GLORIFICATION: THE RESURRECTION OF OUR BODIES

by Dustin Shramek

Yet, however glorious is the transformation of the people of God at death and however much they may be disposed to say with the apostle that to depart and to be with Christ is far better (Ph 1:23), this is not their glorification. It is not the goal of the believer's hope and expectation. [1]


I. The believer's hope and expectation–resurrection of the body (a study of 1 Corinthians 15).

A definition: Glorification is the final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, and reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like His own. [2]

A. Verses 12-29.

  1. Why is Paul so surprised that some say there is no resurrection of the dead (v. 12)?
  2. What is the implication of such teaching (v. 13, 16)?
  3. If such implications are true, what is at stake (v. 14, 17-19)?
  4. If there is no resurrection, then Christ was not raised. But since Christ was raised, Paul is necessarily implying that there must be a resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of Christ is the foundation for our hope of being resurrected.

B. Verses 20-28.

  1. Just as it is certain that all who are in Adam die, it is also certain that all who are in Christ will be made alive (v. 22). Again we see the implications of being united with Christ.
  2. When will we be resurrected?
    1. Verse 23 and 1 Thessalonians 1:16 (also 1 Co 15:51-52).
    2. John 6:39-40, 44, 54.
    3. What does Christ do after His return (v. 24)?
    4. What follows the resurrection (Mt 25:31, 32; Re 20:11-15)?
      1. What happens to those who don't believe, will they be resurrected (Jn 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; Mt 25:31-46; Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:13-15)?
    5. What happens to those who have already died? Must they wait to be resurrected? Where are they now? See 2 Co 5:8; Ph 1:23.
  3. Christ has redeemed us from sin, but what about its consequences (vv. 25-27)?
    1. If Christ is Lord, what must be true of Him?
    2. How does He triumph over death?
    3. By resurrecting the dead, Christ defeats His last enemy. What if there were no resurrection? What would that save about our savior?
    4. Is resurrection taught in the Old Testament (Job 19:25-26; Isaiah 26:19; Ezekiel 37:1-14; also, when Exodus 3:6 is read with Mt 22:29-32, it is clearly implied)?
    5. How does the resurrection of the dead glorify God (v. 28)?
    6. What light does Romans 8:23 shed on this? Is our glorification bound up with our adoption (see also Ro 8:17)?
    7. What about the consequences sin has had on creation (Romans 8:20-23; 2 Peter 3:12-13)?

C. Verses 29-34.

  1. What is Paul's argument in 30-32?
  2. How would the denial of the resurrection of the body make Paul's actions absurd and foolish?
  3. What is Paul's implication if there is no resurrection of the dead (v. 32)?

D. Verses 35-49.

  1. How does Paul's analogy of the seed help us understand the nature of our resurrected body?
  2. Will we have the same body (Ro 8:11; Ph 3:21)?
  3. Our body is sown: perishable, in dishonor, in weakness, natural. It is raised: imperishable, in glory, in power, spiritual.
    1. Imperishable: It will not grow old nor will it wear out. It is free from disease and it will never decay (1 Peter 1:3-4).
    2. In glory: It will be beautiful, bright and radiant (Mt 13:43; Daniel 12:3).
    3. In power: It will be in fullness of strength. God will be all in all and we will be strengthened by Christ.
    4. Spiritual: We will be spiritual in nature, meaning that the things of God will be our only desire.
  4. Does this mean that our resurrection is not physical?
    1. Christ's resurrection was physical (John 20:24-29) and He is the first born of the dead: Re 1:5; Col 1:18; 1 Co 15:20-23.
    2. Our redemption by Christ includes the body (Ro 8:11, 23).
    3. Paul calls it a spiritual body (v. 44), a body that is not physical is no body at all.
    4. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-16 can only make sense if Paul is saying that our souls are with God and then brought back to receive our bodies.
    5. God will transform our lowly bodies to be like Christ (Philippians 3:20-21).
    6. Does 1 Corinthians 15:50 refute a physical resurrection?
      1. The whole context of chapter 15 is referring to a physical resurrection. Paul's point is that those who are full of the flesh (see Ro 8:5-9) cannot enter heaven.
  5. We will be made like Christ (v. 49).
    1. For what purpose did God predestine us (Ro 8:29)?
    2. What does it mean to be transformed into “conformity with the body of His glory” (Ph 3:21).
    3. 1 John 3:2, “We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.”

E. Verses 50-57.

  1. How does verse 51 support the idea that we will not receive new bodies?
  2. Will all believers be changed (resurrected) at the same time (see also 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Hebrews 11:39)?
  3. Through Christ's resurrection and our subsequent resurrection, God has given us the victory. Praise be to Him!

F. Verse 58.

  1. How does our hope in the resurrection encourage obedience.
  2. How does it encourage a radical life lived for the glory of Christ (vv. 30-32).
  3. In what ways will the truth of glorification impact our daily life?


II. Is this God-centered?

A. Romans 8:17.

  1. What is our great promise as children of God?
  2. Who are we heirs of? With?
  3. The exultation of Christ is simultaneous with our glorification. It is bound up with Christ's coming, for we could have no hope without Christ's glorification.

B. It causes great gratitude for God in our hearts. Our resurrection is our great hope only because we will be with Christ.

C. It gives us great satisfaction in God. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

D. “Glorification is glorification with Christ.” [3]


III. Glorification is a work of the entire Trinity.

A. 2 Corinthians 1:9 states plainly that it is God who raises the dead.

B. Our inheritance is from the Father (Romans 8:17).

C. Our bodies are raised by Christ (John 5:21, 25, 28, 29; 6:38-40, 44, 54; 1 Th 4:16).

D. We are raised through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11).

Footnotes

[1]1 John Murray, Redemption--Accomplished and Applied, (WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, MI), p. 174.

[2]2 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Zondervan Publishing and Inter Varsity Press, 1994), p. 828.

[3]3 Murray, p. 178.

 

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