Philippians 3:20-21. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Each day that I grow older I become more and more aware of the limitations of my body. Recently my lowly body betrayed me outright when I literally fell off of a roadside curb, twisted my ankle (which still hurts by the way), tumbled to the ground, skinned my knee and laid there in the street in front of my house. Actually, I think my pride was hurt more than my body.
The Jews believed that the body was impure, sinful even. Think about all the bodily purification rituals the priests and the people had to go through just to come near to God. And think about how a bodily “impurity” could prevent you from temple worship and communal living.
The Greeks had a similar view of the body. Plato taught that the body was a prison that trapped the rational soul. Bodily experiences are deceptive. Death therefore is good as it frees us from the body.
You can see why the Christian theology of the body would be quite controversial. The incarnation alone would be blasphemy to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks. And a bodily resurrection? Why would God even want such a thing? Why would we? Why is Paul comforting us with the promise of a transformed body? We don’t need a body at all do we? It’s just a hassle, right?
Many of us believe in some way that Heaven will be an escape from the body. But that is not Christianity, nor is what the ascension of a bodily Jesus, nor the rule and reign of a bodily Jesus tells us. The power that enables Jesus to subject all things to himself is the same power that will transform our bodies into the likeness of his glorious body. Jesus still has his body and so will we. And this is actually the only way for us to remain human, for that is what a human is – body, spirit, soul.
Maybe you’re thinking, “Why would I want this body forever? How can Heaven be good if I am still in this body?” Well, don’t miss the ascension promise – a transformed body. This lowly body that falls off curbs will be transformed into a glorious body that soars.
What exactly is a glorious body?
Here we use Jesus as our model. Clearly the body that Jesus walked out of the tomb with, the body that ascended into Heaven, was his same body but different. Jesus’ body still carries the holes in his hands and feet, the wound in his side, his appearance in Heaven is that of a Lamb that was slain (Rev. 5:6). Christian you aren’t getting a new body in Heaven, in Heaven your body is made new. Scripture doesn’t say a ton about our glorious bodies, but it does say (or imply) some pretty important things:
Our glorified bodies will be us – just as Jesus is still Jesus, with his temperament, personality, memories, and identity, the same is true for us who are in Christ. We won’t stop being ourselves.
Our glorified bodies will be physical – like Jesus, will eat together, drink together, hold one another.
Our glorified bodies will experience pleasure – the psalmist says that in the presence of God is fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore.
Our glorified bodies will be immortal – like Jesus, we will never die again, living eternally in the ever increasing pleasure of the presence of God.
Our glorified bodies will be spiritual – like Jesus, we will have a body that is infused with the power of the Holy Spirit, able to work, serve, and love without exhaustion.
Our glorified bodies will be sinless – like Jesus, we will be forever dead to sin and alive to God. Temptation will cease and every bodily desire we have will honor God alone.
This is the hope of ascension, a bodily hope, a hope for living a full life in and with Christ – body, soul, and spirit. It is the hope of being what humanity was created to be, the image and likeness of God. The hope of finally being like Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 49. 42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body…49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
You: What is your general view of the body? Good? Bad? Ugly? A necessary evil?
You in Christ: How can you see being in Christ making you more human? More alive?
Christ in you: What aspects of being the new creation have already begun for us in Christ? Are you experiencing any of these?
Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of my body, and thank you for the future gift of my body glorified. I want to start imaging Jesus now just as I will be fully one day. Help me I pray. Amen.
To Live is Christ 