We Shall Be Like Him

A couple of summers ago, we studied the doctrine of “Heaven” and as we talked about the future reality of receiving our resurrected bodies this Sunday, I want to revisit one of the questions we asked: “What will our resurrected bodies be like?” Our resurrected bodies are the last, ultimate, perfected glorious state of our bodies that Christ will grant us when He comes to get us and what we will be like from then on forever. 
 
To sum up what our bodies will be like, we could say that our resurrected bodies will be like Christ’s resurrection body. 

Philippians 3:21 says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

1 John 3:2 says, “We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."

And Romans 8:29-30 says, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

These verses make it clear we will have a resurrection body like His. But what do we know about His body and what can we learn from it?
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​​Physically speaking, there are some basic observations we can make from Luke 24. For one, we know that He was able to stand among people like the disciples on solid ground (v. 36). He urged them to examine Him with their eyes and by touch, even showing them His scarred hands and feet (vv. 39-40). He also asked from something to eat and ate on more than one occasion the same food that the disciples were eating (vv. 41-43; Jn. 21:10-15). In Luke 24:39 He even said, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
 
What this tells us is that we will not be just some out-of-body spirit floating around on clouds somewhere or drifting through some distant galaxy like many have imagined, but there will be a real and tangible reality where we will be able to walk the golden streets of the New Jerusalem, eat the fruit of the tree of life and bread in the kingdom of God, and drink from the water of life and heaven’s wine (Lk. 14:15; Rev. 19:9; 21:6, 21; 22:2, 14). I don’t know about you, but I simply can’t wait! Personally, I have a great distaste for the idea of an only spiritual, transparent existence like many have imagined so I’m excited to spend eternity on a New Earth doing real and adventurous things together with you! These new bodies will be able to serve the Lord with complete energy and ability (Rev. 22:3) in a place where the sun never sets (Rev. 22:5).
 
Spiritually speaking (we’re talking about the inner man here), we know that we will be absolutely perfectly pure like He is! No longer will we have to battle it out anymore with this fallen sin nature because the war between flesh and Spirit will come to an end! We will simply walk by the Spirit in perfect communion with God at all times! What a relief that will be! Christ will give us new, bright and clean white robes that signify that we have been washed pure and spotless in the blood of the Lamb and have glorified Him through righteous deeds (Rev. 19:8; 22:14). This corruptible will have put on the incorruptible (Rom. 7:24-25; 8:29-30; Rev. 21:4, 27; 1 Cor. 15:52). Sin will not even exist in the eternal Heaven (Rev. 21:8; 22:15).
 
These new bodies will be immortal, have new capabilities, be healthy, powerful, have emotional stability, be able to shine, and much, much more! For more on how great our resurrected bodies will be go to: www.chadronberean.org > Resources > Heaven Study > Download DoctrineOfHeaven.Notes.pdf > Page 32-36. Also, if you’re looking for a good read on what heaven will be like, be sure to check out Randy Alcorn’s book called Heaven.

In Christ, our risen Savior, 
 
Pastor Justin