The Daily Word of Righteousness

Three Steps Toward Righteousness, #8

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. (Romans 8:11—NIV)

Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. (II Corinthians 5:2,3—NIV)

The physical body will be raised and clothed with the robe from Heaven.

If we are faithfully following Jesus Christ, obeying His Spirit, putting to death the deeds of our body, then, when the Lord returns, our body will pass from death to life. If we have died but were living in Christ at the time of our decease, if we truly died "in Christ," then we will return with the Lord. Our flesh and bones will be raised from the dead at that time so we, along with the living saints, are standing on the earth once again.

Our robe, or house from Heaven will clothe our resurrected (or changed) flesh and bones. The house from Heaven, the robe of righteousness, is formed as we have been crucified with Christ and then have been raised to walk with Him in newness of life, just as was true of the Apostle Paul.

The making alive of our physical body and the clothing of our body with the heavenly robe is the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of the royal priesthood.

Christ has been formed in us. God and Christ have made Their eternal home in us. Our physical body has been made alive by the Spirit of God. Our physical body has been clothed with a robe fashioned in Heaven from our behavior on the earth, from our response to the Spirit of God as the Spirit has enabled us to keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles.

Now we have attained the fullness of righteousness. God Himself has become our righteousness, not merely in an imputed sense but in the actual sense of God being formed in us and dwelling in us.

First imputed righteousness. Then righteous behavior produced as a joint effort of our adamic nature cooperating with the Holy Spirit of God.

Finally Christ formed in us, the Father and the Son living in the new creation that has been formed in us, and the whole clothed with flesh and bones which themselves have been clothed with a spiritual body created before the Throne of God in Heaven, a spiritual body produced from our faithful, diligent discipleship.

This is the Kingdom of God. This is why he who is least in the Kingdom is greater than any of the prophets.

This is the mark, the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Now we are able to serve God in His Kingdom throughout eternity.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (Philippians 3:8,9—NIV)

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim his name is exalted." (Isaiah 12:2-4—NIV) (from Three Steps Toward Righteousness)