Forever

(This post was drafted in August of 2016.)

When I die and go to heaven, as a believer in Christ, will I have a body that is forever young?

Forever strong?

Forever fit?

What is a "glorified" body?

Being glorified really has little to do with the shape or condition of the bodies in which we live, and has everything to do with the One who made them.

Originally, we were not made to wear out. [Or were we?] Sin changed our original condition. When Adam and Eve chose to disregard "trust" in favor of the knowledge of good and evil; sickness, disease and dysfunction became the norm for our physical (and emotional) condition. One day, though, we will be raised imperishable. That is, if we die in Christ. (1Cor. 15:42-52)

In the Old Testament, there are three Hebrew words translated "glorified."

• kabad/kabed (3513) - to be heavy, weighty, burdensome (Spoken of God.)
• paar (6286) - to beautify, glorify (Spoken of God or His people.)
• hadar (1922) - to glorify (When Belshazzar was rebuked for not giving honor to God.)

In the Greek (New Testament), there are also three words translated "glorified," used 2 1/2 times more in the New Testament than in the Old. (23/9)  

• doxazo (1392) - to render or esteem glorious
• sundoxazo (4888) - to join in appraising; hence, to glorify together
• endoxazo (1740) - to glorify; held in honor; glorious

There are a couple more definitions that will help to give a more rounded understanding of what we're talking about here, since these words are also used in the Greek definitions.

• glorify - to cause or treat to be more splendid, excellent; to honor with praise, admiration or worship
• glorious - delightful, wonderful; full of glory; entitled to great renown; brilliantly beautiful or magnificent

Such great words! Now let's get to the Word.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39, italics added)

Wait. What? Wasn't He God? Why wasn't He glorified? Because He had not yet gone to the cross. You probably already knew this, so let's keep going.

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done by him. (John 12:16)

And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:23-24)

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say, 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." (John 12: 27-28)

(More great context in chapters 13-15 and 17 of John. Also, Acts 3:13; 11:18; 2 Thessalonians 1:10-12 and 1 Peter 4:11. But, for now, let's jump to Romans, chapter 8.)

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is not seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans, 8:16-30)

So, what's that all about?? It starts with this: Giving glory to God is ascribing to Him His full recognition. While Jesus was in a flesh suit - intentionally condescended to man -  we could not ascribe to Him His full recognition - He could not be glorified. That was all part of the plan. The plan was for him to suffer and die, to sympathize with our weaknesses AND THEN, to be glorified - to be attributed His true and complete character and nature. We, too, are in a state that is less than God had intended for us. One day, we will be restored.  For now, we have been redeemed. The glory that is referred to in the New Testament, is doxa (1391), which means opinion, and is "always good in the NT" (J. Strong). In verse 21 of Romans 8, where it says, "the glory of the children of God," Paul is referring to "the ideal condition in which God created man" (S. Zhodiates) - the good opinion attributed to us by God, in the beginning.

In the Garden, God walked with Adam. Adam heard His footsteps when he had hid with his wife after they had sinned. These were very real physical attributes. We do not know, with our small human minds, what it's all going to look like later, but if we are in Christ, we can be assured of this...

Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. ~1John 3:2

And I was reminded recently that this, too, is important...

Nothing that has not been put to death will ever be raised to life. ~C.S. Lewis

May I be found faithful when He comes to take me to my forever home in my forever, imperishable, glorified body.