Why the Bodily Resurrection Matters

Sharon Hodde Miller, Christianity Today, June 27, 2012 (edited)

“Bodily resurrection” refers to both the bodily (physical) resurrection of Christ, plus the bodily resurrection of believers. This doctrine is affirmed by Scripture plus numerous church fathers. Athanasius said Jesus “accepted a decaying body so that decaying bodies might put on immortality"…The Apostles’ Creed, (4^th century), affirms the “resurrection of the body”.

Recently, N. T. Wright described the doctrine as “…the element that gives shape & meaning to the rest of the story of God's ultimate purposes.” For Wright, the bodily resurrection is a sign of God’s greater redemptive plan for Creation. Rather than discard & destroy the good Creation of Genesis, God aims to undo the effects of the Fall, producing a glorious new heaven & new earth. That work doesn’t begin in the distant future; it started with the bodily resurrection of Christ.

So what does it mean for us practically? As John Piper put it “God is profoundly concerned with your body… If he weren't, he’d let it rot in the grave & tell you to say good riddance. But God never says that.” The body is not an after-thought or a mere shell to be discarded. It is not a lower, baser entity housing the higher, more spiritual soul. The physical body is a good part of Creation that God designed with a purpose, & he plans to redeem it.

Bodily resurrection is important for all Christians...It protects against a spirit-matter dualism…Such dualism is manifested in extreme forms of asceticism that deny the body. Wright highlights its impact on the mission of the church. He argues that when the redemption of the whole creation takes a backseat to the redemption of souls, we betray the implications of the bodily resurrection. God is concerned with the redemption of people’s soul & spirit and also of creation (our physical bodies & all created things).