The Battle for the Body, 1...

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It may be difficult for us to realize that God needs a body, a physical form in which He can dwell and be seen by the people whom He has created. But He does. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ is—the visible form of the invisible God.

(10/31/2010) Christ is the visible form of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's Body we might say. But, as the Lord said, in God's Body, or House, there are many rooms. This is what each of us is–a room in the Temple, or House, or Body, of God. Christ Himself is the Cornerstone and the Capstone. We are the fullness of the Body, the Incarnation of God.

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (I Peter 2:5)

Since each of us is a living stone in the eternal Temple of God, our behavior in our body is important. We are custodians of our bodies. They belong to the Lord.

We are told that our daily troubles are forming a body in Heaven that will clothe our flesh and bones in the Day of Resurrection.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (II Corinthians 4:17)

We will appear in that Day as we actually are. If we are unrighteous, it will appear in the body that clothes us. We willl be seen as shameful and contemptible. If we lead many to righteousness. we will shine as the stars, as Daniel informs us.

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise

will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:2,3)

Second Corinthians 4:17 speaks of an "eternal glory" that far outweighs our troubles. The eternal glory is referring to our "eternal house in heaven," mentioned in the following verse:

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (II Corinthians 5:1)

The idea is that as our afflictions and persecutions keep bringing us down to death, the Spirit of God keeps raising us up. Every time we experience this death and resurrection our house in Heaven is made more glorious. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. (II Corinthians 5:2,3)

Christian mythology has us longing to go to our house in Heaven. The truth is, our eternal house in Heaven will clothe our flesh and bones in the Day of Resurrection. More to the point, that eternal house will reveal in itself the kind of Christian discipleship we have lived. We are going to be clothed upon with our own behavior.

If we keep obeying the Holy Spirit throughout our Christian life, from that Spirit we will reap a marvelous body like that of the Lord Jesus. If we keep yielding to our sinful nature, then out from that sinful nature will flow the corruption that will be seen in the body that clothes us in the Day of Resurrection. This may mean that we will be a creature that for a long time—possibly forever—occasions shame and contempt

This is why the Apostle Paul was concerned about the resurrection, always pressing forward in order to attain to the first resurrection, that is, the resurrection to life and glory, so he will not be found naked in that Day.. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (II Corinthians 5:4)

Paul is saying here that it is not his desire just to die, to lose his physical body, but that his physical body will be "swallowed up by life." I do not believe I have ever, heard, in my many years as a Christian, a church member say he wants to have his physical body swallowed up by eternal life. Have you?

It may be true that when people use the term "resurrection" they are thinking of our being carried up to Heaven. But the word "resurrection" has nothing to do with being carried up. It means only passing from death to life. Where we go after that is another matter entirely. We can be resurrected while standing on our feet or sitting in a chair.

The truth of the resurrection, the triumph of the Christian plan of redemption, has been hidden by a false doctrine—the doctrine of the "rapture." Even the term "rapture" is misleading, because the Greek term means "catching up." In the English language we do not ordinarily use the noun "rapture" to mean a catching up from some power that is seeking to hold us down.

The doctrine of the "rapture," in combination with the unscriptural view of Divine grace as an alternative to growth in Christ, leaves the believers with the mistaken idea that at any moment they, even though their consecration has been shallow or virtually nonexistent, are going to be caught up in their untransformed condition to a mansion in Heaven. To say the least, this is a wild and totally unscriptural belief!

The true doctrine, that we are going to be clothed with a house formed from our behavior, urges the believer to live a wholly consecrated life as he or she hopes to be robed in eternal splendor in the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Christ.

Can you see, in II Corinthians 5:4, that the Apostle Paul was not groaning to be caught up to a mansion in Heaven. It is a good thing that this was not his fervent desire, because no "rapture" has taken place as yet (nor will it ever take place)!

But there is a Day of Resurrection that indeed will take place, for it is the destruction of the last enemy–physical death.

Now it is God who has made [prepared] us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (II Corinthians 5:5)

God has prepared us so that "what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." God has worked with us all our Christian life that our mortal body may attain to immortality. God wants us to have an immortal body so He can be seen in us, just as He is seen in Jesus Christ.

Compare this vision with the current vision, which is that we will caught up to Heaven to live in a mansion. The current vision would be laughable if it were not so destructive of Christian growth.

God is building a house for Himself to dwell in. That house is the assembling of immortal bodies known as the holy city, the new Jerusalem. Our deepest desire should be that we might be an integral part of the new Jerusalem. To be a part of the holy city we have to be clothed upon with a robe of eternal life so that God can be seen in us.

The Holy Spirit who dwells in us now is a deposit, a guarantee, that if we remain faithful, the time will arrive then we are clothed with immortality.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

I prefer the American Standard Version (below):

For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (II Corinthians 5:10)

I believe the American Standard Version is closer to the truth. It is not that we receive the things due us for the things done while in the body, it is that we receive the things themselves that are done in the body. We do not just receive what we deserve, we actually receive the things themselves.

Notice how this agrees with Galatians 6:8)

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 8:8)

We reap destruction out from our own sinful nature, not just as a reward for yielding to our sinful nature. Also, we reap eternal life from the Spirit whom we have been obeying, not just a reward for following the Spirit.

I think the idea that we will be given the actual things rather than a reward for righteous or unrighteous behavior is closer to the concept of sowing and reaping, and does away with uncertainty and confusion about our experience in the Day of Resurrection.

We do not just appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Rather, we are "made manifest" before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Quite a difference! That manifestation consists of receiving the things done in our body. If we have done good things, these will be portrayed in our house from Heaven that clothes us in the Day of Resurrection.

If we have done bad things, these bad things will be portrayed in our house from Heaven that clothes us in the Day of Resurrection. This is true for those who have "accepted Christ," unless we have confessed and renounced the "bad things" that the Spirit points out to us.

God needs a body, a temple, a house in which He can dwell and be seen by His creatures. God does not dwell in angels nor they in God.

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. (I Corinthians 3:16,17)

In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21,22)

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23)

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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