NIV Rom. 8 :23, “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved.”
True sonship is our resurrection in the Body of Glory as demonstrated by Jesus who must have the preeminence in everything.
NIV Rom. 1:3, “Regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Msg. Rom. 1:3, “On God’s Son, His descent from David roots him in history; 4 his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master.”
It is so important for us to observe that the true son of God is different from the historical Jesus that walked the shores of Galilee some two thousand years ago. Perhaps this is what accounted for the reason why we have no record of Him performing any miracle when He walked the earth for forty days after resurrection. For if He had raised anyone like He did with Lazarus, that individual would have still been alive today.
For in His true sonship He was completely Spirit yet in a Glorified Body and He would have impacted that to such miracles. This life of His after resurrection is the third feast of Israel (Deut. 16:16) which is the feast of Tabernacles.
So why do we groan? It is to put on the same Body of His after the passion of His resurrection. See it here;
New Bodies
NLT, 2Cor. 5:1, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be SPIRITS WITHOUT BODIES. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.”
So the Word of God is saying, “when we die and leave these BODIES, we will have wonderful NEW BODIES in heaven, HOMES that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God Himself.” These earthly bodies make us groan and sigh, but we wouldn’t like to think of dying and HAVING NO BODIES AT ALL. We want to slip into our new bodies (even while alive).
This is what God has prepared for us; and as a guarantee, He has given us His Holy Spirit. “So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord,” 2Cor. 5:1-5, TLB-NIV.
Therefore, we read in the scriptures; “So also is the resurrection of the dead – it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a NATURAL BODY, and there is a SPIRITUAL BODY, (1Cor. 15:42-44).
This points to the fact that there is no waiting in the grave (cemetery) when a man dies. The Word of God clearly states that at death “…the dust returns to the earth as it was …and the spirit shall RETURN UNTO GOD WHO GAVE IT,” Eccl. 12:7.
This is why in Luke 23:46 we are told Jesus “cried with a loud voice, (and) said, Father unto thy hands I commend my SPIRIT.” This is evidence that the part that moves out at death is ‘the spirit.’ He did not say receive my body or soul; and of course we do know that man is made up of “spirit, soul and body,” 1Thes. 5:23.
The point here is, the spirit of man cannot die, because it is part of God in essence, which must return to Him, like a son on a journey (to the earth realm, having received a terrestrial body) must return home – to God the spirit, as sons to become one with Him as He put on a celestial body.
Again, may we state here that the human race is not for experiment by God. He has a goal for creating man and He is achieving it.
To be continued…