The Bible has a lot to say on the subject of life and immortality—my favorite being 2 Timothy 1:10-11 in which Paul directly states that he has been given the gospel of life and immortality as a message from God to teach and preach. And yet, there is something about being physically immortal that remains a challenge to us, largely because very few people successfully have accomplished the goal to date (Enoch, Elijah, and Jesus being three solid scriptural examples). One of the parts of this gospel of life and immortality that is so confusing is that the scriptures seem to suggest we have already been given this body in seed form—a promise or unveiling of things to come. We’re going to get an idea of what that might look like in the natural, as well as a practical step we can take to see it displayed in our lives.
The book of Isaiah has some pretty interesting verses that speak to the topic of immortality. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” This verse sounds straightforward, but the implications are impressive. God renewing someone’s strength so he or she can run without limit and walk endlessly without fatigue is not possible without divine power flowing endlessly through the body. In other words, in order to consistently surpass the physical limitations of the human body, it requires a body that isn’t human. This passage is somewhat veiled, but it hints toward the idea that God provides bodies for us that do not wear out, grow weary, or lose strength in any way.
There are other passages that speak to a transformation of our human bodies and what our physical experience will be like. It is first mentioned in Isaiah 49:10a where the prophet says, “They will neither hunger nor thirst . . .” Interestingly, Jesus echoes this same comment in John 6:35 saying, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” We need to remember that hunger and thirst are indicators of a chemical lack within our bodies—a lack of energy-producing food or a lack of the water that is used in many chemical processes in each cell of our bodies and which makes up a large percentage of the body matter both inside and outside of our cells. A less-scientific way of saying that is that hunger and thirst demonstrate that we have a need that cannot be sustained without outside help, and when we meet that need with food or water, we stop being hungry or thirsty. What both Isaiah prophesied and Jesus declared of himself is that in Christ we can live in such a way as to be so fully sustained by the energy of God, with our physical bodies, that we won’t require food or drink ever again.
And yet, while these are just a few of the practical ways this promise of bodily immortality will manifest itself, it seems that very few people successfully apprehend this scriptural truth. I believe we are entering an era of time where this will become much more widespread, but it is important that we understand we have already been given a seed of that promise. Romans 8:23 states, “Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” The Bible is clear that our bodies are meant to be redeemed, but the Holy Spirit is given to us as a form of firstfruits—elsewhere in scripture explained as “a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:22).” 1 Corinthians 15 is probably the most renowned chapter in scripture discussing the immortal body, but even it mentions our immortal bodies being given in seed form. 1 Corinthians 15:37-38 says, “When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.”
Now, understanding we have been given immortal bodies in Christ in seed form, part of our task is the process of unveiling, what 2 Corinthians 3:18 calls “being transformed into his image from glory to glory.” One physical activity we can do to test this out, or in some ways actively engage our faith in this area, is to fast. Normally when we fast it is to abstain from food and/or drink in order to gain some kind of goal, but this is a little different in that we aren’t fasting to obtain immortality. Rather, this type of fasting is to reveal it. We are putting our faith in what the scriptures tell us about never being hungry or thirsty, and are testing it out to see if we have arrived yet. After all, if we never stop eating long enough to try it out, how will we know when we have arrived? Likewise someone could do the same with intense exercise to see if they are able to push past normal limits, running or walking with unending energy.
While doing these types of things we are putting a demand on our faith to unveil the immortality we have been promised in scripture. Think of it a little bit like chiseling a sculpture out of a rock. The image exists as potential in the rock, but it takes a process of unveiling or removing the extra rock piece by piece so what lies underneath becomes fully visible. I believe that bodily immortality in Christ can be a bit like this for the Body of Christ as a whole. As we continue to pursue this in faith, even doing things such as fasting or exercising to engage our faith and put a demand on the seed of immortality within us, we will discover that we will eventually find that we can go without food or drink or can perform physical activities at otherwise-impossible levels. This does not mean that we engage in unwise and reckless behaviors to test God, but that if we decide to test out God’s promises in scripture that we do it with wisdom, monitoring our hearts and our bodies as we engage our faith for immortality to be revealed in us.
Finally, I want to leave you with an admonition that Paul gave at the end of 1 Corinthians 15 as he closed out his thoughts on the subject of immortal bodies and being physically transformed. He said, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).” Paul recognized the labor was not in vain, and neither shall ours be as we continue to pursue everything Jesus Christ purchased for us through His precious blood, not limited to but certainly including our immortal transfigured physical bodies.
To read more on this topic, pick up a copy of my book “The Gospel of Life and Immortality,” available on Amazon.
