Paul wrote again in Romans 8:18-25: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."
He speaks here of this bondage of corruption (the flesh) that we are in now. We are subjected to this bondage of corruption and vanity in hope that some day we will be delivered from such to a life of immortality. This is our hope. We live in a corruptible body now. This body, this old flesh, is corruptible. It has pain, disease, decay and is soon to be deprived of the spirit. Oh, how we need to give heed to the call of the gospel of Christ to repent of our sins and give up the world and its follies and give our hearts and lives to Him! We need the Spirit of God enthroned in our very innermost being. To live after the flesh and its lusts is death, but to live after the Spirit of God is life and peace.
He said in verse 11 of this 8th chapter of Romans, "...If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." We can have no hope of immortality and an eternal triumph over death and the grave if we are void of the Spirit of God in our lives.
Paul said in II Timothy 1:10 that our Saviour Jesus Christ "hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." He said again in I Timothy 6:16 concerning Jesus Christ, the blessed and only Potentate (the sole Ruler over all), the King of kings, and Lord of lords, that He "only hath immortality." When Jesus was raised from the dead by the power and glory of the Father, He was given a glorified body. He was made immortal, which means, He will live forever and never die. And He has brought this life and immortality to our knowledge and within our reach through the everlasting gospel. As He was made immortal, He is offering it to us, yes, inviting us to come and take up our cross and follow Him and share in His eternal glory.
II Corinthians 5:1-4 says, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." Yes, we are going to be put out of this house, this body of corruption. But in Christ we look for a better house, or body, to move into.
Paul, in Philippians 3:8-11, spoke of how he had suffered the loss of all things, and "do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." Paul was employing every means available in Christ to be able to attain unto the resurrection of the dead, that is, immortality.
In I Corinthians 15, Paul wrote at length of the surety of the resurrection of the dead at Christ's second coming. He said in verses 51-54, "Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." Paul also said in Philippians 3:20-21, "For our conversation (our citizenship or community) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,..."
Oh, let us set our hearts and minds on things above and be filled with the Spirit of God so that we have this blessed hope of immortality in our souls indeed! This world is not our final home. We have fled from the corruption that is in the world through lust and have laid hold upon this hope that Christ has set before us. Let us seek for glory, honour and immortality. Continue to live holy, righteously and godly right here in this present world. Let us sow to the Spirit in everything so that we may reap life everlasting. Let us be submissive to our blessed Lord in everything that He has spoken in His Word so that He will have the control over our mortal body to change it to be immortal like His own! [ The End ]