What Kind of Body Will I Have?

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Reflections on 1 Corinthians 15

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 

“Some skeptic is sure to ask, 'Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?'  If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is.  There are no diagrams for this kind of thing.  We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant.  You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don't look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.  

You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning.  Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies—humans, animals, birds, fish—each unprecedented in its form.  You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies— sun,
moon, stars—all these varieties of beauty and brightness. And we're only looking at pre-resurrection "seeds"—who can imagine what the resurrection "plants" will be like!  

This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body—but only if you keep in mind that when we're raised, we're raised for good, alive forever!  The corpse that's planted is no beauty, but when it's raised, it's glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful.  The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural—same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality!  

We follow this sequence in Scripture: The First Adam received life, the Last Adam is a life-giving Spirit.  Physical life comes first, then spiritual—  a firm base shaped from the earth, a final completion coming out of heaven.  The First Man was made out of earth, and people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly.  In the same way that we've worked from our earthy origins, let's embrace our heavenly ends”                    1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (MSG)  

 This passage tells me that as a believer. . . . . .  

 . . .  . . . . . . I will experience life after life after death.  First comes heaven.  Later I am clothed with a new amazing resurrected body.  Same me, but with a new/renewed body.   To me this is really big.  I will live a real, physical, material, embodied life on a real physical, material, earth.  I will not be floating around somewhere in some disembodied state.
. . . .  . . . . . .if I’m the seed, then there’s continuity between the current me and the future me.  This means that I need to get the current me as right as I can get it so that what’s planted has the stuff needed to birth a really good renewed me.   A poor seed produces a poor plant.  
 . . . .  . . . . . .If my destiny is a resurrected life on a new earth, then I need to live today with the goal in mind.    This life receives its “Juice” when we know what we’re living for.  

What did this passage teach you? (Read the entire Chapter  https://www.bible.com/bible/37/1co.15.ceb)

“Lord, the picture I get is that I will live some form of the life I live now only exponentially enhanced.   But it’s a life freed from the bondage of self-absorption, defensiveness, hurt, anger, selfishness, greed, and every other life depleting bondage.   Freedom to be all yours!   Incredible!  Amen”

 

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