Death of friends often makes us think on life’s temporary nature. As I was running this morning, I reflected on how fragile and temporary life is in our current “fallen state” (referring to the first man Adam through whom death came). Paul used the metaphor of a tent to refer to the temporary nature of our bodies: “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.” (NLT) – 2 Cor. 5:1
Our bodies have a tent that holds the immaterial (the essence) part of our being. It is hard for us to conceive it because we can’t see it. Of course, some believe the body is all there is, and when we die, we (our whole being) dies with it. But this is too hard to believe. Even as a child, I had a hard time believing this. Yet as believers in Christ (who said he was the resurrection and the life and those that believed in him, even if they were dead physically, they would still live), we know that when we leave these bodies, we (our immaterial being) will be at home with the Lord. (2 Cor. 5:8[1]) This is still hard for us to comprehend because we haven’t seen heaven. We are earthly creatures created from “Adamah” the Hebrew word where the word “Adam” comes from which means earth or read earth. Earth is the only environment we have experienced. As we age our bodies grow weaker and they groan. They desire not to die but to put on a new type of body, a heavenly body.[2] Knowing this does not make it easier as we face our departure from this earth because we leave behind people we care about. That’s hard for them because we are part of their lives. The divide of earthly and heavenly will someday be removed and we will get a new body (1 Corinthians 15:43-44)[3]. In the meantime, our goal is to please Him (2 Cor. 5:9).
[1] “We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord”
[2] 2 Cor. 5:2-4: “We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.” (NLT)
[3] “Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.” (NLT)
