LW Baptist

By Rolland Coburn

Pastor

Here is a special promise from God’s word: our physical bodies will be raised to life on earth restored and glorified (perfect), never to die again. The Bible gives this promise to those whose personal faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, as seen in Romans 8:11: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

Jesus, looking forward to his resurrection, said, “Because I live, you will live also,” referring to our resurrection (John 14:19).

The disciples did not understand some of Jesus’ actions and words at first, but when Jesus was glorified, meaning risen with a glorified body, they remembered what had been written of him (John 12:16).

Jesus foretold his resurrection to his disciples on the week of his crucifixtion with these words, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23).

He then prayed to the father in the disciples’ presence regarding his coming crucifixion and resurrection: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you” (John 17:1).

Early Sunday morning, the first day of the week, the Father answered that request by raising his son, Jesus, from the dead with a glorified body.

The Bible tells us, “Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through his power” (1 Corinthians 6:14). That means we get a glorified body like Jesus.

God’s servant Job in the Old Testament had this hope, “Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me” (Job 19:26-27).

The Bible says this is the hope of all believers in Christ. “We ourselves groan within ourselves, awaiting eagerly our adoption, the redemption of our body” Romans 8:23.

You may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body?”

God’s word explains, “The resurrection of the dead is like this: the body is sown (planted or buried) a perishable body, it is raised imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:42).

Jesus told his followers after his resurrection, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39). Scripture says, “We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him” Romans 6:9.

And the same is true of us. “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our bodies of humiliation to be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21). Maybe he will come and it will happen today.