Paul means the resurrection body is not the same body that was buried; the planted body is only a bare seed that must die before God gives it a new body.
In 1 Corinthians 15:36-37, Paul says the seed must die before it is quickened, and the body sown is not the body that shall be but bare grain. The new body is given by God. Les Feldick consistently teaches that the seed must be planted, die, and then come up in new life, and that the resurrected body will be like the Lord's post-resurrection body rather than the present flesh and blood body.
1 Corinthians 15:37 — Paul directly uses the seed analogy to answer the question of what body the dead are raised with.
The question comes from 1 Corinthians 15. In verse 35, Paul asks, "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?" He answers with an agricultural picture. Verse 36 says, "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die." Verse 37 continues, "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain." The body that is placed into the ground is like a bare seed, not the full plant that will one day appear. Verse 38 says, "But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body." So the new body is not simply the old body reanimated; God gives a body appropriate to the new life. Paul expands this in verse 44: "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body."
Les uses the same agricultural picture to explain the necessity of death before resurrection. He says a kernel of wheat left in a granary will never reproduce; it must be planted—that is, buried in the ground—so that it can die and then come forth as new life (Clips 5 and 6). He also connects this to Romans 6:5, where Paul says we have been "planted together in the likeness of his death," meaning we have been placed in the tomb with Christ (Clips 2 and 4). When the question turns to the resurrection body, Les says it will not be the same flesh and blood body we have now, but it will be "on the same order" as the Lord Jesus in His 40 days after His resurrection. We will not be invisible spirit beings or like angels; we will eternally exist in a body (Clip 3). Les also points out that the whole sphere of springtime is a picture of death, burial, and resurrection: the seed dies, and when everything is right, it springs up into new life and reproduces (Clip 7).
Les points to the example of a kernel of wheat. If it is left in a granary, it will never reproduce; it must be planted—buried in the ground—so that it can die and then come up as new life. He says that before a seed can sprout new life, it has to die, and out of that death comes the new green shoot that will produce much fruit. Paul makes the same point in 1 Corinthians 15:36.
Les says no. Our resurrection body will not be the same flesh and blood body, but it will be on the same order as the Lord Jesus in His 40 days after His resurrection. He also says we will not be invisible spirit beings or like angels; we will eternally exist in a body.
Les says the whole sphere of springtime is a picture of death, burial, and resurrection. Everything that produces a seed will see that seed die, and when everything is right, it springs up into new life and reproduces again.
Why a Seed Must Die Before It Can Live — 1 Corinthians 15:36 Explained
Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
Seed Must Die Like Christ
Les compares an actual planted kernel of wheat to being buried with Christ; new life only comes through that death.
Planted Together with Christ
Les shows that being 'planted' in Romans 6 means being put in the soil, and the seed begins to die and receive new life.
Resurrection Body on the Same Order as Christ
Les teaches that the resurrection body will not be the same flesh and blood body, but will be on the same order as the Lord Jesus in His 40 days after resurrection.
Burial in the Tomb Pictures Death
Les connects being 'planted together in the likeness of His death' to being placed in the tomb, waiting for resurrection day.
Kernel of Wheat Must Be Buried to Reproduce
Les explains that a kernel of wheat left in a granary never reproduces; it must be buried, die, and then come forth as new life.
Seed Dies Before Sprouting New Life
Les says a seed must be taken out of its container, placed in the ground, and for all practical purposes die before it can sprout new life.
Springtime Pictures Death, Burial, Resurrection
Les shows that the whole system of springtime—seed falling, dying, and springing up—is a picture of death, burial, and resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:36: Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
Paul's opening rebuke introduces the principle that a seed cannot be made alive unless it dies first.
1 Corinthians 15:37: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
This is the exact verse in question, showing that the body buried is not the body raised.
1 Corinthians 15:38: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
Paul shows that God chooses the body the seed will become.
1 Corinthians 15:44: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Paul contrasts the body that is sown with the body that is raised.
Paul means the body that is placed in the ground is not the final resurrection body. Just as a planted seed is bare grain and not the mature plant, the body that is buried is not the body that will be raised. God gives the resurrection body.
Yes. Paul says a seed cannot be quickened unless it dies, and Les emphasizes that the seed must be buried and die before new life can come. The death of the seed pictures the burial of the body, from which resurrection life will come.
Les says it will not be the same flesh and blood body we have now, but it will be on the same order as the Lord Jesus in His 40 days after His resurrection. We will eternally exist in a body, not as invisible spirit beings.
Watch the Teaching: Why a Seed Must Die Before It Can Live — 1 Corinthians 15:36 Explained