What Will Our Spiritual Bodies Be Like in Heaven?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday. Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez and welcome to another episode. The program we answer your questions about the faith with Fester. Michael Horton nine Pastor atrial Sanchez, Ronald Reagan, son of Ronald Reagan appeared in a recent advertisement during one of the Democratic presidential debates pushing atheism what he said I am Ron Reagan, an unabashed atheist and I'm alarmed by the intrusions of religion into our secular government.

That's why I'm asking you to support the freedom from religion foundation, the nation's largest and most effective Association of atheists and agnostics working to keep state and church.

Separate just like our founding fathers intended. Please support the freedom from religion foundation.

He concluded the advertisement by saying this was probably the most shocking part Ronald Reagan lifelong atheist not afraid of burning in hell. Wow, that's pretty depressing.

Atheism is not as as big in the United States. They think some people think it's but it's growing and I did that sort of unabashed arrogant atheism sometimes is attractive to people outside of the church. What you think might witness well, you're not surprised when hell comes up. I was talking to one of my sons recently who was saying that the hardest thing for him as far as his faith is a teenager and you know he's going through all these questions and so forth.

The biggest question for him is how can a loving God send people he made in his image to help you and all across the board. The statistics are telling us that the younger you go in the generations.

The harder it is for people to believe in the reality of hell and I think part of that is simply because hell doesn't make sense to any of us if we don't really understand who God is and who we are. The fact that he made us in his image actually measures the seriousness of our rebellion against him. Yeah so it's not how could a good God send people he made in his image to help. It's really how could a good and holy and just God reconcile people he made in his image who broke it.

Who destroyed it. Who corrupted. How could he reconcile them to himself. That's the mystery them. The amazing thing is that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life. Amen. While speaking of the afterlife. We got a question from Shirley here on Facebook.

She asked in first Corinthians 15. It speaks of the spiritual body that we will receive in heaven. I'm confused about this because the Bible doesn't seem to say much about it. You sip some light on what our spiritual bodies will be like and how that will be different from the physical body we have now. Yeah such an important question Maggie because it's often misunderstood. In a week. We have our Gentile Greek spectacles. By that I mean especially Plato where we have this contrast between material stuff and spiritual stuff and it's the spiritual stuff that's important is the spiritual stuff that will be saved like no saving souls, but not caring about bodies. God created us as psychosomatic that is body soul people. It's not actually a blessing that we die and our souls are separated from our bodies. It's a blessing that our soul goes to be with the Lord instead of hell. But even that isn't final salvation, as Paul tells us in Romans eight the final salvation is the redemption of our bodies when our bodies share in that glorification on the last day. Then it will be said death is swallowed up in victory. God will have redeemed all of his creation. Our bodies will be glorified will be raised all the corruption that fills our body and soul will be cleansed will be gone, but our bodies will still be the bodies that we lived in the body that we were born with.

We don't just have bodies we are embodied souls and ensouled bodies. So Paul says in first Corinthians 15 for this mortal body must put on immortality, he doesn't say for this mortal body must be exchanged for an immoral body. It's a different condition but not a different body it's spiritual, not in the sense that it's no longer physical. As Plato would think about it, but in the sense that it's no longer subject to decay and death. It's now under the reign of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity is bringing this transformation of our bodies into being because the same spirit. Paul says, who raised Jesus from the dead. So if you want to know what our resurrection bodies are going to be like just go back and read about Jesus after his resurrection, he was hungry. They wanted some fish. He didn't say oh no you guys go ahead. I'll just watch you because I'm a kind of a ghostly being touch me do ghosts have flesh and bone. As you clearly see, I have and yet he could appear here and appear there. I mean he could we have we really don't know I is not seen, nor ear heard what God has prepared for those 11 but we do know this the same body that has lived and died will be raised. I wonder if the food in the new creation is to be glorified to I think so well will just look at Isaiah 25 man is this gonna be a night out verse six on this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make not on this cloud. Now it on this mountain, the true and fulfilled mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples, a feast and an amazing he's a chef to he's going to make the meal he will make for all peoples, a feast of rich food, a feast of well aged wine of rich food, full of marrow of aged wine well refined and he will swallow up on this mountain, the covering that is cast over all peoples.

The veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever.

And the Lord God will wipe away every tear from all faces while laughing at me and you just read that you think boy we do a terrible job. I think in the church of getting people excited about going to ask about as well were going to go to heaven when we encounter unless no dirt left is the wedding feast right this is the party were innocent with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob around that table eating this great footing. That's awesome. So thank you so much for your question, we got an email from Madison who asked how do you understand the story of Judah and Taymor through a transition.

There I going to Judah and Taymor. What are we supposed to learn from this out, well it's one of the stories in the Old Testament we don't read to her kids before bed. You know, Genesis 38 Taymor's Judah's daughter-in-law.

