, believers will experience a full resurrection, welcoming them into God's kingdom (35:08-35:30).

The video concludes by inviting those who do not know their eternal destination to trust in Christ and encouraging Christians to gain perspective by focusing on their eternal future (35:47-36:35).