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On the Resurrection of the Flesh

Tertullian

Chapter 47

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XLVII.—St. Paul, All Through, Promises Eternal Life to the Body.

For that must be living after the world, which

‹ Chapter 46 Chapter 48 ›

,

as

the

old

man

,

he

declares

to

be

“

crucified

with

Christ

,

”

not

as

a

bodily

structure

,

but

as

moral

behaviour

.

Besides

,

if

we

do

not

understand

it

in

this

sense

,

it

is

not

our

bodily

frame

which

has

been

transfixed

(

at

all

events

)

,

nor

has

our

flesh

endured

the

cross

of

Christ

;

but

the

sense

is

that

which

he

has

subjoined

,

“

that

the

body

of

sin

might

be

made

void

,

”

by

an

amendment

of

life

,

not

by

a

destruction

of

the

substance

,

as

he

goes

on

to

say

,

“

that

henceforth

we

should

not

serve

sin

;

”

and

that

we

should

believe

ourselves

to

be

“

dead

with

Christ

,

”

in

such

a

manner

as

that

“

we

shall

also

live

with

Him

.

”

On

the

same

principle

he

says

:

“

Likewise

reckon

ye

also

yourselves

to

be

dead

indeed

.

”

To

what

?

To

the

flesh

?

No

,

but

“

unto

sin

.

”

Accordingly

as

to

the

flesh

they

will

be

saved

—

“

alive

unto

God

in

Christ

Jesus

,

”

through

the

flesh

of

course

,

to

which

they

will

not

be

dead

;

since

it

is

“

unto

sin

,

”

and

not

to

the

flesh

,

that

they

are

dead

.

For

he

pursues

the

point

still

further

:

“

Let

not

sin

therefore

reign

in

your

mortal

body

,

that

ye

should

obey

it

,

and

that

ye

should

yield

your

members

as

instruments

of

unrighteousness

unto

sin

:

but

yield

ye

yourselves

unto

God

,

as

those

that

are

alive

from

the

dead

”

—

not

simply

alive

,

but

as

alive

from

the

dead

—

“

and

your

members

as

instruments

of

righteousness

.

”

And

again

:

“

As

ye

have

yielded

your

members

servants

of

uncleanness

,

and

of

iniquity

unto

iniquity

,

even

so

now

yield

your

members

servants

of

righteousness

unto

holiness

;

for

whilst

ye

were

the

servants

of

sin

,

ye

were

free

from

righteousness

.

What

fruit

had

ye

then

in

those

things

of

which

ye

are

now

ashamed

?

For

the

end

of

those

things

is

death

.

But

now

,

being

made

free

from

sin

,

and

become

servants

to

God

,

ye

have

your

fruit

unto

holiness

,

and

the

end

everlasting

life

.

For

the

wages

of

sin

is

death

,

but

the

gift

of

God

is

eternal

life

through

Jesus

Christ

our

Lord

.

”

Thus

throughout

this

series

of

passages

,

whilst

withdrawing

our

members

from

unrighteousness

and

sin

,

and

applying

them

to

righteousness

and

holiness

,

and

transferring

the

same

from

the

wages

of

death

to

the

donative

of

eternal

life

,

he

undoubtedly

promises

to

the

flesh

the

recompense

of

salvation

.

Now

it

would

not

at

all

have

been

consistent

that

any

rule

of

holiness

and

righteousness

should

be

especially

enjoined

for

the

flesh

,

if

the

reward

of

such

a

discipline

were

not

also

within

its

reach

;

nor

could

even

baptism

be

properly

ordered

for

the

flesh

,

if

by

its

regeneration

a

course

were

not

inaugurated

tending

to

its

restitution

;

the

apostle

himself

suggesting

this

idea

:

“

Know

ye

not

,

that

so

many

of

us

as

are

baptized

into

Jesus

Christ

,

are

baptized

into

His

death

?

We

are

therefore

buried

with

Him

by

baptism

into

death

,

that

just

as

Christ

was

raised

up

from

the

dead

,

even

so

we

also

should

walk

in

newness

of

life

.

”

And

that

you

may

not

suppose

that

this

is

said

merely

of

that

life

which

we

have

to

walk

in

the

newness

of

,

through

baptism

,

by

faith

,

the

apostle

with

superlative

forethought

adds

:

“

For

if

we

have

been

planted

together

in

the

likeness

of

Christ’s

death

,

we

shall

be

also

in

the

likeness

of

His

resurrection

.

