Resurrection Bodies

Resurrection and ‘eternal life’ are not the same thing. The Greeks to whom Paul preached in Athens already believed that their souls were immortal and that they would keep existing after their bodies died. It was his mention of resurrection of the dead that caused their derision and gales of laughter. Resurrection means the spirit returning to a body and then staying there, unlike the eastern version of reincarnation in which bodies repeatedly leave and return to different bodies. If you have a view of the afterlife in which you are a spirit occupying a cloud while strumming a harp, you have not grasped the fullness of the gospel. Human spirits are already immortal- made in God’s image, we must exist forever, in heaven or hell. The doctrine of resurrection goes far beyond this. It teaches that God’s original plan- that a sinless, unfallen humanity would walk, talk, eat and drink on a perfect earth- will be restored. The risen Christ ate, drank, talked and sat- all things that spirits cannot do. Whether you accept the Millennium of Revelation 20 as a literal period of time on the earth, or you think it figurative, God’s plan for His redeemed is not to merely float and hover, but to live embodied again. Giving our spirits a living suit of flesh and blood allows us to enjoy such wonderful sensations as taste, smell and hugs. More than merely enjoying the wonders of the physical universe, the Creator intended we be a part of its molecules and atoms. Christ’s resurrection from the dead enables this, for we shall experience resurrection like His. Our new bodies will have none of the aches, pains and imperfections of this fallen world. There will be no aging, no hurting, no wounding and no wrinkling. This easter Sunday, be reminded of your glorious future with the resurrected Jesus- out of this body, and into the glorious next.

But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

1 Cor 15:23

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay