THE BODY

Earlene. Davis

Ephesians 5:29 – “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:” We do take care of our bodies, well, it is the only one we have. As we get older, we realize our body is aging. Our body is not what it use to be. Some things are more difficult to do and some things are no longer possible to do. The fact is, the body is on the way to the grave, that is unless we are translated. When we were young we didn’t think about one day we would grow old. We were strong and capable to do what we wanted to do. We read in Genesis 2:7, “the Lord God form man of the dust of the ground.” And in Genesis. 3:19, it says “dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” That is a fact of our natural life. Hebrews 9:27, “it is appointed unto man once to die.” But we have HOPE.

I Peter 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Believers on the Lord Jesus Christ have a lively hope of being raised from the grave, and the basis or guarantee of our hope is the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

I Corinthians 15:20-22 - “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” God’s wonderful plan of salvation for man is all conclusive, a full salvation, redeemed body, soul & spirit (man’s three-fold being, I Thess. 5:3). When we pass from this life, our body goes to the grave, but our soul and spirit immediately goes to be with the Lord in heaven.

II Corinthians 5:6, 8 – “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: … We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Paul desired to be with the Lord which he said was far better – Phil. 1:23. It is such a comfort to know when our believing love ones leave this earth, they are in heaven with the Lord and only knowing glory. But what about the body that is in the grave and our hope of being raised?

Romans 8:23,25 – “… even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for … the redemption of our body ...  we with patience wait for it.” The redemption of our body will be the completion of God salvation for which we long for and wait until then. Jesus said, In My Father’s house are many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you … I will come again and receive you unto myself – Jn. 14:2-3. In I Corinthians 15:44 we read “It is sown (or buried) a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” What will that heavenly body be like?

I John. 3:2-3 – “… it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he (Christ) is pure.” We will have a glorified body like Christ’s. When He appeared to different ones after He was raised from the dead and had His glorified body. He bore the scars of His crucifixion – Jn. 20:27-29. In Lk. 24:39-43, He said, He had flesh and bones and He did eat before them. He walked and talked with the two on the road to Emmaus and later ate with them and then vanished out of their sight - Lk. 24:15-30. He also appeared standing in the disciples midst when the doors were locked & showed them His hands and His side – Jn. 20:19-20. They also witnessed Him going up, ascending into heaven and a cloud receiving Him out of their sight – Lk. 24:51 & Acts 1:9.

II Corinthians 5:1 – “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” We believe what God has said. We have an eternal house in heaven, our glorified body.
Vs. 2-3 – “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked” (without a body). That glorified body will clothe the spirit already in heaven. The body and spirit united.
V. 4 – “For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” The promise of full salvation completed at the coming of Jesus. The redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory – Eph. 1:14.

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” – Jn. 5:25. “Every one which believeth may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day” – Jn. 6:40. Also “he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” – Jn. 11:25.

The words of Paul, “Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you” – II Cor. 4:14 – And I Corinthians 15:51-52 – “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” If there will be a last trumpet, there is a first, and as we read in verse 23, every man in his own order. Vs 15:53-54 – “… when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

I Thessalonians 4:13 – “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” We have hope. Vs. 14-16 –”For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (or precede) them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” Will He shout, “Come unto Me?” I don’t know, but I do know, we claim this hope by faith, just as we do all that is ours that God has provided through Jesus Christ. Vs. 17-18 – “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” AMEN!