unto His glorious body. There is the same vital connection between the body that is buried and the body that is resurrected. It is like the seed planted in the ground and the flower that springs forth from it (I Cor, 15:54). It was the body of Jesus Christ that was raised from the dead. It wasn’t a case of the spirit’s being raised and clothed with a new body. It was the same body that died and was buried. The actual literal body of Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. The new body will far sur pass the old body. When we place a shriveled seed in the ground, what do we receive in return but a full grown head of wheat or a beautiful flower, far su perior than the mere grain placed in the ground. When an individual dies, it is sometimes very pitiful be cause, through illness, the body wastes away until there is hardly anything left. Death is an awesome thing! I Corinthians 15:42 reminds us that when a believer dies, he is literally sown in corruption but raised in incorruption. It’s a fact that this present body is like a shriv eled grain of seed. It’s decaying all the time we draw a breath of life. As we get older, we only find more pain and distress. We have wrinkles in our faces that weren’t there years ago. Everyone goes through the same experience. This is a body of “dis honor,” for it is often the home of a loathsome disease. It is a body of weakness so that it finally dies. But, praise the Lord, the body of the believer is raised in incorruption. No decay will ever touch that resurrect ed form. It is raised in power so that no weariness will ever be known by the Christian in his new body of everlasting youth. This is based upon the teachings of the Word of God, not the vain vagaries of philosophies of men. Yes, we have a glorious hope of the future to which we can look forward in joyful expectancy and anticipation.
Charles Elliott, for 40 years presi dent of Harvard University, a dis tinguished scholar and chemist, was asked whether in his long life of 90 years he had ever gained knowledge of the nature of matter. He replied, “Nothing!” Science may be able to tell you how many atoms there are in the various things that make up a brick, but to know exactly what it is, even the scientist knows no more than the brick-layer himself. He may be able to reduce the brick to parti cles of atoms and electrons. The se cret of it all is with the Lord (Phil. 3:21). Here we find clearly that the Christian is going to have a body like Christ’s resurrected and glori fied body. This was a real substan tial body. He was seen in it; He spoke through it; He actually ate food before His disciples. He wasn’t a ghost but true flesh and bone. So, we shall be like Him as well (I John 3:2). The resurrection body of the be liever in Christ is intimately related to this present body. This body of human weakness will be made like
God changes people, not things.
A farewell program and reception was held recently in honor of Mr. A l Sand ers and family. Greeting Mr. Sanders and his wife, Margaret, are Mr. and Mrs. Robert Welsh. Mr. Welsh is a member of the Biola Board of Directors. 6
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs