The Awaking of the Mortal Body...

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As far as I can tell, the New Testament is not focused primarily on gaining eternal life in our inward man but on gaining immortality in the body when the Lord Jesus appears.

When we die our body sleeps, according to the Scripture. So the resurrection will be an awakening. People often speak of a glorified body, as though we are going to lose our present body and get a new one. However this is not true.

(3/20/2011). The truth is, the body we have now will be made alive at the coming of the Lord, if we have lived a victorious Christian life. It appears the New Testament is not addressed primarily to our gaining eternal life in our inward man, as important as that is, but on attaining to immortality in the body when the Lord Jesus appears. At least that was Paul's goal.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10,11)

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:11)

In the present hour our body is dead spiritually because of the sin that dwells in it. But our inward nature is alive because the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to it, and because we are making every effort to obey the Law of the Spirit of Life, that is, the Holy Spirit.

Our inward nature is alive because we have put our faith in Christ. The Life of God always proceeds from righteousness, first imputed as we come to Christ, then actual as the Spirit of God begins to make us a new, righteous creation.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22)

Notice in the above verse that eternal life is a result of freedom from sinful behaviour, and obedience to God. The great error of our time is the notion that if we make a profession of Christ we have eternal life, even though after a period of time there is no evidence of a change in our behaviour.

God will give life to our mortal body because His Spirit is living in us. This is referring, of course, to the Day of Resurrection. If, however, we as a Christian continue to obey the sinful compulsions of our body, God's Spirit will not dwell in us.

This means that when the Lord returns our body will not be made alive. We have killed our spiritual life. If our inward nature has died because we have not chosen to put to death the actions of our body, our body will not be made alive at the coming of Christ.

Because confusion concerning the resurrection seems to be prevailing in our day, partly because of the unscriptural doctrine of the pre-tribulation "rapture" of the believers, I would like to emphasize that it is our present body that will be made alive.

"Will give life to your mortal bodies." Not only will our body be raised from its place of internment, but it will be clothed with a body from Heaven that has been formed according our actions during our lifetime on the earth. The heavenly body has been fashioned by the Spirit of God. Our mortal body will be made alive by being clothed with our heavenly body.

For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (II Corinthians 5:4)

This is what will take place for those who are "asleep in Jesus" when Christ returns. To be asleep in Jesus means we have steadfastly maintained our commitment to Christ while living on the earth. We have remained in Him. We have lived a victorious Christian life.

To have our mortal body made alive and filled with the Spirit of God is the crowning work of salvation. The last enemy has been destroyed. Now we are alive forever in the Presence of Christ and of God. This was the goal of the Apostle Paul, and is to be our goal also.

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, 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. (I Corinthians 15:42-44)

Notice that our present mortal body is perishable. If we continue to live victoriously in Christ, then, when He appears from Heaven, our body will be raised from its place of internment and clothed with our house from Heaven. The clothing of that which is mortal with that which is immortal was prefigured by the gold that covered the wood of the Ark of the Covenant.

So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. (I Corinthians 15:45)

Now here is a marvellous thing. As soon as our body has been raised and clothed with its house from Heaven, it will be able to give eternal life to God's creatures. In that day we will bring forth with exceeding joy, from the Throne of God that has been established in us, the Water of Life that will cause the creation to live.

This is why Paul wrote that the creation will be made alive when the sons of God, those who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, are revealed in their glory. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. (I Corinthians 15:47)

We need to remember that in our first form, which previously I have termed Form A, is dust. We may view ourselves as someone great, but we actually are of the dust of the earth. The second man, Form B, is of Heaven.

Both the old man and the and the new man from Heaven are "Adam," that is, "man." This is true of both men and women. Because of the curse, women have been made subject to man. The fact is, once the curse has been lifted it will be seen that the woman, along with the man are both in God's image. The woman shows one aspect of God. The man reveals another aspect of God.

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (I Corinthians 15:50)

Notice that the first man in his or her mortal body cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It is the new man, having the newly created inner man and clothed with the House from Heaven, who inherits the Kingdom. This is why Paul advised us that if we continue to live in the sins of the flesh we will kill our inward nature and not inherit the Kingdom.

Of interest here is the term "perishable." This reminds us of John 3:16, that informs us if we believe in Christ we will not perish. Spirits do not perish. As I see it there is no way to kill or destroy a spirit once it has been created.

When I refer to our inward nature being killed I mean that the Spirit of God has been withdrawn from it, not that our spirit has been obliterated. A spirit once created endures for eternity, as far as I know. It will be conscious somewhere in the universe.

The influence of Gnosticism can be seen as Christians view the flesh as evil and perceive their salvation as eternal residence in the spirit Heaven. The truth is, God is going to make alive our flesh such that it has immortality. John 3:16 is speaking of gaining immortality, not of going to Heaven.

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. Romans 2:7)

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."(I Corinthians 15:51-54)

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:11)

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