We are continuing our meditation on the resurrection of the body. When a person comes to Christ, something transformative occurs within their core being. They are regenerated, or born again, by the Spirit. Jesus stated that without this experience of being born again, or born from above, no one can see the kingdom of God:
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again" (John 3:3).
The apostle Peter wrote, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3, emphasis added). When we dedicate our lives to Christ, a spiritual seed begins to grow within us from that moment, gradually transforming us through the word of God, as well as our trials and life experiences, into the image of Christ:
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:23).
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).
The characteristic of this living seed is spiritual life, but it is more full, abundant, eternal, and imperishable. The Greek word translated as "life” in the passage of Scripture above is zōē. It means “to live.” My Key Word Study Bible describes this word as follows:
"It is a somewhat metaphysical term that denotes the very life force itself, the vital principle which animates living beings. Zōē is used most in connection with eternal life. This life is the very life of God, of which believers become partakers."[1]
I don't understand how words can be seeds, but I do not doubt their power. Genesis chapter one tells us that God created the world by calling it into being: "Let there be light," and there was light (Genesis 1:3). The phrase "And God said" describes God’s creative acts, illustrating the great power in His spoken word.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that God determines what a seed will become when it grows (v. 38). He mentions that there are different kinds of physical bodies on earth: humans, animals, birds, and fish. All biological creatures born on earth originate from seeds. I see Paul making two different analogies when he discusses a seed.
In some way, our resurrection body will be recognizable as us. Paul writes, “When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something else” (1 Corinthians 15:37). Within the seed is the DNA of the physical body. Oranges do not grow from apple seeds. Continuity of life is shared between the seed and the body it will become. Our heavenly resurrected bodies will resemble the seed of our earthly fleshly bodies. We will recognize one another in our resurrected bodies, but they will be vastly different from the seed from which our new bodies have come. God will transform our frail bodies into powerful, transcendent ones. That's good news! Let's continue this thought tomorrow.
Taken from the series Insights into Eternity. Click on study 3 or the link: The Resurrection Body.
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[1]Key Word Study Bible, AMG Publishers, Page 1630.
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