by Adam Ramsey
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What Jesus experienced in the body, he promises to share with his people. As Paul writes, "If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his" (Romans 6:5). Have you ever considered that the eternal life Christ has promised you is one in a resurrected body like his? Heaven is going to be glorious beyond our wildest imagination, but our home in heaven as it is right now, on this side of Christ's return, will be temporary. Heaven will be a wonderful layover on our way to our final, destination of a renewed world in the new creation (Revelation 21:1-3). And there, in the new creation, "the Lord Jesus Christ... will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21). Our bodies will be raised from the grave and infused with a glory akin to the glory of the resurrected body of Jesus.

In this way, the bodily resurrection of Jesus is not a one-off cosmic anomaly; it's a precedent. It is our definite future, guaranteed in our present through the down payment of the Holy Spirit indwelling the heart of every believer (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:1-5). In eternity you will still be you but magnificently so.

What does all this mean? It means that your body shouldn't be worshipped as an ultimate thing, nor should it be treated as a common thing. As far as God is concerned, your earthly body, made of physical matter, matters. And one day, it will be renewed in Christ's likeness. So while we should care for our bodies and steward them well in the way we eat, exercise and rest, we should also not be afraid when they start to wear out. In fact, we can face our inevitable bodily decline with a holy smirk. Every new crease that appears on our face, along with every new grey hair that appears on our head, is nothing more than a reminder that we are a little bit closer to the day when Jesus "will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body' (Philippians 3:21). When we get sick or find ourselves battling chronic pain, we still bring it to the Lord in prayer, asking for healing and relief as Scripture instructs us to do (James 5:14-15). But our ultimate hope is not in a temporary restoration of our health; it is in the promise of him "who was seated on the throne [who] said, 'Behold, I am making all things new" (Revelation 21:5).

The point I want you to see is that that body of yours is loved by God. It is a good gift from him, blemished and broken by sin to be sure but in Christ redeemed and on its way to being gloriously resurrected. According to Jesus, rightly loving God and trusting God includes not only your whole heart, mind and soul .. but also "all your strength" (Mark 12:30): that is, your physical body. And the fact that God requires "all" our strength illustrates that our bodies are limited not only with regards to what they can do and where they can be but in whom they ultimately belong to.

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Faithfully Present: Embracing the Limits of Where and When God Has You
(2023 - The Good Book Company, pages 121-123)