“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”” – 1 Corinthians 15:35 

Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 15:35-41

If you have questions about the mechanics of the resurrection, you’re not the first. The apostle Paul writes (v.35), “But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?’” God has wonderfully filled the creation with resurrection images, the most prominent of which, as we have been seeing, is the amazing transformation of a seed into a plant. This simple image conveys three important lessons.

The first lesson is that just as the seed must go into the ground and decompose before a plant can appear, so you and I must go into the ground before we can be raised. The second lesson is that just as there is a biological continuity between an acorn and an oak tree, so there is continuity between the body buried and the body raised. When your body is raised, in other words, it will be your body and not someone else’s. The third lesson is that just as the mature oak tree is far more majestic than the acorn, the resurrected body will be far more glorious than the body buried.

If you’re puzzled by what kind of resurrection body you will have, you don’t need to worry. God not only has infinite resources to create something out of nothing, He is in the business of giving new bodies. Look at the powerful transformation of seed into plant in the botanic world!

Suggestions for prayer

Ask God to teach you the significance of the body and to help you become at home in your body in anticipation that you will have your body forever in the new creation.

Dr. Bill DeJong is the lead pastor of Blessings Christian church in Hamilton, ON and adjunct professor of Religion and Theology at Redeemer University in Ancaster, ON. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.