February 22, 2019
For full passage click: 1 Corinthians 15:42-50 …“What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” vs. 50
Paul sums up his teaching on resurrection by saying that our physical bodies do not inherit the kingdom of God, a notion that can be disconcerting to those who believe that heaven is populated by people doing eternally the things that brought them joy on earth. We hear that kind of talk regularly as folks talk about their loved ones who have died. We like to imagine that they’re enjoying perfect fairways and perfect swings, that they’re “looking down” and watching us from their new dwelling place with Jesus. According to Paul, that can’t happen because they now have what he calls “spiritual bodies.” In his estimation, that means that they are sharing new life with Jesus; they’ve joined him in resurrection. Some of us might wonder then if those loved ones are present to us in the same way that Jesus is. If Christ is with us always, and they are in him, then it may follow that they too are with us! For many that’s a comforting thought, they like it that the connections we have on earth continue after death. Of course there’s no way we can know such things…we don’t yet have access to that spirit world. But it doesn’t hurt to speculate; and if it brings comfort to know that our loved ones are nearby, it’s something we can go right ahead and believe!
Thought for the Day: What’s it like to sense the presence of a loved one who has died?
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