Our resurrection
Day 28
by Gini Crawford, MSW
A new body
A new body for a new existence. Jesus' resurrection gives us the assurance that in eternity as Christians, we will rise bodily, just like He did. Our resurrection gives us an imperishable body that is just right for a life with God in heaven. If you want to understand your resurrection, first Corinthians chapter fifteen is where you go for the absolutely wonderful reality that awaits us.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.... But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.... So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.... Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven....For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 35-57 ESV®
I do not know about you, but at my age, an imperishable body sounds awfully good. My perishable body here on this earth is starting to get spoiled we could say. I fight one wrinkle with supposedly a miracle cream and when I think I see some improvement (maybe it's just the placebo effect), two more have appeared. No amount of anything seems to do much to stop the slippery slope of aging that is a part of our state of death. When you look at your body and feel the physical, psychological and spiritual distresses of that body (I know some of you are in awful pain and are crippled in this earthly body), don't forget the promise of our new body. It certainly gives a beautiful new meaning to the old phrase, out with the old and in with the new. Doesn't it? How do you feel about the fact that you will get a new body in heaven?
Life Application
Our spirit, soul and body
To put it simply, in the Bible the spirit and the soul are pretty much used interchangeably. How does the body fit in? No pun intended, but our earthly bodies are a shell for living in this world. From James 2:26 we know it is our spirit that gives us life, because the body without the spirit is dead. When we die physically our bodies are buried or cremated by one means or another, but our soul and spirit live on. Your spirit and soul are your inner self, so who you are will live on. This fact has always encouraged me greatly. (Acts 7:59-60; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
Sometime in the future, after your soul and spirit have departed (Genesis 35:18), your earthly body will be resurrected. Your resurrected body will be a renewed body very much like your old one. Remember, Jesus' resurrected body looked like His earthly body but definitely more superior. God seems to use our earthly body as a mold, for our new heavenly body, except He gets rid of the effects of sin and perfects it up for eternity. Your new body will be made specifically for living eternally with Jesus. Read John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15. What are your thoughts on your new body?
You might be thinking, do we get our new body soon after we die? There is speculation we might get a temporary body right after dying until we receive our resurrected bodies. 2 Corinthians 5 explains this answer somewhat:
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 ESV®
We do know for sure from scripture, after death we will be with Jesus, and we will be in a conscious state as ourselves. Think of what King David and Job said, that their flesh and who they are would be with God. Read Job 19:25-27, Psalm 16:8-11, 56:13, also Revelation 6:9-11.
We know from God's Word that we will get our resurrected body when Jesus descends from heaven – this is the Rapture. The rapture is when Jesus Christ will descend from heaven with a shout. This will cause the dead (also called asleep) to immediately rise with their new resurrected bodies. After that the Christians who are alive will rise too; and then all of us will meet together with Jesus in the clouds. There are different views on when in the future the rapture will take place. Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Any thoughts on the rapture? It's an exciting reality, isn't it?
Because of Jesus' resurrection you will live eternally, not as a spirit or even a so called angel, but as yourself with your body renewed, being in His glorious presence - blameless with great joy - doing extraordinary things. Read Jude 24-25; Revelation 1:5-6, 7:16-17, 19:5-8, 11-14. How should you live considering this truth?
Reflect on 1 Corinthians 15:42-49.