Her husband was in a walk through the story little bit just because you may not be as familiar with it right now, but her husband Judah's oldest son dies without giving her any children. Now in that culture. If a husband died without giving his wife any children. It was the duty of the next brother in line to take his brother's wife and raise up children and his brother's name so heirs little brother that was Taymor's husband died, his little brother Onan gets with Taymor and is unwilling to have children with her and so God strikes him down so get the helium Judah two of his sons now have dies lost two sons and his third son, whose name was Sheila, which I think is a great name for a guy was next in line for Taymor but Judah doesn't want to give Taymor to him, lest he die to meet to the sons of Artie died as long as it does look good so he tells Taymor to go and live in as a widow and that's where the story takes an even more troubling turn. One day Taymor dresses up as a prostitute and seduces her father-in-law, Judah, and ends up getting pregnant and Judah wants to have her put to death until she proves that he was the one who fathered the children by showing him the staff that he left behind, and this is how he responds just 38 verse 26. She is more righteous than I since I wouldn't give her to my son Sheila and he did not sleep with her again and when the time came for her to give birth. There were twin boys in her womb as she was giving birth. One of them put out his hand for the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied on his wrist and said this one came out first, but when he drew back his hand. His brother came out and she said so this is how you have broken out and he was named Perez and his brother who had the scarlet thread on his wrist came out and he was named Zada that what's the big take away here and I think that your question will obviously the importance of offspring I think is one of the things were sitting here in Genesis 38 this idea of office is hugely significant in the book of Genesis. Remember the promise made to Eve.

One day her offspring would crush the head of the serpent in that day culturally to be barren was to be without a future without hope of Taymor takes things into her own hand to get offspring in a way that shocking to modern readers, but she was even more shocking is the story of God enfolds God used her to help bring about the Messiah, Jesus is in his bloodline. Yet when we get to Matthew's genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 this out begins the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac and Isaac, the father of Jacob, and Jacob, the father of Judah and his brothers and Judah the father of Perez and Sarah by Taymor. You think about that story in Genesis 38. As shocking as it is you think these are the people that God is using to bring about the Savior of the world, the Messiah, Jesus is the big thing here is the offspring and ultimately just the offspring of the woman is ultimately going to crush the head of the serpent and that offspring is coming through these broken and sinful people and I think another just practical take away for us as followers of Jesus today is God uses us with all of our messiness. There isn't one person on this planet that God is used it doesn't have problems hit history brokenness.

That's the beautiful thing about the Lord is.

He uses people sinful people to redeem to redeem you, praise God, thank you for that question, listening to core Christianity were answering your questions about the faith you want to get hold of us. You can reach us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core.

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Yeah.

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More and more these days were getting questions about mental health issues and I think that the church is really starting to see how important this is and how important it is for us as Christians to address this. Well we got a call from Jack about depression. Let's listening and say that you supply Jack let me first express my sympathy for what you're going through depression and anxiety are not just epidemic in our society today but you know have really ravaged some of my own loved ones and it is a horrible thing I've learned that one of the hardest things about mental illness is that it robs you of your ability to accurately evaluate who you are, where you're going in life and whether you're on track. It's easy to slide down the hole into the depths of despair. So it seems like nothing and no one can pull you out. Even the most beautiful things can seem ugly of the most encouraging booths can be heard as soul crushing in the truest things can be twisted into untruths is a terrible disease but to make matters worse if you're Christian then you have the guilt of thinking you're a bad one because you suffer from depression and anxiety.

First of all Jack I want to distinguish feeling depressed and anxious sometimes from clinical depression and anxiety. We all fail to trust the Lord enough to take care of us and that's why Paul exhorted in Philippians 46 do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God bring it to the Lord. That's why Jesus told us do not be anxious about your life what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing.

Look at the birds of the air, then neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they.

Therefore, he says. In conclusion, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

We all need to be reminded of that were not our own.

We can't add a date or life by worrying God takes care of us, but clinical depression. Jack and anxiety aren't vices when I don't trust the Lord enough that is a vice that is a sin. It is a lack of trust in the God who is sovereign enough and good enough to care for me when you have clinical depression and anxiety.

You need to know it's a medical illness. Would you say you were a bad Christian.

If you had cancer course not. Our mind is our brain.

It's an organ of our body saturated with chemicals that regulate our whole nervous system so the first thing I'd encourage you to do. If you haven't already, is go out and look for a good psychiatrist who can give you a reliable diagnosis and treatment. It's not as if you don't have any moral agency or responsibility in this. But if you have clinical mental illness. You aren't even clear enough in your thinking to be able to identify and deal with those sins, but you may still feel guilty even though you know intellectually that your sins are forgiven by Christ. You may still strike out in anger at something or someone, even if it's a slight offense even when you know it's wrong so you have to get that baseline medical imbalance worked out so then you can think and act more responsibly. But let me just repeat what I said earlier Jack because it's so important. You aren't a bad Christian for having clinical depression or anxiety anymore than I'm a bad Christian for having degenerative disc disease sin isn't just things we do it the condition we have were all born into the family of Adam bearing his corruption and curse. It's a fallen world.

