earthly bodies

Future Glory.

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For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:18-25 ESV

Paul has just told us that we need to accept the reality that, in this life, we will suffer with Christ “in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17 ESV). All of us would love to avoid the suffering. That is only natural. But Paul seems to indicate that the suffering is part of the process that leads to our future glorification. Much of the suffering we experience in this lifetime is related to our sanctification, God’s work of transforming us into the likeness of His Son. He is constantly refining and purifying us, making our behavior come into line with our status as His sons and daughters. And Paul confidently tells us, “ I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT). We are works in process. We are not yet what we will be, and part of the problem is these earthly bodies in which we are required to live. Paul described man’s earthly body as a tent, which emphasizes its temporary nature. It is not meant to be permanent. It was designed for this world and not the next. And he tells us, “if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV).

It is so easy for us to become one-dimensional and focus on this life, all the while forgetting that there is a life to come. This is not all there is, and this is not all we should think about. In the midst of the suffering and distractions of this world, Paul would have us keep our eyes and our faith firmly focused on the next. Which is why he said, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” As followers of Christ, we need to always remember that no matter how bad things may get in this life, there is something unbelievably better awaiting us. And no matter how wonderful things may appear to be during our time on this earth, they are nothing when compared to the glory that awaits us. Again, the biggest part of our problem concerns our bodies. When we suffer, our bodies tell us that nothing good can come from it. We become incapable and sometimes unwilling to consider that God can and does use suffering to sanctify us. Which is why Paul writes just a bit later on in this same chapter: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT).

Whether we realize it or not, our struggle with this life is proof that there is more to come. We will never be fully satisfied with life in this world. Pain and suffering causes us to long for relief and rescue. Even blessings, in the form of material or physical things, leave us empty because they are fleeting and a cheap imitation of what is to come. Everything in this world is prone to destruction and decay, and will ultimately leave us disappointed, because it cannot deliver what it seems to promise. That is why Jesus encouraged us, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21 NLT). Our hearts will find no lasting satisfaction or fulfillment in the things of this earth. In fact, if we’re not careful, the temporal things of this earth can lead us to covet, lust, exhibit greed, selfishness and a host of other less-than-righteous characteristics. It is this reality that led Paul to warn the Galatian believers, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:26 NLT). He had also told them, “you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?” (Galatians 3:3 NLT).  Living one-dimensionally can only lead to one thing: an overemphasis on this world. But we were made for glory.  Paul tells us, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24 ESV). We are to live with our hope set on the future, not the here-and-now. We cannot see what God has in store for us, but we hope in it and for it because He has promised it to us. These bodies will decay and die. But we will receive new bodies – redeemed, resurrected bodies that will no longer experience pain, suffering, the process of aging or the future prospect of death. And the apostle John reminds us that God “has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2 NLT). Our future glory needs to become a present reality for us as God’s children. 

This world is not my home
I’m just a-passing through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.

 

 

We Shall Be Like Him.

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Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. – 1 John 3:2 ESV

We are already God’s children. Right here. Right now. But we are in the process of transformation, what theologians refer to as our sanctification. We are being made into the likeness of Christ. Paul says that we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV). It is a spiritual transformation, an inner action that is taking place while we live in these earthly bodies. As our bodies grow older and suffer from the impact of sin, our inner spirits are slowly, but steadily going through a make-over, a renovation and renewal that is totally God’s handiwork. But John gives us the assurance that there is a day coming when we will be like Jesus, not only in terms of our sinlessness, but also our outward appearance. Paul describes it in this way:  “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT).

So John reminds us that “what we will be has not yet appeared.” Our transformation is not yet complete. And it will not be complete until we see the Lord again. And at that moment, when we see Jesus, we will undergo a radical and revolutionary change that will leave us totally transformed into His likeness. Our process of sanctification will be complete. Our slow journey toward glorification (from one degree of glory to another) will be over. We will be glorified and receive new bodies. We will see Him like He is and we will be like He is. Again, we turn to Paul for some helpful insights into how all this works. He uses the imagery of a seed being planted in the ground and dying, only to transform into something new and life-giving. “What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 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. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:42-49 ESV).

