The bodily and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important thing anyone can ever know about. It’s the single greatest, most consequential, most miraculous event in human history. It’s the culmination of God’s plan to restore the brokenness of creation that he began all the way back in the book of Genesis. As followers of Christ, it is foundational to what we believe and the reason we have a hope greater than this world can offer.
This is why having a clear, coherent theology on the bodily and glorious resurrection is so crucial. We must understand why we believe what we believe and the nature of what we believe, as well as equip ourselves to tell others the reason for the hope we have. That is the reason for beginning our exploration on this beautiful, life-giving doctrine.
What Do We Mean by Bodily and Glorious?
It is important to start with the basics. When we refer to Christ’s resurrection as both bodily and glorious, we are referring to two distinct yet interweaving concepts. To say that Christ was raised from the dead bodily is to say that God literally and physically raised him from the dead. Jesus, in our material time and space, went from the state of death to the state of life.
One moment, his heart was not pumping; his lungs were not taking air, and his body was cold. The next, blood began circulating through his system. He drew in a breath. He arose and stood on his two feet. In other words, his resurrection was not symbolic, metaphorical, or figurative, as some may claim today. It did not simply happen “in our hearts” as we spread the message of Christ, keeping him alive through our testifying of his love to others. It actually happened. He actually returned from death to life through a divine act of God.
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
Luke 24:1-7
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Romans 14:9
Meanwhile, to say that Christ’s resurrection is glorious is to emphasize the magnificent, supernatural aspect of his return from death. Yes, Jesus arose with a body that retained a physical component…but it also appears to be more than that.
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
John 20:19
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
Luke 24:31
In his new body, Jesus is able to walk through walls. He can make himself appear and disappear at will. His new body is the same one that ascended into heaven and the same one that will return to this world one day riding on a cloud. Through all of this, though, he will always have the holes in his hand, and we will one day have the opportunity to brush our hand over the frame of his face. His body is both spiritual and physical. God did not abandon the material aspect of Christ’s form when he brought him back to life. He kept it—and then added to it. In this way, Christ’s resurrection was both bodily and glorious.
It doesn’t end there. This has implications for us, and they are profound beyond imagination.
What It Means for Us
1. It Means Jesus Is Who He Said He Is: When he walked the earth, Jesus made a number of extremely bold claims. So bold were these claims, in fact, that he was either a liar, a lunatic, or he was who he said he was. These assertions centered around his identity as the Messiah—the divine savior of humanity sent by God himself. God in the flesh.
The woman said, I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.“
John 4:25-26
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“
John 14:6
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
John 8:58
Jesus dying and rising again confirmed without a doubt that all these statements are true: he truly was and is God’s chosen savior of the world who came down to take the punishment for our sins, bringing us restoration, hope, and peace. Take a look at just two of the prophecies he, in doing so, fulfilled from hundreds of years earlier. Remember, these were made far before Christ came to earth.
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and as one from whom men hide their faces; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:3-5
Above, we see it prophesied that the Messiah will endure immense suffering and torment from the very people he is set out to save, something that Jesus certainly did when he was crucified at Golgotha.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
Isaiah 53:10
This passage describes that though the Messiah will be crushed for mankind, his days will continue. Furthermore, the Lord’s will is going to prosper in his hand! We see this happen when Jesus raises from the dead. Death does not keep him from seeing more days. Jesus Christ lives, and the will of the Lord prospers in his hand as he builds his Church. This should be enough to convince even the most adamant skeptic that Jesus Christ is the undisputed savior and king of the world, and by his wounds he offers salvation to all who place their faith in him.
2. It Means Creation Will Be Redeemed: Jesus’ bodily and glorious resurrection shows us that creation will one day be free from the curse of sin. It is a precursor to what is coming in the new heaven and the new earth.
Again, draw your attention to the fact that God, upon raising him from the grave, did not replace his physical body with a purely spiritual or ethereal one. No, Jesus retained the physical aspect of his Being and received more on top of it. This shows us that one day, all of creation will be made gloriously anew, and this does not refer exclusively to humanity; it’s all of creation. When the new heaven and the new earth arrive, creation as we know it will not wither away completely. It will be reborn, keeping what was lovely, losing the curse of sin, and adding more glorious things to its repertoire!
Consider this excerpt from Paul:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time
Romans 8:18-22
This is indescribably good news. Sin ravaged the world to its core. One day, God is going to undo all of that…and it will be more wonderful than anyone could imagine. New Testament professor Vern Poythress puts it well in her article “The Reversal of the Curse,” in which she says the idea that “God will simply throw the present creation into the scrap heap, so to speak, and start from scratch” is far from the truth.
3. It Means Humanity Will Be Restored and Made New: Take a look at this passage from Romans.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Romans 8:28-30
This passage means a lot of different things, especially when pondering on Paul’s term for Jesus: the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Jesus is the firstborn among us in more than one sense, and Poythress again provides valuable insight on the matter—in her understanding, he is, of course, firstborn among us because he is greater than us in authority and he has existed far longer than us (he has always existed). He is firstborn because he transcends us in power and ability, as well as because he was resurrected before any other members of God’s family will be.
However, the professor points out an entire new way of looking at this term by pointing out that Jesus is the representative of humanity. Because of this, his resurrection into his bodily and glorious form foreshadows our coming bodily and glorious resurrections: the new forms we will take as we enjoy intimate community with God in the new heaven and the new earth. His resurrection was the first among many, making him the firstborn among all that follow after him.
His resurrection is the pattern, or model, that we imitate and to which we conform.
Vern Poythress, 2004
So take heart because you are redeemed. You are restored. One day, you will inhabit a world without suffering. Without tears. Without sin. You will walk with Jesus in your new and glorious body, enjoying the fullness of creation without evil. There is no hope greater than this.
Story of Grace 