We continue our meditation on the resurrection of the body. When a person comes to Christ, something transformative happens within their core being. They are regenerated, or born again, by the Spirit. Jesus said 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 stated, “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). When we commit our lives to Christ, a spiritual seed is sown within us from that moment, slowly developing as we are shaped by God's word, 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).
This living seed symbolizes spiritual life, which is of greater significance than material wealth and is eternal and indestructible. It begins as a seed of salvation and grows into a tree of life, more abundant because it draws on a divine power beyond this realm. The Greek word for "life” in the above scripture is "zōē," meaning “to live.” My Key Word Study Bible explains this term as follows:
"It is a somewhat metaphysical term that denotes the very life force itself, the vital principle that animates living beings. Zōē is most often used 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 of His spoken word.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that God determines what a seed will become as it grows (v. 38). He mentions different kinds of physical bodies on Earth: humans, animals, birds, and fish. All living creatures born on Earth originate from seeds. I see Paul making two distinct 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. The seed and the body it will become share continuity of life. 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. Keith Thomas
Continue Your Journey…
This devotional is part of our series, Insights into Eternity. If you want to dive deeper into what God has planned for your future, continue to the next lesson: Study 3: What Will Your Resurrection Body Look Like?
[1]Key Word Study Bible, AMG Publishers, Page 1630.