1 Corinthians 15:42-44:
“So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”

Question: Be ready to share in rejoicing in what this means to you, and in what it entails for other people.

Meaning of Spiritual

Jesus said in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” The popular meaning of spiritual is wispy and insubstantial. But its real meaning, given by Jesus, is having the characteristics of God. So, being raised a spiritual body means being restored in the image of God as we were originally created by Him. It means being:

• unconstrained by the limited boundaries of space, time, and matter, all of which God created in Genesis 1:1;
• perfectly good, righteous, and holy;
• perfect in truth, love, mercy, grace, and patience;
• free from the pain of sin, falsehood, decay, and death.

That is beyond our human comprehension, but we are assured of the fact in 1 John 3:2 that, “when he appears, we shall be like him.”

I like the analogy of the human sceptic seeing an apple, and proclaiming that all he can see is a hard material that seems useless. The real substance of the apple is hidden from human sight until the person is bold enough to bite into it, and taste the sweet nutrition that sustains life.

And so it is with faith. The real substance of life is beyond the human vision of what is merely material, it is only when we accept and hold on to the gift of faith that we are given a glimpse of reality, of what truly sustains us through this life and beyond.

Personal

The promise of being raised a spiritual body gives more than a certain hope for the future, it changes who I am right now, and how I live in this earthly time and place.

For many years my non-believing friends were incredulous when I shared my insight about the hollow myths of our age, the false philosophies and lies and beliefs that are dreamt up to justify our sinful and destructive behaviours. I would occasionally become despondent about the state and direction of our world, until I had better understanding of God’s word. God calls us to live faithfully in His truth, and to share His truth with all who are willing to hear it, but also to accept the free choice of mankind to reject that truth, just as God has patiently accepted the times I chose to make wrong decisions against His will.

His promise changes how I use the opportunities He gives now to maintain good health, and engage in interesting and challenging activities. For non-believers these can become gods in themselves, idols to worship to give meaning to a life of decay. But as we give glory to the one who gives them, we can fully enjoy what He has given, and happily share the reason for that pleasure with all who will hear.

What it entails for other people

Here I take “other” to mean those who firmly reject God’s gift in Jesus until the very end.

Just as we cannot fully comprehend the nature of our spiritual rising, so we cannot comprehend the exact nature of the outcome for those who reject the gift of salvation. And we cannot predict who they are, as the many variations of the visible church holds many non-believers, and fail to include many who truly believe.

But we have been given much detail in the bible about the judgement for on-believers, even from Old Testament times. Jeremiah 23:40 reads, “I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.” That should spur us to never give up on praying for and being willing to share the news of God’s grace in Jesus to all who will stay long enough to hear, and to live so fully in the joy God gives that they want to know why.

Praise God for His promise to restore us as His children through Jesus!