Note 1 at Mt. 22:23: The Greek word used here for "resurrection" is "anastasis" and means "a standing or rising up." The resurrection is a major theme of New Testament teaching. Out of the 13 sermons in the book of Acts, 11 stress or imply the resurrection.

Man consists of three parts -- a spirit, a soul, and a body (1 Th. 5:23). The body is mortal while the spirit and soul are immortal. At death, man's body goes through the decomposition process and returns to its original elements. At the resur-rection, man's departed soul and spirit (Jas. 2:26) are called forth from either heaven or hell. The material elements of the body are raised up, reassembled, and united again to the spirit and soul. Thus we have the complete personality of the individual reconstituted. Everyone will be resurrected -- some to life, and some to damnation (Jn. 5:24-25,28-29).

The hope of the believer is the resurrection unto life in which the mortal body is said to be raised (1 Cor. 15:44), to be put on (1 Cor. 15:53-54), changed (1 Cor. 15:51; Phil. 3:21), fashioned (Phil. 3:21), quickened (Rom. 8:11), redeemed (Rom. 8:23), and waiting for the adoption and manifestation of all that it means to be a son of God (Rom. 8:19,23). The natural, earthly, terrestrial, corrupt, weak, mortal, vile body is said to be raised, changed and fashioned into a spiritual, heavenly, celestial, incorrupt, glorious, powerful, and immortal body (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:40,42-44,49,51,53-54; Phil. 3:21). This is the completeness of all that has been purchased for us in Christ (Rom. 8:23-25).

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:12-17 that if there is no resurrection, then our faith is vain and we are yet in our sins. It is the resurrection life of Jesus that brings spiritual life into a man (Jn. 11:25; 1 Cor. 15:17) and the resurrection of the body that brings physical regeneration, reconstituting us into the very image of God (1 Cor. 15:44; 1 Jn. 3:2; see note 15 at Jn. 5:29, p. 100; see note 3 at Lk. 7:15, p. 116).