It is no natural result of death or resurrection, but is the outcome of the process begun on earth, by which, through faith and the righteousness of faith,' the spirit is life. The context distinctly enforces this view by its double use of' adoption,' which in one aspect has already been received, and is manifested by the fact that now are we the sons of God,' and in another aspect is still waited' for. The Christian man in his regenerated spirit has been born again; the Christian man still waits for the completion of that sonship in a time when the regenerated spirit will no longer dwell in the clay cottage of this tabernacle,' but will inhabit a congruous dwelling in the building of God not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.'
Scripture is too healthy and comprehensive to be contented with a merely spiritual regeneration, and is withal gee spiritual to be satisfied with a merely material heaven. It gives full place to both elements, and yet decisively puts all belonging to the latter second. It lays down the laws that for a complete humanity there must be body as well as spirit; that there must be a correspondence between the two, and as is the spirit so must the body be, and further, that the process must begin at the centre and work outwards, so that the spirit must first be transformed, and then the body must be participant of the transformation.
All that Scripture says about rising in glory' is said about believers. It is represented as a spiritual process. They who have the Spirit of God in their spirits because they have it receive the glorified body which is like their Saviour's. It is not enough to die in order to rise glorious.' If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.' The resurrection is promised for all mankind, but it may be a resurrection in which there shall be endless living and no glory, nor any beauty and no blessedness. But the body may be sown in weakness,' and in weakness raised; it may be sown in dishonour' and in dishonour raised; it may be sown dead, and raised a living death. Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.' Does that mean nothing? They that have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation,' Does that mean nothing?
There are dark mysteries in these and similar words of Scripture which should make us all pause and solemnly reflect. The sole way which leads to the resurrection of glory is the way of faith in Jesus Christ. If we yield ourselves to Him, He will plant His Spirit in our spirits, will guide and growingly sanctify us through life, will deliver us by the indwelling of the Spirit of life in Him from the law of sin and death. Nor will His transforming power cease till it has pervaded our whole being with its fiery energy, and we stand at the last men like Christ, redeemed in body, soul, and spirit, according to the mighty working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself.'
