Hoping For An Upgrade
What will the cars of the future be like? Engines powered by fossil fuels will be gone. Cars may be electric, or perhaps we'll have come up with an entirely new power source. We won't be allowed to touch the steering wheel, assuming cars still have one. But that being said, a car will still be a car and will still look like a car because that's the best design to do what we need cars to do. Profoundly different, yet still recognizably the same.
What does that have to do with the hope of spending eternity in the presence of God? Simple. The bodies we inhabit now are not fit for that purpose. We will need an upgrade into something that is profoundly different, and yet still recognizably the same. The bible says, "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable… it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). God is not going to change us into something that's not human anymore. We were designed the way we are for a purpose. But we will be different. Our present bodies are fueled by the natural processes and forces of this world. Our new bodies will be fueled by the spirit of God. "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you" (Romans 8:11).
This change is a necessary one. Why? Because our earthly bodies get sick, bits wear out, we decay, we die, and we return to dust. For eternity we need a body that won't do any of these things. Otherwise, how can we truly have eternal life. The day is coming when God will transform us into something profoundly different and suited for eternity, yet still very much human.
Knowing this has consequences. First, it changes our thinking on death. We can no longer see death as the end of life, or a defeat, or something to be feared. It's actually a transition and an upgrade into something new and amazing. Second, what we do now with our current bodies and world is still important. "Therefore, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Because there is a continuity between who and what we are now and who and what we will be in the future, it would be hypocritical not to live now without reference to what is to come. We do that by living in wholehearted obedience to Jesus, who rules both heaven and earth.
Neil Percival
What does that have to do with the hope of spending eternity in the presence of God? Simple. The bodies we inhabit now are not fit for that purpose. We will need an upgrade into something that is profoundly different, and yet still recognizably the same. The bible says, "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable… it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). God is not going to change us into something that's not human anymore. We were designed the way we are for a purpose. But we will be different. Our present bodies are fueled by the natural processes and forces of this world. Our new bodies will be fueled by the spirit of God. "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you" (Romans 8:11).
This change is a necessary one. Why? Because our earthly bodies get sick, bits wear out, we decay, we die, and we return to dust. For eternity we need a body that won't do any of these things. Otherwise, how can we truly have eternal life. The day is coming when God will transform us into something profoundly different and suited for eternity, yet still very much human.
Knowing this has consequences. First, it changes our thinking on death. We can no longer see death as the end of life, or a defeat, or something to be feared. It's actually a transition and an upgrade into something new and amazing. Second, what we do now with our current bodies and world is still important. "Therefore, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Because there is a continuity between who and what we are now and who and what we will be in the future, it would be hypocritical not to live now without reference to what is to come. We do that by living in wholehearted obedience to Jesus, who rules both heaven and earth.
Neil Percival