According to Romans 8:23, are we still waiting for our bodies to be redeemed or has the redemption of our bodies already happened when we were adopted as children of God?
Before looking at that verse, let’s read Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby YE ARE SEALED UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION.” Since this is written to believers on the Lord Jesus, we can see that we are still awaiting that day of the redemption of our bodies. While we were completely redeemed at the moment of our salvation, this is speaking of our final redemption when we are gathered into the very presence of our Lord. We see that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit until that very day.
Now let’s consider Romans 8:22-23, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” This speaks of God’s creation and His redeemed ones groaning with longing to be with our Lord in Heaven. There is a quiet grief and longing inside every believer. We want to be with our savior in that place that has been prepared for us. We long to be home! It is to the redeemed ones that the Lord says in Matthew 25:34, “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom PREPARED FOR YOU from the foundation of the world.” God has a place prepared for us so that we might live with Him for eternity. Our very bodies long to be changed and to be with our Lord and savior.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 tells us, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but WE SHALL ALL BE CHANGED, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and WE SHALL BE CHANGED.” We then read in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD.”
What a day to look forward to! As redeemed ones, we look for and anticipate that day when the Lord shall return for us and then we shall realize the wonder of the complete redemption of our bodies. It’s important to realize that when the Lord saved us by His grace, He saved every part of us…our souls, our spirits, and our bodies. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 speaks of that by saying, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” May our prayer be as we find in Revelation 22:20, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. EVEN SO, COME, LORD JESUS.” (293.2)