Through the teaching of N.T. Wright in his book “Surprised by Hope”, I learned that I was teaching heresy. I used to preach at a memorial “The person who is in the casket is not here any more. That body is just a shell and their spirit is with Jesus in heaven.” But that is heresy. What the scriptures teach is that our bodies that die will be resurrected just as Jesus’s was. Our hope is in the promise of resurrection. Jesus is going to redeem these bodies. They will be transformed to have no sickness or disease. It will be a new body, but it will be this body.
So now, when I preach a memorial, I say “Look at that body. You’re going to see that body again!” God will recreate our bodies through the resurrection so that death is swallowed up in victory.
Remember, the resurrection is our hope. It is the fulfillment of our complete salvation. What a great morning that will be when the dead bones rise!
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