Being clothed with the body from Heaven.

We have just mentioned the resurrection of the mortal body. The resurrection of the mortal body is the subject of the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians.

Now we come to another body, the body from Heaven.

The body from Heaven is sometimes referred to as a white robe, or a crown of life, or a crown of righteousness. The body from Heaven is being formed before the throne of God as we experience the sufferings of Christ.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (II Corinthians 4:17)

The "eternal weight of glory" is our body from Heaven, our robe of righteousness.

Our present body is like seed we are sowing. It is dying daily as we give ourselves to the will of God. As our present body dies in the Lord a counterpart is being formed in Heaven above. The counterpart reflects in itself our conduct on the earth. This is the meaning of, "for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7).

If we confess and turn away from sin our robe in Heaven is made clean. As we die to our self-will, always crying out "not my will but Yours be done," our robe in Heaven becomes sparkling white with a militant, radiant righteousness.

As the Day of the Lord approaches, the righteous spirits in Heaven, those who have attained the first resurrection, will be clothed with their white robes. They will descend with the Lord and pick up their reconstituted bodies. The new body (the gold) will cover the resurrected mortal body (the wood). Mortality will be swallowed up with immortality. Corruption will be covered over with incorruptibility. Mortality and weakness will be empowered with incorruptible resurrection life. It is to this the Apostle Paul was looking and the Apostle Paul attained.

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (II Timothy 4:8)

This is what it means to be given eternal life in the world to come.

Woe to that person who is saved as by fire! Woe to that person who is raised to shame and everlasting contempt! Woe to that individual who is raised to judgment and condemnation!

But doesn't "grace" insure we never will experience the horror of being raised to something other than eternal life? Not in the sense in which grace ordinarily is presented. Grace is being preached today as an alternative to righteous living. The idea is we can sow sin but by grace we will reap eternal life.

The purpose of grace is not to serve as an alternative to righteous living. If this were the case, the new covenant would be the worst disaster ever to fall on the human race for it would change the nature of God and of eternity. It would be well that we never were born if grace can serve as an alternative to righteous behavior!

To be continued.