Wednesday Study Material
May 11, 2011
The Resurrection Body
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
I. We will have a suitable body (vv. 38-42).
A. God gives to each creature a body suitable for its existence. Birds, fish, and humans all
have bodies perfectly adapted to their environments.
B. Our resurrection body will be suitable for the resurrected life. Our bodies will be adapted
to the conditions of eternal life.
II. We will have a superior body (vv. 42-44).
In these verses Paul uses the metaphor of seeds and plants again. He suggests that if you want to know what our resurrection bodies will be like, you should go to a garden. Seeds are sown in the ground, and from their decay comes a plant far more superior to that which was placed in the ground.
The analogy is our bodies are the seeds, our burial is the planting, our resurrection is the harvest.
A. Our resurrection body will be incorruptible, that is, not subject to decay.
B. Our resurrection body will be glorious, that is, not subject to sin.
C. Our resurrection body will be powerful, that is, not subject to the limitations and handicaps
of this life.
D. Our resurrection body will be spiritual, that is, not mere flesh and blood.
III. We will have a Christlike body (vv. 45-49).
The clearest picture of what our resurrection body will be like is that of Jesus Christ. The apostle John agrees in 1 John 3:2. What kind of body did Jesus have when he was resurrected? Luke 24:33-43
A. Jesus had a transcendent body. Throughout His ministry He was subject to the law and space
and matter. He could be in only one place at a time. To go from one place to another required
that He move in time and in space. But after His resurrection, He was no longer limited to
time and space. His body no longer had former limitations.
His resurrected body showed no ill effects from the mortal wounds he had recently
received. So our resurrection bodies will not be limited by the afflictions, infirmities, and
handicaps that we have experienced on this earth.
B. Jesus had a recognizable body. When He appeared to His disciples, they recognized Him;
He looked essentially the same. He also spoke with them, walked with them, and allowed
them to physically inspect His scars. In like manner, we will know each other in the
resurrection.
IV. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever (vv. 50-58).