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@Stewardofthemystery
It's the common fallacy of all Amillennialists to believe that being
born (gennao) of the Spirit constitutes a "resurrection" of the human spirit of an individual - the spirit "that was dead".
Yes, it's biblical. It's you who do not really understand the purpose of the first resurrection.
Christ is the first resurrection from the dead because He was the first raised up from
the second death, wherein He suffered the wrath of God (the penalty for our sins) for us. It's not talking about mere physical death. Unfortunately, this is the mistake that so many people like you make, even today. They think that Jesus merely went to the cross and suffered a "physical" punishment. Movies like the "Passion" play this up and highlight this
as if this is what Christ's horrible suffering was all about. That's utter nonsense! Anyone can go to the cross and suffer and die horribly. And if that was the extent of it, then we are all most foolish to be believers. For countless went there before Him and suffered tremendously physically, just as Christ did.
But their suffering paled in comparison, because they merely suffered physically, while Christ suffered the wrath of God for "our sins" placed upon His person.
2nd Corinthians 5:21
- "For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Christ became sin for us (ALL Elect mankind), taking our iniquities in His body, and He suffered the horrible penalty of God's wrath (in addition to man's). And by His taking our sins, and paying the wages of those sins, we are left free from those sins. As the scripture above illustrates,
we were then made righteous in Him. The bodily suffering at the hands of man was merely an outward "representation" of the true nature of His punishment and wages of death He suffered on our behalf. Remember, the wages of sin is
NOT physical death. It's separation from God and eternal life which is SPIRITUAL DEATH!
Isaiah 53:4-5
- "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
- But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
He was stricken, smitten, and afflicted
By God, and for our sins. That's the death punishment God suffered, not merely having nails hammered into His hands, but something infinitely more efficacious and glorifying that a mere crucifixion.
Therefore, when we read that Christ was the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have "preeminence," this is the death and preeminence that is in view. The "First Resurrection" wherein all (including Lazarus) who will become saved, must have part in "His" First Resurrection. Because without that First Resurrection, we will instead have a part in the second death because of sin.
Thus we all had to be raised up in Him in order to live and reign with Him. For example, ALL of us (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Lazarus, etc.) have been raised up with Him in "
that" First Resurrection, so that we will live and reign forever. Raised up unto new life, wherein we will never die.
Ephesians 2:5-6
- "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; )
- And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"
There again is the First Resurrection in Christ. To be quickened together with Christ clearly means to be "made alive together with Christ." So even though the physical death of Lazarus "prefigured" the Resurrection of God's people in Christ, His Spiritual Resurrection had to be in Christ's First Resurrection. So truly, even Lazarus' First Resurrection was the moment He was saved or regenerated from death to Life. That is indeed why, when Martha told Christ Lazarus would be raised at the resurrection at "the last day," Christ responded by correcting her:
John 11:25-26
- "Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
- And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
Christ was saying He was the First Resurrection wherein Lazarus would be raised up at the Last day. He was talking about another death and another life and another resurrection. The dead live because they have part in "The First Resurrection." So that this physical death, nor Lazarus's spiritual death in Adam cannot defeat them.
Acts 26:23
- "That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles."
Thus, this is why Christ is called the First Resurrection from the dead. These Greek words [first rise] very obviously correspond to the very same words [first resurrection] found in Revelation chapter 20. They are the exact same words. Christ is the first resurrection to new life, after being under penalty of death that we deserved, that we might also be raised in newness of life with Him. And just as His death covers the sins of those who went before (Abraham, Jacob, etc) so his Resurrection is the reason that death had no power to hold them. Because He was the first, we live and reign with Him.
Revelation 20:6
- "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."
Because we have part in the first resurrection (ie. born again), the second death has no power over us.
There is a long list of verses in the New Testament that speak of "resurrection" using one of four Greek words meaning rising again from death. Not one of those verses is talking about the so-called "resurrection from the dead" of the human spirit. Each one of them is talking about the rising again from death of the human body.
That's false. We will not be resurrected from our fleshly body.
When did the individual's spirit die so that it could rise again from death?
Seems that you did not read my previous post carefully. Look for it and read again so I am not going to explain again.