Answer
The future resurrection is a fundamental belief of Christianity. For the believer, the resurrection is not a continuation of our present lives but a transition into eternity with God in heaven. According to the Bible, the resurrection will be physical.
The physical resurrection of believers is mentioned in the Gospels and the Pauline Epistles. A clear affirmation of a physical resurrection is found in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul writes about the future resurrection of the dead, drawing a parallel to the resurrection of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:42–44, he says this:
Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. (NLT)
Paul explains that believers will be raised from the dead with “spiritual bodies” in contrast to the “natural bodies” that had died. This does not mean that we will have immaterial bodies; rather, our bodies will be imperishable and glorified, unlike our present bodies.The resurrection of Christ is a prototype for our own resurrection. Following His crucifixion, Jesus physically rose from the grave. The Gospel writers record numerous post-resurrection appearances when Jesus physically interacted with His disciples. For instance, in Luke 24:39, Jesus invites His disciples to see His body and touch Him: “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (ESV). Jesus was not a disembodied spirit; His body was now impervious to the death and decay of mortal flesh (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–19, 50–58). Jesus physically rose from the grave, and we will experience the same kind of resurrection (Romans 6:5; Philippians 3:21).
In Romans 8:11, Paul writes, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (ESV). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is both a present reality and a promise of a physical resurrection for believers.
The physical resurrection of believers provides us with hope, assuring us that death is not the end of life but a transition to a more glorious state of existence. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, Paul describes the future resurrection: “The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (ESV). Both the living and the dead will be united with God in heavenly bliss.
We look forward to the day when our perishable bodies will become imperishable, our dishonorable bodies will become glorious, and our weak bodies will become powerful. We will be completely new and fit for eternity.
