Luke 24:36-43; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49

For some, the human body is at best considered a necessary evil. This idea was evident in the Gnosticism of the first century (Col. 2:8-23).  But this was never the teaching of Scripture.  Our bodies were created by God, designed for the full and abundant life He planned for those made in His image.  When God came to earth to dwell with men He became flesh (John 1:14).  In Jesus dwells (present tense, now in heaven, not only then on earth) the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9).  In the hypostatic union (joining of 2 natures, the Divine and Human, in Christ) there was no conflict in God becoming Man in the true sense of Man.

An error common in the cults (groups who profess to be Christian but deny fundamental truths about Scripture, Christ and the Gospel) is to deny that Jesus’ resurrection physical or bodily.  Jehovah’s Witnesses make this claim, for example, that Jesus’ resurrection was only spiritual.  Some believers are confused when they read of Jesus appearing in a room.  Since it is inexplicable how He could do this the thought often is that His body must have been spiritual in some way, just as the disciples themselves supposed.

Jesus made it clear that this is wrong.  His body was flesh and bones.  He ate with them.  What more need be said.  If we don’t fully understand how it can be, then we should say that.  It is no sin in not understanding things that are deep.  But that should not lead us to deny the truth of Scripture.

1 Cor. 15 describes our resurrection or glorified bodies.  There is a connection between the old and new bodies (v36-41).  Remember that Jesus’ body still bore the marks of His suffering.  The new body will have a magnificence to it that exceeds the present body (v42-44) including a spiritual nature.  But that does not mean it is non-material.  If the body is only spiritual, yet ingests food, what happens the next time Jesus tries to go through a wall (pardon the ridiculous thought, but the whole denial of Jesus’ bodily resurrection is ridiculous)?

What difference does this make?  It certainly goes to our willingness to trust Scripture, and to trust the Sovereign God when we do not fully comprehend His Word.  It goes to our thankfulness for our bodies, present and future.  It goes to our thoughts and practices with respect to the body at death.

Cremation is common these days, even among believers.  The reasons seem to be economical.  But are we making a statement about the body itself?  We should at least give this some consideration.

This subject goes to our hope in Christ.  The bodies today are racked by sin;  we know this very deeply.  But some day we shall be like Him (1 John 3:2).  Our bodies shall be fashioned like His glorious body (Phil. 3:21).  These weak bodies which cause us to groan today, in a future day will be glorified (Rom. 8:23,29-30).  Truly the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed! (Rom. 8:18).