The Apostles Creed | The Resurrection of the Body and The Life Everlasting
I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen.
Every time I have sought to consider heaven and what it will be like, my brain has come up against the edges of my imagination. There comes a point where I can no longer comprehend the future glory that awaits those who are in Christ Jesus. For some reason, my imagination wrestles with the idea of perfection not only of creation but in people. There will no longer be conflict among humanity or sickness or death. Perhaps it’s the influence of media which has biased me to tell a story wrought with conflict where the protagonist must anguish and labor to rescue the people or save the loved the one. Yet, we must be aware that once we step into eternity, that part of the story is over. The work of Jesus on the cross represents the anguish and labor of the story where Jesus rescued His beloved bride from the clutches of sin and death and set them up in eternity. Now, is the happily ever after.
“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:54-58 ESV
One day, those who are in Jesus Christ will experience the fullness of a bodily resurrection and an eternal perfection by and for the glory of God. The Apostles’ Creed ends with the hope of future glory as mankind joins Christ forever. The problems of this life, the perishable nature of our bodies, the ravaging of sin, sickness, and death will no longer plague mankind and we will rise with Christ. The final enemy for everyone will be death and everyone will face that final enemy. Yet, we believe that death will not be the end. Therefore, we can look forward to the eternity and persevere in our faith today. Whatever the troubles we face will be nothing more than a brief moment before an eternal and everlasting joy in the presence of God.
Healing The Perishable
Everyone will face death at some point. This is not a battle that we can go without facing. Moreso, we get tastes of this perishable nature every time we wrestle with sickness. From headaches and nausea to life altering medical conditions, we get tastes of the power that death holds and the consequences of sin on this world. Through the introduction of sin, the world cracked and the glory of God became marred by the selfish ambitions and effects of sin on the planet. People sought after the temporary pleasures of the flesh and rejected God. Yet, as we discussed in the previous posts, Jesus Christ offers the forgiveness of sins. The first step for the believer is to experience for forgiveness of sins that sought our destruction. The greater news is that our relationship with Jesus Christ does not stop there. While everyone will experience death in this world, not everyone will experience the same eternal death. The Christian is promised that, though you will die, you will rise with Jesus Christ in perfection. The perishable body will be no more but you will receive your physical body in perfection to be in the presence of God forever.
Our brains cannot fully comprehend the extent of perfection until that day when we will see Jesus face to face. We can wait now in eager expectation of the life to come. The problems we face with sin and death will one day no longer affect the believer. The problems of sickness and persecution will one day not longer plague the believer. Our struggles with end and we will be with God, forever. This is not pain avoidance or merely getting out of hell, but experience the perfect presence of God in the lives of everyone who submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. At the end of days, we will be resurrected from the death and come into the new heaven and new earth, having been renewed and transformed by the sanctifying power of God Almighty, and we will enjoy His presence for all eternity.
Perseverance of Today
Too often, though, we view eternity as something that has not yet started. In some cases, this is completely understandable. When compared to the future glory that we will experience in the full presence of God, the world we live in today is marked with pain, hurt, persecution, and death. It becomes difficult to see eternity in the face what we experience. Yet, to proclaim that we believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, means that we do not put off the blessing of eternity for a later day. Rather, eternity starts now. When we step into the newness of life that comes from the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, then we step into eternity and begin our journey in growing closer to God that will continue for all eternity. Furthermore, we rest in the continued hope that, even though we face death, our future glory is a secured reality rather than a potential ending that has yet to be played out.
Hope does not mean that we do not know or that we have a strong feeling as to how things will end, rather, hope comes from a secure knowledge of the unknown. While we may not have all the facts nor understand the future reality, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we will be with God forever because Jesus Christ advocates for us to the Father and has given the Spirit to reside within us. This is why we do not labor in vain and why we do not shy away from living a life that boldly proclaims the Gospel. There will be days where we do not feel the presence of God. Others we will be persecuted for our faith. And still others, we will wrestle with the desires of our flesh desiring deeply to sin. In those days and in those moments, do not give up the fight. Continue to submit to the will of God in every aspect of your life and pursue Him with everything you have. The promise of eternity strengths the believer to stand firm today against anything masquerading as stronger than God and know that our hope is secure in Jesus Christ. Whatever trial or difficulty you face will one day be over as we rest in the presence of Jesus.
