The Rapture of the Church: The Guarantee of a Resurrection Body Must Motivate the Believer to Live a Godly Life Lesson # 9

As we have noted, the New Testament teaches that the believer’s identification with Jesus Christ in His resurrection guarantees that they will receive a resurrection body at the rapture of the church.

They also teach that this guarantee should motivate the believer to experience their sanctification and salvation, or in other words, it should motivate them to make it their habit of living in fellowship with the triune God.

This in turn will result in experience the holiness of God in their life.

There are several passages in the New Testament which teach this, namely Romans 6:1-23, 13:11-14, Colossians 3:1-17 and 1 John 3:1-3.

Romans 6:1 Therefore, what is the conclusion that we are forced to? Should we persist in living under the dominion of the sin nature in order that grace might increase? 2 Absolutely not! We, who are indeed of such character and of a particular class of individuals, have died with reference to the sin nature, how shall we still live under its dominion? 3 Or, are some of you in a state of ignorance concerning the fact that all of us who have been identified with Christ, who is Jesus, have been identified with His death? 4 Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism with respect to His physical death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead ones through the glory of the Father, in the same way, we, ourselves will also walk in the realm of an extraordinary life. 5 Therefore, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that we are entered into union with Him, conformed to His physical death. Of course, we believe this is true. Then, certainly, we will also be united with Him, conformed to His resurrection. 6 This we are very familiar with through instruction, namely, that our old man was crucified with Him in order that the sinful body would be deprived of its power with the result that we are no longer in a perpetual state of being slaves to the sin nature. 7 For you see the one who has died is freed from the power of the sin nature. 8 Now, as previously stated, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that we have died with Him. Of course, we have already established that this is true. Then, we do have this absolute confidence that we, as a certainty, will in the future also live with Him. 9 Because we know for certain, namely that because Christ was raised from the dead ones, He can never again, as an eternal spiritual truth, die. Death can never again, as an eternal spiritual truth, have dominion over Him. 10 For you see, the physical death that He died, He died for the destruction of the sin nature once and for all but the life that He now lives, He lives forever for the benefit of God the Father. 11 In the same way, also, on the one hand, all of you without exception make it your habit to regard yourselves as dead ones with respect to the sin nature while on the other hand those who are, as an eternal spiritual truth, alive with respect to God the Father, in union with Christ, who is Jesus. 12 Therefore, do not make it a habit to let the sin nature reign as king in your mortal body with the result that you habitually obey its lusts. (My translation)

In Romans 13:11-14, the apostle Paul teaches the Roman Christian community that they must practice the command to love their neighbor as themselves in light of the imminency of the resurrection of the church when each one of them will receive a resurrection body.

Romans 13:11 So then, all of continue making it your habit of practicing this because all of you are well aware of the significance of this particular period of history characterized by urgency and opportunity, demanding immediate action, namely that, it is now already the moment for each and every one of you to be awake from sleep because our deliverance is now nearer to taking place than when we believed. 12 The night has drawn to a close. Indeed, the day is approaching. Therefore, let us for the duration continue to lay aside for ourselves the activities, which characterize the kingdom of darkness. Indeed, let us for the duration continue to clothe ourselves with the weapons, which characterize those belonging to the kingdom of light. (Author’s translation)

This passage contains four sections.

The first statement “the night has drawn to a close” teaches that the period in which the church age believer is not in his or her resurrection body and is living during a period of history in which Satan is the god of this world has drawn to a close.

The second statement “the day is approaching” emphasizes with Paul’s readers that the period of time when each and every one of them is living in their resurrection body and is permanently delivered from living in Satan’s cosmic system is approaching or is imminent.

This period begins for the believer with the rapture of the church and will never end and will go on throughout eternity future.

The third statement is an exhortation “Therefore, let us for the duration continue to lay aside for ourselves the activities, which characterize those who belong to the kingdom of darkness” which is making an inference from these previous two statements.

In Colossians 3:1-4, the apostle Paul taught the Colossian Christian community that they are identified with Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection.

Then, in Colossians 3:5-14, he brings out the implication of this identification with regards to their lifestyle.

