'The role of the physical body in the resurrection from the dead'

The physical body has an important role to play in God’s plan of redemption in Christ.

The relationship of the Son of God to the Father is described in the Book of Hebrews:

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? (Hebrews 1:5)

"This day have I begotten thee." On what day was the eternal One begotten?
The "day" on which Christ was "begotten" included three phases, as is true of the rest of the sons of God (although there were unique features included in the begetting of the Lord Jesus Christ).
The three phases were as follows:

His birth in a manger (Luke 2:7)
The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him (Luke 3:22).
His resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4).

These three episodes in the life of Christ taken together constitute the "day" on which He was begotten by the Father.

Each member of the Body of Christ must be born of a woman (and also born again of God, which was not necessary in the case of Christ), baptized with the Holy Spirit, and resurrected from the dead, before it can be said of him in the fullest sense that he is a son of God.

Notice the importance of the role played by the physical body of Jesus in the three phases of being begotten by the Father as a Son. His body was born from Mary. The Holy Spirit descended in visible form on Him, that is, on His body. His body was resurrected. Truly, the physical body has more importance in God’s plan of redemption than we may have realized.

The first chapter of the Book of Hebrews emphasizes the fact that Christ in several ways has been made "so much better than the angels." One particular way in which Christ is different from all other heavenly beings is that He possesses a physical body.

Christ was born of a woman. No angel ever was born of a woman. The Holy Spirit descended on the human form of Christ. The Holy Spirit never has descended on an angel after this fashion.

The Body of Christ was raised from the earth and now is seated on the highest throne of the universe—far above every other dominion and title; for so it has pleased the Father. No other inhabitant of Heaven has been raised bodily from the dead and placed on the highest of all thrones.

The destiny of every member of the Body of Christ is to be born of a woman and of God, anointed with the Spirit of God, and then raised bodily from the dead to occupy a position of honor in the Kingdom of God.

There is a Man, not a cherub, on the highest throne of Heaven. God Almighty placed Him there. He is in the form of a man. He still lives in the same body that trudged along the hilly paths of the land of Israel; for the cave of Joseph of Arimathea is empty.

No matter how glorified that body may be by now, it still is the same body. Those who have seen Him say that the nail prints are yet in His hands.

Only that special creation known as man possesses a physical body, having been born of a woman. The physical body is a staggering miracle, the creation of incredible Genius. The physical body is "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalms 139:14).

It is the body that has become the slave of sin (Romans 7:18). It is the body that is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). It is the body that composes "the members of Christ" (I Corinthians 6:15).

The battle in which the Christian is engaged is often fought over the lusts of the body. "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Galatians 5:17). The "works of the flesh" are listed in Galatians 5:19-21. The "earthen vessel" (II Corinthians 4:7) in which we carry the Glory of God so limits us and keeps us in such a wilderness of weakness, doubt, confusion, fear, lust, that we can proceed along the Christian way only by the wisdom and strength given us in Christ. The flesh is a terrible taskmaster—a tyrant continually crying more! more! more!

The flesh is a bottomless pit that would eat, drink, and lust itself to death if we would follow its appetites. It is a sin-ridden carcass that we drag around. Its tendencies lead to death. Attempts to reform the flesh or to make it pleasing to God always end in failure. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can solve the problem of the sin and death that bind the physical body.

It is the Christian’s task to cooperate with the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit and, by the grace that God gives, to bring the rebellious flesh into submission to God and to keep it there.

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (I Corinthians 9:27)

The physical body is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God and it is to be kept holy—reserved for the Master’s use. God will make alive the mortal bodies of the saints at the next coming of Christ. We must walk in holiness so we will be prepared for the translation of our body into glory.

The Holy Spirit whom we now have is working with us to help us overcome the lusts of our flesh. The same Holy Spirit will, in the days to come, make alive our body so that the power of sin and death can be broken completely.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)

Our bodies will be changed and fashioned like His glorious body (Philippians 3:21). First Corinthians 15:37 informs us that a farmer does not sow the mature stalk but only the seed from which the stalk will grow at a later date. The mature stalk grows out from the seed that is sown. Our redeemed body will grow out from our present body, which is being sown into the death of the cross.

God is not going to discard the body we have now. He intends to redeem and transform it so that our body can join along with our spirit and soul in worshiping God and serving Christ.

In the Day of the Lord we no longer will need to buffet our body and bring it into subjection to our will. Our body, once it has been transformed by the life-giving Nature of the Holy Spirit, will be desirous of pleasing the Lord God, just as is true now of our new born-again spiritual nature. Then it will be easy to serve God. It will be our whole nature to do so.

So 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 Corinthians 15:54)

At the sounding of the last trumpet the power of Christ will touch the bodies of the saints, whether dead or alive, and those vessels will be filled with the Holy Spirit to such an extent that the Substance of eternal resurrection life will replace the death-filled bodily processes.

Just as preservative is forced into timbers to make them resistant to decay, so the Holy Spirit will penetrate each atom of our physical body, driving out every particle of sin and death and filling our body with the Life of Christ.

Christ is waiting patiently until every one of His enemies has been made His footstool through the wisdom and power of God, His Father. The last enemy that will be destroyed is physical death. Those who march in the army of the Lord will be eternally alive in their bodies (Joel 2:2-11; Habakkuk 3:7-16; Revelation 19:14).

It is God’s will that we should not perish but have eternal life. Christ Is eternal Life. It is impossible for anyone to kill Christ. He had the power to lay down His life for our sins and He had the power to take His life back up again. No man took His Life from Him.

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