“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus“
even so
The words “even so” show the parallel between the resurrection of the bodies of believers and the resurrection of Christ. Paul now draws his first conclusion. There is a complete concord there. The resurrection of the body of the believer is as sure as the resurrection of Christ. Our physical bodies will rise from the dead since Christ rose from the dead.
God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus
God will personally bring believers with Him in the resurrection of the physical body from the dead. The soul and spirit will reunite with the physical body at that time. God will give us a resurrection body that is like the resurrection body of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).
The Father thus fully acknowledges the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and acts on it by resurrecting our bodies when Jesus comes back. The guarantee of our bodily resurrection is the resurrection of Christ. This is not a general resurrection, for He will bring back only those who fell asleep in Christ and no others.
The comparison would be more exact if Paul had said, “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so also will God raise us up.” However, departed Christians are spiritually with Christ in heaven, and God will not raise their bodies until He brings back their souls and spirits to earth. This is why they come back “with Him,” accompanying Christ in the closest kind of association and fellowship.
Paul will show how God will bring Christians back with Him in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18.
Principle:
One day the Father will undo the work of the undertaker.
Application:
Because the undertaker’s work will be done, Christians do not fear death because they know that their resurrection is as sure as the resurrection of Christ. Christians will break the bonds of the casket. God will raise us from the dead. Even more, He will rapture us into His presence (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18).
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
”When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).
God will resurrect our physical body and transform it into a resurrection body first. Then He will translate that body to Heaven (the Rapture). We will meet the Lord in the air with a new resurrected body.
