Resurrected With New Bodies

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” [1]

The Cornerstone of Christianity is Christ who died, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead. Praise God for the Twelve and five hundred who met the risen Savior. Praise God for Paul who also met Jesus and did not remain silent about it! What does the resurrection of Christ mean for us? It means that we too can resurrect from the dead and be with God thanks to Jesus!

“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?’ Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. 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. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” [2]

The bodies that we have now cannot compare with the bodies that we will have after the resurrection. Our heavenly bodies are to our earthly bodies, what a flower is to the seed from which it came. Thanks to Jesus we will bear the image of Christ.

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” [3]

In lieu of our Lord’s resurrection, we have the guarantee of eternal victory. So, come what may, we should remain steadfast. We should work for the Lord. Our efforts in Christ will end well.

[1] 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
[2] 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-44, 49
[3] 1 Corinthians 15:57-58