”

By

a

figure

we

die

in

our

baptism

,

but

in

a

reality

we

rise

again

in

the

flesh

,

even

as

Christ

did

,

“

that

,

as

sin

has

reigned

in

death

,

so

also

grace

might

reign

through

righteousness

unto

life

eternal

,

through

Jesus

Christ

our

Lord

.

”

But

how

so

,

unless

equally

in

the

flesh

?

For

where

the

death

is

,

there

too

must

be

the

life

after

the

death

,

because

also

the

life

was

first

there

,

where

the

death

subsequently

was

.

Now

,

if

the

dominion

of

death

operates

only

in

the

dissolution

of

the

flesh

,

in

like

manner

death’s

contrary

,

life

,

ought

to

produce

the

contrary

effect

,

even

the

restoration

of

the

flesh

;

so

that

,

just

as

death

had

swallowed

it

up

in

its

strength

,

it

also

,

after

this

mortal

was

swallowed

up

of

immortality

,

may

hear

the

challenge

pronounced

against

it

:

“

O

death

,

where

is

thy

sting

?

O

grave

,

where

is

thy

victory

?

”

For

in

this

way

“

grace

shall

there

much

more

abound

,

where

sin

once

abounded

.

”

In

this

way

also

“

shall

strength

be

made

perfect

in

weakness

,

”

—

saving

what

is

lost

,

reviving

what

is

dead

,

healing

what

is

stricken

,

curing

what

is

faint

,

redeeming

what

is

lost

,

freeing

what

is

enslaved

,

recalling

what

has

strayed

,

raising

what

is

fallen

;

and

this

from

earth

to

heaven

,

where

,

as

the

apostle

teaches

the

Philippians

,

“

we

have

our

citizenship

,

from

whence

also

we

look

for

our

Saviour

Jesus

Christ

,

who

shall

change

our

body

of

humiliation

,

that

it

may

be

fashioned

like

unto

His

glorious

body

”

—

of

course

after

the

resurrection

,

because

Christ

Himself

was

not

glorified

before

He

suffered

.

These

must

be

“

the

bodies

”

which

he

“

beseeches

”

the

Romans

to

“

present

”

as

“

a

living

sacrifice

,

holy

,

acceptable

unto

God

.

”

But

how

a

living

sacrifice

,

if

these

bodies

are

to

perish

?

How

a

holy

one

,

if

they

are

profanely

soiled

?

How

acceptable

to

God

,

if

they

are

condemned

?

Come

,

now

,

tell

me

how

that

passage

(

in

the

Epistle

)

to

the

Thessalonians

—

which

,

because

of

its

clearness

,

I

should

suppose

to

have

been

written

with

a

sunbeam

—

is

understood

by

our

heretics

,

who

shun

the

light

of

Scripture

:

“

And

the

very

God

of

peace

sanctify

you

wholly

.

”

And

as

if

this

were

not

plain

enough

,

it

goes

on

to

say

:

“

And

may

your

whole

body

,

and

soul

,

and

spirit

be

preserved

blameless

unto

the

coming

of

the

Lord

.

”

Here

you

have

the

entire

substance

of

man

destined

to

salvation

,

and

that

at

no

other

time

than

at

the

coming

of

the

Lord

,

which

is

the

key

of

the

resurrection

.

Notes

1
Rom. vi. 6.
2
Evacuetur: καταργηθῃ. A.V. destroyed, i.e. deprived of all activity, Rom. vi. 6.
3
Rom. vi. 6. Tertullian’s reading literally is, “that thus far (and no further) we should be servants of sin.”
4
Ver. 8.
5
Ver. 11.
6
Ver. 11.
7
Ver. 11.
8
Vers. 12, 13.
9
Vers. 19–23.
10
Rom. vi. 3, 4.
11
Ver. 5.
12
Rom. v. 21.
13
1 Cor. xv. 55.
14
Rom. v. 20.
15
2 Cor. xii. 9.
16
Municipatum.
17
Phil. iii. 20, 21.
18
Rom. xii. 1.
19
1 Thess. v. 23.
20
[Note Tertullian’s summary of the text, in harmony with the Tripartite philosophy of humanity.]