Romans 8:23-24 (AMPC) And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons). For in [this] hope we were saved. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?
After Lara prospered beyond her imagination and started dealing with some very wealthy people who did not know or fear the Lord, she started having a crisis of faith because her faith was on shaky foundations. All her expectations and hope from the Lord were for material prosperity and settlement, but as she started dealing with people with so much more prosperity who did not care about God, her faith almost seemed useless.
In Hebrews 6:1-2, we see that the resurrection of the dead is one of the foundational truths of the Christian faith. If this doctrine is not properly understood by a believer, at some point in his journey, he might run into the crises that Lara had.
The teaching about the resurrection of the dead reveals to the believer that when the Lord returns, our bodies [of shame] would be changed to glorified bodies. The dead in Christ will rise first, and then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them. As today’s Bible verse teaches, this resurrection of the dead is what will reveal our true nature as sons of God. We would walk the earth with great power and glory and would rule and reign with the Lord Jesus for a thousand years on the earth (see Revelation 20:1-6). It is when this resurrection happens that the whole of creation will be set free from the bondage of corruption. That would be the reason a wolf and a lamb would be able to sleep on the same field together(see Isaiah 11:6). There would no longer be wild animals, and the elements would stop misbehaving and acting out in earthquakes, floods, storms, etc.
In this hope have we been saved. The appearing of our Lord and the resurrection of the dead is the blessed hope of our calling as children of God(See Titus 2:13). Any believer who does not understand this doctrine would have his faith on very shaky ground. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. When the hope that produces faith is shallow, the faith will be shallow and unable to stand the test of time.
Go into today remembering that the appearing of the Lord and the resurrection of the dead is the Blessed Hope of the believer. This is when it would be very clear that those who followed the Lord were the wise ones.
Prayer: Father, help me live my life with the kingdom of God as my focus, In Jesus’ name. Amen.
—Abraham Damilola Arigi
Bible In One Year: Romans 11-12 (In Devotional Audio)
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