What does resurrection mean scripturally?
Scripturally, resurrection means rising from the dead into the eternal, never to die again. It is not merely being brought back to life, as Lazarus and the widow's son were, since they died again. Christ alone began resurrection by arising from the dead, and the believer's resurrection will likewise be final.
Les explains that many ministers use the word resurrection outside its true meaning. In Scripture, people like the widow's son under Elijah and Lazarus were raised from the dead but were not resurrected; they were merely brought back to life and later died again. Resurrection speaks of what only Christ began: He arose from the dead into the eternal, never to die again. Les emphasizes that once Christ rose from the dead, He would never die again, and that was resurrection. When believers experience resurrection, it will be final; they will not again have to die and be brought back to life. He warns that calling Lazarus resurrected is incorrect, because Lazarus died again later.