Why do we fear losing our earthly body? Many of us think of our bodies as being who we are.
But in reality we are each spirits living inside a body masterfully designed by God to be our mobile home while we are on earth.
When our mission on earth is complete, God will shut down the controls on this body and activate the “self destruct” button. The body naturally will begin to change and disappear.
Should we worry about this? No!
We lose parts of our bodies every day. Dead skin cells fall away quietly while new skin cells that were already there start to function immediately.
We lose hair, finger and toe nails and think nothing of it. New hair and nails are right behind them, already growing.
When a chick hatches, the shell is discarded. When the butterfly exits the cocoon, it does not long to go back to its old covering.
So it should be with our earthly bodies. They were a gift of God for our time on earth, but we cannot take them home with us.
Paul said, ‘What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.”
1 Corinthians 15:50
So will we be really naked without the old human body? No!
Paul explained, “There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.”
1 Corinthians 15:40
Just as we get new skin as the old falls away now, so will God give us a new body to wear in Heaven!
Even though it is no longer being used, the body should be put away with great respect by those left behind.
While it is no longer needed by the one who wore it, it still is attached in memory to those who are left behind.
In my next post we will consider the part the old body plays in helping survivors grieve.
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