Our Promised Resurrection and Transformation

Meditations in First Corinthians

June 28, 2022

Our Promised Resurrection and Transformation

         Just as we are now like the earthly man, 

we will someday be like the heavenly man.

1 Corinthians 15:49

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49

Many people ask, “What will we be like in the world to come?” Paul tries to answer that question in today’s passage, but I think the best scriptural answer is by the Apostle John:

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. (1 John 3:2)

In today’s passage, Paul is also contrasting our present circumstance with our life in the world to come. In our present circumstance, God inspires us when we gather in worship on Sunday with a desire to share Jesus. But, we don’t. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. We see the needs in our community, and we hear the call of Jesus to follow him into the world to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and set the captives free. We want to follow, but we don’t go very far. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. We are in a social setting, and someone speaks words of hatred, or bitterness, or racial prejudice. We want to speak for God and against injustice, but we remain silent. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. In our passage today, Paul says there is coming a glorious day when our Lord shall return, and when he returns, our flesh will no longer be weak.

As we learn to trust God, and as we become more willing to surrender our lives to God, the Spirit within us ascends and the flesh or natural life within us descends. Ultimately, when Christ returns, he will complete the transformation within us, and we will become just like him: the spirit indeed is willing and without any weakness.

My Takeaway: God has now given us a present reality and a promise, which together form the foundation for our faith, hope and love: the Resurrection of Jesus and our promised resurrection and transformation.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.