Colossians 3:1 Therefore, if, and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that each and every one of you have been raised up with Christ and we agree that this is true. Then, continue to make it your habit of diligently seeking after the things above, where Christ is, as an eternal spiritual truth existing in a state of being seated at God’s right hand. 2 Each and every one of you continue making it your habit of concentrating on the things above, not on the things on earth 3 because each and every one of you has died. Consequently, the life of each and every one of you is concealed with Christ by means of the power of God the Father. 4 When Christ, the life of each and every one of you, enters into the state of being revealed, then, at that time, each and every one of you will, as a certainty be revealed with Him in a state of glory. (My translation)

This guarantee of a resurrection body is designed to motivate the Colossians to continue to remain faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ so as to live in a manner which is consistent with this guarantee.

This guarantee is designed to motivate them to continue making it their habit of appropriating by faith their union and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

By doing this, they will guarantee that they will live in a manner which is consistent with this guarantee of receiving a resurrection body.

It will also simultaneously protect them from the false doctrine of the Judaizers.

So, in Colossians 3:4, the apostle Paul is speaking of the Colossians’ sanctification in a perfective sense.

Every church age believer will receive a resurrection body regardless if they were faithful or not after their conversion.

This glorification is the church age believer receiving their resurrection body.

This is called the resurrection or rapture of the church.

In Colossians 3:5-17, the apostle Paul brings out the ethical implications of this union and identification.

Colossians 3:5 Therefore, I solemnly charge each and every one of you to put to death the members of that which belongs to your earthly nature with regards to the practice of sexual immorality, sexual impurity, sexual lust, evil desire as well as that which is greed which is, as an eternal spiritual truth characterized as idolatry. (My translation)

Now, in Titus 2:13, the apostle Paul teaches that the Christian is to live in a self-controlled manner, righteously as well as godly during this present age while rejecting ungodliness and specifically worldly desires by anticipating the appearing of Jesus Christ at the rapture of the church.

Titus 2:11 For the grace originating from God has been manifested offering salvation for the benefit of each and every member of the human race. 12 It simultaneously instructs us that we are to live in a self-controlled manner, righteously as well as godly during this present age while rejecting that which is characterized as ungodliness, specifically, that which is characterized as worldly desires. 13 The means of doing this which benefits ourselves is by making it our habit of anticipating the confident expectation which is characterized by transcendent happiness, specifically, the appearing of the Glory who is our great God as well as Savior, namely Jesus Christ. (My translation)

This appearance is a confident expectation for the Christian and is characterized by transcendent happiness since the Lord Jesus Christ will give the Christian their resurrection body at this particular time and this will complete their sanctification and salvation.

1 John 2:28 Correspondingly, each one of you dear children must now continue to make it your habit of living in fellowship with Him so that each one of us would possess confidence whenever He has been revealed. Consequently, each one of us would not experience shame because of Him at His arrival. (My translation)

When John speaks of Jesus Christ being revealed and refers to His coming or arrival in 1 John 2:28, he is referring to the rapture or resurrection of the church and subsequent Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

John wants the recipients of this epistle to obey his command so that they would possess confidence at the rapture and subsequent Bema Seat Evaluation of the church.

In 1 John 3:1-3, the apostle John also teaches that the guarantee of a resurrection body, which the child of God will receive at the rapture or resurrection of the church is to motivate the believer to live holy and godly lives on planet earth.

1 John 3:1 I solemnly charge each one of you to carefully consider what kind of love the Father has exercised toward each of us, namely each one of us have been effectually called to be God’s children. Indeed, every one of us are existing in this state. For this reason, the world never at any time recognizes any of us: because it never recognized Him. 2 Beloved, each and every one of us are God’s children. However, what state each of us will be caused to exist in, has not yet been revealed. Each one of us possess the conviction that whenever this state has been revealed (to us), we will be caused to exist in the same identical state as Him because for the benefit of each of us, we will see Him as He is presently existing. 3 Correspondingly, each one of us who does at any time possess this confident expectation because of Him, does purify himself just as He Himself is pure. (Author’s translation)