Skip to main content

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” — Luke 23:42

The resurrection of the body


Heidelberg Catechism

Heidelberg Catechism Question 57. What comfort does “the resurrection of the body” give you? That after this life my soul shall be immediately taken up to Christ, its Head, and that this flesh of mine, raised by the power of Christ, shall be reunited with my soul, and be conformed to the glorious body of Christ.

Study Catechism

Study Catechism Question 84. What do you mean when you speak of “the resurrection of the body”? Because Christ lives, we will live also. The resurrection of the body celebrates our eternal value to God as living persons, each one with a unique and distinctive identity. Indeed, the living Savior who goes before us was once heard, seen and touched in person, after the discovery of his empty tomb. The resurrection of the body means hope for the whole person, because it is in the unity of body and soul, not in soul alone, that I belong in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

  • John 14:19 “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.”
  • John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.’”
  • Rom. 6:5 “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
  • 1 Cor. 15:21 “For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being.”
  • 1 Cor. 15:42 “So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.”
  • Col. 1:18 “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead.”


Study Catechism Question 85. What is the nature of resurrection hope? Resurrection hope is a hope for the transformation of this world, not a hope for escape from it. It is the hope that evil in all its forms will be utterly eradicated, that past history will be redeemed, and that all the things that ever were will be made new. It is the hope of a new creation, a new heaven and a new earth, in which God is really honored as God, human beings are truly loving, and peace and justice reign on earth.

  • Is. 11:6 “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.”
  • Rev. 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”
  • Is. 65:17 “For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
  • 2 Pet. 3:13 “But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.”
  • 2 Cor. 5:17 “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”


Study Catechism Question 86. Does resurrection hope mean that we don’t have to take action to relieve the suffering of this world? No. When the great hope is truly alive, small hopes arise even now for alleviating the sufferings of the present time. Reconciliation — with God, with one another, and with oneself — is the great hope God has given to the world. While we commit to God the needs of the whole world in our prayers, we also know that we are commissioned to be instruments of God's peace. When hostility, injustice and suffering are overcome here and now, we anticipate the end of all things — the life that God brings out of death, which is the meaning of resurrection hope.

  • Ps. 27:13 “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
  • Ps. 33:20-22 “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”
  • Rom. 14:19 “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
  • Deut. 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.”
  • Luke 1:78-79 “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us.”


Thinking, Praying, Living | Apostles' Creed | Previous | Next

Tags: