Raised from the Dead

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

RASIED FROM THE DEAD

1 Cor 15:35-44

35 But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

NIV

We are going to get further clarification on the resurrection as we continue through the rest of this passage of Paul’s explanation between the body and the Spirit. It is interesting the Corinthians were thinking of what we have thought on occasion, at least until we reach the right understanding of the resurrection and what that will look like. We have pondered about what we will look like after being resurrected from the dead. We do know that upon the last breath of this earthly body, we will no longer be captive within it, as we will absent from this body and present with the Lord. However, that is strictly in the spirit, the reality of who we are. We believe that we are a spirit who lives in this body who has a soul, which could be considered as our mind, or personality. Nevertheless, this earthly body will be raised from the dead, but it will be nothing like the current body we now occupy. Paul has made that clear enough when he makes the analogy of sowing a seed what becomes something other than a seed, as well as, when the seed is planted it must die in order to become the body it must be. Using that example, we can understand that this body must die in order that it can become the body it was meant to be, a physical yet spiritual one, that is imperishable, full of glory with power. We do not have to know exactly what we will look like, or if we will resemble this earthly form at all. Will those that die young look at different than those of us who are going to die in our old age? Will we look like we did when we were young, or still have our wrinkles and gray hair? We are thinking that all that kind of pondering is somewhat futile as no one will ever know until we get there as to what our appearance will be, as spiritual beings full of honor, glory and power. We do know, however, that even in this human form, we were made in the image of God, and thus as we live today, we bear His image and consequently should live accordingly. Someday, we will be changed, until then let us live as God intended us to live until that day we will be raised from the dead.