Lesson 3: God’s Love is Merciful, Giving us a Perfect Body
 
 1 Corinthians 15:42, 44 "So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable…It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body."

 The second way the Bible reveals the Merciful Love of God is that God gives His enemies a Body of Perfection instead of a Body of Pain.

 Romans 5:6 "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

God’s mercy was so great that before we even turned to look at Him, before we made even one effort to turn to Him, He paid the price for our sin. He paid the price while we were weak, while we were dirty and sinful!

 Living in such a dirty and sinful body for eternity would not be pleasant. But because of the merciful love of God Jesus promises to give us a body of perfection.

 Here we read that when a person goes to heaven, they not only get a new home but a new body as well. And what a body it is.

First, it will be imperishable. That means it will never die, rot, decay, break down, or age. There will be no more back aches, no more broken bones and no more disease. Our new bodies will never wear down and never wear out!

Then as if that is not enough, our new bodies will not only be imperishable, but they will be spiritual. That means our body will be just like Jesus' body after He was raised from the dead.

If you study the characteristics of Jesus' resurrected body, you see that He was not affected by matter. He could walk through closed doors. He could travel instantly anywhere at any time.

This means in heaven there will be no traffic, no tollbooths and no more car taxes. We will be able to visit the stars without a rocket-ship, and see all the wonders of His entire creation. We will be able to hear the songs of the stars and never get burned by their heat or have to wear sunglasses to watch them up close.

 This is not a very hard choice to make here. I would much rather have a body of perfection than a body of pain! Just think, it is not only free for the asking, but we do not deserve it! What love! 

When we understand that we all deserve a body of pain, yet out of mercy God will give us a body of perfection, it is hard to not want to live for Him in return. It is not hard to give everything you have and are to Him, so He can use us as His hands and feet and heart to love others for Him. This is what happens when you truly understand the Merciful Love of God.

Thought Question: As you think about a new body, what is the most exciting benefit for you?