THE RESURRECTION BODY
As the world celebrates Easter, it is worthwhile considering what the nature of our resurrection bodies will be. Everyone who has put his faith in Christ will be raised again after death with a new heavenly body. First, it is important to study the nature of Christ’s resurrection body.
His resurrection body was a mysterious yet harmonious combination of the spiritual and the physical. He could pass through the stone tomb and locked doors, yet he had a physical nature that allowed the disciples to hold on to him and Thomas to put his fingers into his wounded hands and feet. He ate fish with them, which could only be possible with a digestive system of some sort and declares to them that he had flesh and bones.
“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:38,39)
Jesus’ appearance was different from that of his earthly self, as was seen by the failure of a number of people who knew him well to recognize him in his resurrected state. Yet his personality bore a striking resemblance to who he was before death. He broke bread, reassured them, commanded them, taught them and when he started interacting with them, they instantly recognized him. Much like Jesus, our resurrection body will be different; yet will be an accurate representation of who we are during our lives here on earth.
Paul discusses this issue in 1 Corinthians 15;
When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, –(v37).
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable (v42).
It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body (v44).
And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man (v49).
Consider a seed-it has a covering, a nutritional element and often a fruit that makes it attractive to carriers. But once the seed goes to the ground, all these elements fall off (in a way die much like the human body), yet the new plant that sprouts out exactly represents the genetic information that is contained in the seed- the nature of the plant bears a striking resemblance to the seed in the manner of its inherent nature though the outer body is nothing like it.
So will it be with our resurrection bodies- our souls will put on a new spiritual body and the final output will be very dependent on how much we are able to transform our souls during our earthly lives here on earth. For one who has rejected Christ and the opportunity for transformation, the future is bleak, yet on the other end of the spectrum is one who not only has accepted Christ, but has painstakingly eschewed the life of denial in obedience to Christ, thereby having the opportunity to have a resurrection body that is remarkably close to the glorious one that Christ had in his resurrected state.
