This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s Message: I Believe in the Resurrection (WATCH HERE)
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
When Christians talk about eternity, we often say, “Someday I’ll go to heaven.” While that is certainly true for those who die in Christ, the Bible points us to something even greater. The Christian hope is not simply that our souls will be with Jesus after death. Our ultimate hope is the resurrection of the body.
Every Sunday we confess it in the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in… the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Those words are easy to say, but have you ever stopped to think about what they really mean?
God is not finished with His creation. When He created Adam and Eve, He declared everything “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Sin brought death into the world, and ever since then our bodies have experienced the effects of a broken creation. We grow older. We become sick. We ache. We mourn the loss of loved ones. Death reminds us that the world is not as God intended.
But Easter changed everything.
When Jesus rose from the grave, He didn’t leave His body behind. The disciples saw Him. They touched Him. He ate with them. His resurrection was physical, glorious, and real. In the same way, Scripture promises that all who belong to Christ will one day receive resurrected, glorified bodies like His (1 Corinthians 15:42–44).
That truth matters because God is redeeming the whole person. Christianity is not about escaping this world forever. It is about God making all things new. Revelation paints a picture not of souls floating on clouds but of a new heaven and a new earth where God dwells with His people. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
This promise changes how we view our bodies today. In a culture that either worships the body or despairs over it, Christians see the body as a gift from God. It is not disposable. It is not an accident. It has been created by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Even when our bodies fail us because of age or illness, we know they are not beyond God’s redeeming power.
It also changes how we grieve. Christians still weep at gravesides because death is an enemy. But we do not despair. We lay the bodies of believers to rest with confidence, knowing that they are not abandoned. As Paul says, what is sown perishable will be raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:52–53). The grave is not the end of the story. It is the place where God plants the seed of the resurrection.
Perhaps you have looked in the mirror and wished your body were different. Perhaps illness or pain has become a daily companion. Maybe you’ve watched someone you love grow weaker with age. Remember God’s promise. The limitations you experience today are temporary. One day Christ will raise you, restore you, and make you whole. Not because your body deserves it, but because His resurrection guarantees yours.
The Christian’s greatest hope is not simply that we will die and go to heaven. It is that Jesus will return, raise the dead, renew creation, and we will live with Him forever in glorified bodies. That is the future God has promised, and it is every bit as certain as the empty tomb.
Reflect: How does the promise of the resurrection of the body change the way you think about aging, illness, or death? In what ways can you honor God with your body today while looking forward to the day He makes all things new?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that Your resurrection guarantees my own. When I become discouraged by weakness, illness, or the effects of sin in this world, remind me that You are making all things new. Help me to honor You with my body today as I look forward with joyful anticipation to the day You raise me to everlasting life. Amen.