The expression "even so in Christ shall all be made alive" is referring to bringing back to life our mortal body. For if it is not the mortal body that will come forth from the graves of the saints, what is going to come forth? Why should the spirits and souls of the saints return from Heaven with the Lord Jesus if their bodies that were buried (or otherwise disposed of) are not going to come forth?

The New Testament writings speak of the salvation we are enjoying now as being a firstfruits, a guarantee of a greater fullness yet to come.

Which is the earnest [guarantee] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14)

Many saints are confused concerning the resurrection of their body believing that God is not going to raise their body but instead will give them another body from Heaven. The confusion surrounding the resurrection appears to come from at least three sources:

The current overemphasis on the ascension, which some Christians term the "rapture."

Uncertainty concerning the meaning of the "house from heaven," of the fifth chapter of Second Corinthians.

First Corinthians 15:37. Since we have discussed the first and second sources of confusion in other writings we will restrict our present comments to the third source of confusion concerning the resurrection of our body from the grave—I Corinthians 15:37.

Indeed it is true that we will receive a body from Heaven. But first let us, as the Spirit helps us, explain I Corinthians 15:37.

The concept that God does not intend to raise our present body proceeds from a misunderstanding of Paul's statement:

And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: (I Corinthians 15:37)

The above verse in isolation from the context of its chapter, and of the remainder of Paul's writings, appears to mean that our present body will not be raised. But if that were what Paul meant, the rest of the chapter would be meaningless.

Look again at the verse. What Paul is teaching is that a farmer does not sow a mature plant, but seed. The farmer does not sow "that body that shall be." He does not sow stalks of wheat.

The body we have now will be resurrected, transformed, and glorified just as a sheaf of wheat is a resurrection, transformation, and glorification of the seed that was planted.

The point is, the sheaf of wheat comes from that seed, not from somewhere else. In like manner our resurrection body will come from our present body, not from somewhere else.

If our present body is not to be raised from the dead, then Christ's body was not raised from the dead. If Christ's body was not raised from the dead we yet are in our sins. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (I Corinthians 15:20).

The expression "the firstfruits of them that slept" implies that our resurrection will be patterned after Christ's resurrection. If Christ's body was raised from the dead then our body will be raised from the dead.

To be continued.