'Victorious Christian living is related to the resurrection'
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Our spirit and soul will not be changed by the coming of the Lord at the end of the age. Our body will be transformed into the image of Christ’s body, if we have lived in spiritual victory, but our spirit and our soul will be revealed as to what they have become during our pilgrimage in the world.
Our spirit and soul are being changed now, at this time, as we are beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord (II Corinthians 3:18). Gradually we are becoming better able to "see him as he is." We are moving from one stage of glory to the next, in terms of being able to "live with the devouring fire" (Isaiah 33:14).
The resurrection of our body will take place when Jesus returns to earth and is the destruction of the last enemy—physical death.
Notice how the Apostle Paul toward the end of his life was looking forward to attaining the fullness of the first resurrection:
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection [Greek, out-resurrection] of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)
Nowhere in the Scriptures is the pursuit of the life of the Holy Spirit more powerfully set forth than in the letter of Paul to the saints at Philippi, Chapter Three, verses ten and eleven. These two verses reveal that the resurrection from the dead is not an event for which the Christians are to wait in a state of passivity but rather is a goal , a mark , a prize that inspires the disciple of the Lord Jesus to keep on pressing day by day from the state of imputed (ascribed) righteousness into complete sanctification and consecration of life.
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection [Greek, out-resurrection] of the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11)
The study of the context of Paul’s statement of purpose makes it obvious that Paul was reaching with all the concentration of his mind and heart in order to grasp the fullness of resurrection life.
Even toward the end of his pilgrimage, after the churches had been established and the miracles had been performed, Paul still was seeking to leave all behind and was pressing forward in order to acquire resurrection life in every aspect of his personality.
Paul was exerting every effort in the race toward readiness for the coming of Christ. Paul was reaching out with all his determination so that he might seize the prize of the heavenly calling of God in Christ—especially the fullness of life that is available now and is the necessary preparation for the bodily glorification of the royal priesthood.
For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body [body of our humbling], that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20,21)
Paul was devoting his attention to partaking of Christ’s resurrection and sharing Christ’s sufferings with the goal of attaining resurrection life in his spirit, his soul, and—as a consequence—his body when the Lord comes. He was anticipating the fashioning of his corruptible body into the image of the glorified Body of Christ, this being accomplished by the energy with which Christ is able to subdue all things to His own will.
The spiritual and bodily dimensions of the first resurrection from the dead are a goal worth pursuing with all single-mindedness of purpose.
Second Corinthians 4:7-5:5 is another passage that describes the relationship between our current experiencing of the death and resurrection of Christ and the future filling of our physical body with eternal life.
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. (II Corinthians 4:10)
The preceding verse sets forth the same thought as Philippians 3:10-11. The concept is that of laying hold during our present life on the power of Christ’s resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings.
A few verses later we can observe the connection between our current faithfulness in serving Christ and the coming redemption of our mortal body:
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (II Corinthians 4:17)
It is our "light affliction" that is working out for us such an exceedingly great "weight of glory." Afflictions alone will not bring us the weight of resurrection life we are seeking. These pressures will prepare us for the resurrection provided they are our participation in the sufferings of Christ and are bringing forth the conquering power of the resurrection Life of Jesus in us.
People of the world and church members who are not living the life of strict obedience to the Holy Spirit of God experience sufferings and tragedies that bring grief to their heart.
There may be no profit in their pain as far as the resurrection from the dead is concerned. They may be reaping the evil they have sown and not sharing in the power of Christ’s resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
God’s hand of judgment falls on those who sin, whether or not they attend church or name the name of Christ. Terrible consequences follow sinful behavior, and "the sorrow of the world worketh death" (II Corinthians 7:10).
All people, Christians and non-Christians alike, suffer afflictions in this life. However, if the Christian allows the death and resurrection of Christ to work in him according to the will of God, his afflictions will achieve for him a treasure that will be given to Him by the Lord Jesus when He appears.
In the sixth chapter of Romans, Paul expresses the idea that we through water baptism have become united with the death and united with the resurrection of Christ.
In Philippians, Chapter Three and II Corinthians, Chapters Four and Five, Paul tells us that patient, cross-carrying obedience to the Lord Jesus is required if we are to be able to translate the Divine vision of union with Christ’s death and resurrection into a real sharing in His death and resurrection in our daily life on the earth.
Paul offered up his whole life so he would come to know in actual experience the power of Christ’s resurrection and the sharing in His sufferings. We can think of Philippians, Chapter Three and II Corinthians, Chapters Four and Five as pointing the way toward our full participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. The coming redemption of our mortal body is viewed as a continuation of the resurrection life that already is lifting us into victory in our daily combat.
Our "light affliction" that is but for a moment soon will be a thing of the past. Resurrection glory will be the fountain of our life to the ages of ages. At Christ’s Presence our mortal body will be redeemed, thereby making our body part of the "team" along with our spirit and soul.
The former enemy (our body) will be brought over to the side of righteousness through being transformed by Christ’s almighty power into incorruptible eternal life.
If Paul, at the end of an exemplary Christian discipleship of holiness and service, still was pressing toward the mark of complete resurrection in Christ, we should follow his example (Philippians 3:13-15).
If the Apostle to the Gentiles was working diligently toward a full grasp on the coming resurrection from the dead, we need to make certain that we really are giving our best to the Lord Jesus in the grasping of His resurrection power.
Hebrews 3:14 claims there is a relationship between living the victorious life now and the redemption of the mortal body when Jesus appears:
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
The letter to the Hebrew Christians is an exhortation to the saints to press forward to the "rest" of God—to resting in the resurrection life that flows from God through Christ. The contrast is made that we either "draw back unto perdition" or else "believe to the saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:39).
We must grow in Christ until we are capable of the redemption of our physical body. All the processes of redemption we have described in our book play a part in making us capable of the redemption of our body. To neglect any aspect of redemption is to run the risk of seriously jeopardizing the quality of our resurrection.
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; . . . . (Hebrews 2:3)
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