◄ What Does 1 Corinthians 15:54 Mean? ►

We are baptised into Christ by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, the moment we are born from above. Being placed into His Body or 'positioned in Christ' brings with it some amazing privileges from the Lord. We are not only declared righteous by the Father and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but we become part of an entirely new creation, with Jesus as our federal Head. 

In Him, we receive an entirely new and eternal life. We are no longer affected by the curse of sin and death, but are imputed with Christ's righteousness and are given His eternal life as a free gift of God's grace. Being positioned in Christ means that we are identified with Him in every way. All that was achieved by Him at Calvary we have secured in Him and through Him. When Christ was crucified on the Cross FOR our sin, we were 'crucified TO sin' at that very moment so that all the benefits of His sacrificial death and glorious resurrected life became our personal benefits, which God imputed to us by grace. Hallelujah!

We have been promised that the physical restrictions and fleshy limitations of this earthly life will be exchanged for the better benefits of Christ's perfect, eternal life. Temporal restraints will be exchanged for spiritual freedoms. The limiting elements of this terrestrial plane will be overtaken by the inexhaustible wonders of the celestial sphere and our poor, mortal bodies will be changed in a moment: "In the twinkling of an eye," when we are clothed with glorious, immortal bodies like Christ's own perfect body.

Today, we are hindered by our fallen sin nature which tries to govern our heart, impede our spiritual progress, destroy our testimony, and prevent us from maturing in the Christian faith. However, while we are still living in these fallen bodies, we have been given everything we need for life and godliness, in Christ. All that is temporal, terrestrial, fleshly, imperfect, and restricted, has been exchanged for that which is eternal, celestial, spiritual, perfect, and free. All we have to do is to appropriate what is already ours, by faith in Christ.

Paul explained that while on earth we are to overcome the restraints of the flesh by our faith, but a day is coming when Christians who have died in the faith will be resurrected from their tombs and clothed with incorruptible bodies. The physical bodies of all living Christians will also be changed in a moment of time and we will be covered with immortality as we are raptured into the clouds: "To meet the Lord in the air."

Christ was the First-fruit from the grave and all resurrected Church-age saints will become part of 'the First Resurrection', about which the Bible speaks so fully. We will all be part of the 'Resurrection to Life'. The dead, buried, and decaying bodies of Church-age saints will arrive at that prophesied day when the trump of God resounds, and the archangel gives a loud shout. On that day, both living and dead saints will be changed: "This corruptible body of flesh is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal frame is clothed with immortality. On that day the saying that is written in Scripture will be fulfilled: Death has been swallowed up in victory."

Paul reminds us that death is the greatest enemy of a man's soul and the sting and severity of sin is death, while the terrible power of sin is the perfect law of God which is His greatest tool to identify men's sinfulness and point us to Christ. But thanks be to God, for on that day, death is overcome by life. Death is consumed into victory. Death will be triumphantly destroyed.

This is indeed a blessed hope for everyone who has been born of God and positioned in Christ, for on that day we will be able to say: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

Heavenly Father, what a wonderful hope we have in Christ, knowing that by His death, the soul-destroying sting of sin has been removed forever and death has been triumphantly defeated and destroyed for all who are in Christ. Thank You that a day is coming when the dead in Christ will rise to life immortal with incorruptible bodies. And saints who are still alive, will also be clothed with incorruptibility and immortality. Thank You that on that day we can rejoice together, knowing death has been swallowed up in victory. Praise Your holy name! AMEN.