I Believe in the Resurrection of the Body

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: II Corinthians 5; Lord's Day 21
Psalters: 222, 41, 81, 32
  1. The resurrection.
    1. The resurrection of the body is the wonder of grace whereby God calls our mortal bodies out of the dust of this dying life, through the power of Christ’s resurrection, to make them like our Lord’s glorious, risen body.
    2. Faith in Christ risen is the faith which believes in the glorious resurrection.
    3. Therefore, we, by faith, already experience the resurrection in regeneration.
  2. The intermediate state is the state of the soul during the time between physical death and the resurrection of the body.
    1. At death there is the resurrection of the soul – this is the second of the three resurrections.
      1. Death brings about the separation of the body and the soul - the body returns to dust and the soul to God (Eccl. 12:7).
      2. The resurrection of the soul is immediately at physical death (Luke 23:43).
    2. Our souls enter into the conscious state of glory of being with the ascended, glorified Jesus (II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23).
    3. As wonderful as the intermediate state will be, it is not yet as it will be.
    4. Holding these truths from Scripture, we reject other teachings.
  3. The resurrection of the body with its being united with its soul takes place when Jesus returns (John 5:28,29; I Thess. 4:16,17).
    1. While we see the body die and be buried (turns to dust), it shall be raised (though it has a different form).
      1. The emphasis in Christ’s resurrection is that His resurrection body is the same as that which He had before.
      2. Our bodies are created material now and they will be created material in glory, i.e., a visible creature.
    2. The form of our resurrected bodies will be such that they will be perfectly fit to glorify God forever.
    3. The same faith which embraces God and Christ embraces the hope of the resurrection of the body.
      1. Therefore as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we fear no evil for we have God’s precious promises.
      2. Faith knows that death is without sting and that we can live expecting unexpected wonders in the world to come.