Our bodies as well as our souls are fallen, corrupt, broken, disfigured, but Christ lived for you, Christ died for you.

Christ rose again for you and intercedes for you right now at the father's right hand. One day he'll come for you to raise your depression and anxiety ridden body from the dead, enjoying everlasting pleasures in his presence. So you you need both because it's a physical problem as well as a spiritual problem.

You need medical help because it's a spiritual problem as well as a physical problem. You also need good teaching you need. The gospel preached to you, and into you every single day, and certainly every week when you gather with fellow sinners. Below strugglers in this life and check.

Thanks for being willing to share and asked that question we have, we have a resource to on this nine things you need to know about depression and go to our website and lease gives you a list of some principles to think about as you are wrestling with this question here from Sean on Facebook.

Can you speak to the idea that God helps those who help themselves. There a lot of Christians that believe that we just need to sit around and wait for God to do everything when the Bible gives us a very different picture to Sean, you know, this is one of those Bible verses that is in in the Bible God helps those who help themselves.

One line things that people assume are biblical quotations, when in reality they aren't actually the Bible teaches that God helps the helpless think of God speaking to Jerusalem through Ezekiel the prophet, and as for your birth. On the day you were born your cord was not cut nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling claws know I pitied you to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you but you were cast out on the open field for you were abhorred on the day that you were born and when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood. I said to you in your blood live. I said to you in your blood live. That talk about helpless.

God said when he came to his people.

They were like a newborn baby left in the open field on the operating table. The court hadn't even been cut. In fact, this baby was a baby that had been abandoned left for dead out there in the wilderness, and yet God came and rescued her.

Paul in Ephesians chapter 2 right.

He says that we were just struggling out in the open field. We were spiritually dead, apart from Christ.

That's where you were dead in your trespasses and sins. Ephesians chapter 2. Again, helpless, and yet what did God do a miracle.

He made you alive while you were dead. The gift of the new birth, so there's something about that saying that is just fundamentally opposed to what the gospel tells us God helps those who help themselves that that's not the gospel. He saves those who can't even lift a finger exactly the gospel is not. You do a little and then God does a little and you help yourself and then God helps you.

It's you were dead and God rescued you, it was all of grace. Now, does this mean that we just sit around and do nothing since it's all of grace know now that we've been made alive in Christ were called to pursue a life of holiness. Now that you've been all made alive your learning how to walk like a little child unite and walk with God and that's a lifelong journey that's going to involve a lot of trial and error, but you can just sit back, no one drifts into spiritual maturity. We do drift into heresy and sin and all sorts of other things.

As we devote ourselves to Scripture to prayer to the means of grace. We sometimes call them right this gathering together with God's people hearing that the word of God preached sitting under that word and receiving it baptism, the Lord's supper. We were participating in these wonderful gifts that God has given to us when it comes to the gospel, the forgiveness of your sins. The new life that you have in Christ.

It's not God helps those who help themselves. It's God rescues the helpless scale absolutely according to Barna, 86% I believe is the number 86% of American Christians evangelicals said they agree with the phrase God helps those who help themselves and 78% thought it was a biblical quotations yeah when actually comes from Ben Franklin's almanac and Ben Franklin was a Deist.

He was even a Christian.

That's what people believe on the street. God helps those who help themselves.

You do your part, God will do his well. I can't do my part, whatever that is. There is no one who does good, no not one. Paul says in Romans three we have to be rescued. We have to be justified, sanctified and glorified.

We cannot do this ourselves and by the way, that passage that I read from earlier in Ezekiel where Jerusalem is pictured is just as helpless baby that the Lord comes and rescues his Ezekiel chapter 16 if you want to go and read that for yourself and so hopefully that's helpful for you as we think about that phrase. It's often said today and Mike is using. As you noted, many Christians just assume that that's in the Bible.

Now you know we have to distinguish things heavenly thick from things earthly. For example, I used to read to my children. The little train that could do the same with the little engine that could be a historical little engine that could exactly as for that long. Now that's terrible theology.

Someone might say will know actually is not theology. Really, it's about things earthly in things earthly. I want my kids to think that they can help themselves. They can do all sorts of things go after life. But in things heavenly.

As far as our relationship to God, where the little engine that couldn't.

So, if people are saying God helps those who help themselves in terms of personal responsibility. That's true. But before God.

We can't help ourselves. That's the problem. We can't do anything were dead in trespasses and sins, meters and one more thing. There even though we distinguish things heavenly from things earthly a personable is I'm saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. I'm saved by Christ's merits, not my merits. I didn't even have the faith to believe in Christ apart from his gift he gave everything to me and gives everything to me is all a gift person really believes that is also going to believe that sometimes people can't help themselves. There are so many obstacles that they need help you so gracious there's a kind of individualism that frankly privileged people are in a position to embrace the says I did it, why can't others will there lots of reasons. Sometimes, why others can't.

We should be gracious. Thanks for listening to court Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at court, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33, the court when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time.

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