“Find Me a New Body, I Don’t Want to Die”

Our flesh-and-blood bodies are cursed to expire (and it could be sooner than we think).

But the triumph of the gospel is greater than the tragedy of the curse.


1 Corinthians 15:20
But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruit of those who are asleep.



Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

Transcript

In early 2021, former child actor Dustin Diamond who played “Screech” on the teen sitcom “Saved By the Bell” was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.  

When it became evident that his treatments weren’t going well, he expressed fear over the prospect of losing his life:

His friend explained, “Dustin was scared, he called me often crying, telling me he didn’t want to die.  He was in a lot of pain.  One time on the phone he told me, ‘Find me a new body, I don’t want to die.'”

Well, he did die having just turned 44, only about three weeks after being diagnosed.

His plea for a new body is heartbreaking and tragic.  But not just because of his age – it’s the cry of all of us, because each of us is faced with death.

However, the gospel holds the remedy to this burden.

The apostle Paul gave an explanation of the gospel in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:  Yes, Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected, but Paul tells why Jesus being resurrected is so important:  Because Christ is the first of many who died to be resurrected unto a new, imperishable body.

The first man Adam brought the curse of death into the world when he committed sin.

Verse 22 says, For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

So being in Christ is the solution to this age-old problem.  How do we get into Christ?  Galatians 3:27 Paul wrote, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  

Then upon Christ’s return, the dead in Christ will receive those glorious, never-die bodies. 

So, no one needs to find you a new body.  In Christ, God will give you one.