Day 361

Of the State of Man after Death and of the Resurrection of the Dead.

Chapter 31, Paragraph 3.

“The bodies of the unjust shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonour; the bodies of the just by his spirit unto honour, and be made conformable to his own glorious Body.”

Scripture Lookup

Acts 24:15

John 5:28,29

Philippians 3:21

Reflection

On the last day, everyone who has died shall be resurrected. The souls of the departed have been separated from their bodies since the time of their death. Now the soul and body will be reunited. But what kind of reunion will it be?

Those who are not united to Christ, their souls tormented in hell as they awaited this day, will also be united with their bodies. But this union is not a joyous one, for their souls are united with a dishonorable body. What does that mean? There is ambiguity regarding the qualities of a dishonorable body, but Samuel Waldron writes, “While this end is wished upon no one, the Bible suggests that God will make the ugly and repulsive nature of sin visible in the very bodies of the unrepentant.”

At the same time, the bodies of the righteous will be raised and united with their souls. These souls have been in the presence of their Savior, free from sin. Now they will once again be with their bodies, but these bodies will not be the corrupt flesh that they had during their earthly life. Just as the soul is the same soul, but changed, the body is the same body, yet glorified. There will be no hindrance to a complete union with Christ.

As the new year approaches, advertisements and articles appear touting the best ways to get in shape. The desire to transform oneself into a healthy, attractive body is a strong one for humanity. Yet the truly beautiful bodies are those who have been transformed due to Christ. On the last day, the bodies of the righteous will be perfect in a way that the gym will never accomplish.

Questions to Consider

• How does your spiritual state affect how you presently treat your body? How does having an incorruptible body affect the way you view your present body?