We will bear the image of the man of heaven. We shall be like Him. We will receive new bodies, heavenly bodies that are free from sin, no longer susceptible to pain, and totally death-resistant. What will they look like? John doesn’t tell us. Will we be able to recognize one another? I would certainly think so. The disciples had no trouble recognizing Jesus in His transfigured state on the mountain. But rather than worry about things we have not been told, we would probably do well to think about what John has made clear to us. “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:3 ESV). Because we know that there is a day coming when we will be totally transformed into His likeness and we will see Him as He is and bear His image, we should make our inner transformation our highest priority. After all, it is God’s highest priority. Our transformation from sinfulness to sinlessness was why Jesus came. “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins” (1 John 3:5 ESV). “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8 ESV). Jesus died so that we might be freed from having to sin. He has made it possible for us to live sin-less lives, even in these earthly bodies. So as we await His appearing, we need to make our pursuit of holiness job number one. We do that by abiding in Him and remembering our status as God’s children. God has made us His own, and “that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up!” (1 John 3:2 NLT). All we know is that the end result is a complete transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ. And we are works in process at this very moment. So let’s live with the end in mind. Let’s make our holiness our highest priority – with God’s help.

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

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New and Improved!

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. – 1 Corinthians 15:43-44 NLT

As I write this post this morning, my 91-year old father lies in a hospital room in Fort Worth, Texas, having suffered two grand mal seizures just a few days ago. When I walked into his room the morning after he had had them, what I saw was a shock to my system. Lying in the bed was a small, pale body that looked nothing like the man I have known for 58 years. My father had been through an ordeal and his body showed it. He appeared near death. His ninety one years of life had seemed to catch up with him in a hurry, with the latest ordeal having taken a final toll. Thankfully, God has His hands on my father’s life and seems to be restoring him, slowly but surely. But upon first seeing our father lying in that hospital bed, my brother and I both remarked that it appeared as if dad was ready to go home. He was hearing heaven call. Today’s passage couldn’t have been more timely. When I read the verses above this morning, I couldn’t help but see that image of my father’s frail body lying under those thin hospital sheets and illuminated by the stark light of that cold, inhospitable ICU room. His body appeared broken and weak. His body looked frail and fragile. Inside was the man I have always known. His mind still sharp. His love for God unwavering. His passion for Jesus unchanged. It reminded me of another passage from the pen of Paul found in his second letter to the Corinthians. “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies, we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has give us his Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NLT).

We will have new bodies. It’s guaranteed! My dad will one day be released from the confines of his earthly, human “tent” and take up residence in a new body prepared for Him by God. Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that same reality. Our earthly bodies were made for life on this earth. But they are not equipped to handle heaven. They are temporal, and heaven is eternal. And should my father live (and I pray that he will), and the Lord returns, he will receive a new spiritual body. “It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52 NLT). His earthly body, weak and worn out as it is, will be transformed into a new, spiritual body that will never die. He will become immortal. His body will become eternal. What will he look like? I have no idea. Will he appear as he did in that hospital bed? I think not. What age will he appear? I don’t know. But I do know that the day is coming when he will receive a new body that will never grow old, never succumb to disease, never experience pain, and never require hospitalization or medical treatment of any kind. The physical death of our bodies is the result of the fall – the sin of Adam and Eve in their rejection of God. Death entered the equation because they chose to live for themselves, rather than obey and honor God. “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT). As believers, we don’t have to fear death, because God has promised us eternal life and new spiritual bodies with which to experience it. We will get to exchange these old, worn-out tents for new ones. My dad will some day receive a new body that is strong, virile, and disease and pain free. The resurrection of our bodies is not just wishful thinking. It is a promise of God. And as I go up to visit my dad in just a few minutes, I will take that promise with me, clinging to the words of Paul, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT). My God is faithful. He is not done yet.

Father, thank You that this is not all there is. As much as I love my life, I am so grateful that there is more to come. There is something far greater in store that You have planned for us. These bodies and our existence on this planet are temporary, not permanent. Our pain and suffering are only for the moment. There is a day coming when all things will be renewed and restored to their original state, including our bodies. May I not forget that in the days ahead. Should my dad survive, I will praise You. Should You decide to take him home, I will rejoice in the fact that He is with You. He will have a new body. He will have renewed strength. He will be at home with the Lord – where he was meant to be. Thank You!. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org