If everyone is to be resurrected, why would Paul be seeking to attain the resurrection?

Apparently there are many types of resurrections, some to glorious life, some to salvation as by fire, some to shame and everlasting contempt, and some to judgment and condemnation, and all levels of these several varieties.

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (I Corinthians 3:15)

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: (I Corinthians 15:41,42)

All shall be resurrected. But what one person is raised to may vary greatly from what another person is raised to. This being the case we would want a "better resurrection."

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (Hebrews 11:35)

The way we live as a Christian will directly determine the nature of our resurrection. What we sow we will reap. If we sow to our flesh we will reap corruption in the day of resurrection. If we sow to the Spirit of God we will reap eternal life in the day of resurrection. Here is the perfect justice of God. We shall receive what we have done in our body while alive on the earth.

Since it is clearly scriptural that the manner in which we conduct ourselves as Christians will determine the kind of resurrection we experience, the comment "I don't care about the resurrection just as long as I'm not here when trouble comes," while it is familiar and meant to be somewhat humorous, reflects a problem with evangelical teaching and preaching, a misunderstanding of the Scriptures that directly affects the intensity with which people seek the Lord.

The resurrection of our mortal body is the central message of the Kingdom of God. We shall not perish but have everlasting life. The last enemy that will be overcome is physical death. We must always keep in mind, however, that the quality of our resurrection is being determined by the quality of our discipleship. To think otherwise is to be deceived and to place in jeopardy our entire destiny.

Grace and mercy operate now, today, as we are attempting to gain the strength to serve the Lord. Grace and mercy will not operate in the Day of the Lord so as to change the eternal Kingdom principle of sowing and reaping. We cannot live a weak, indecisive, half-hearted, disobedient Christian life and then receive a body like the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who teach such will stand before the Lord with their terrified followers and explain why they changed the Scriptures.

To be continued.