Don’t be afraid to think when reading Scripture. The Bible often anticipates and answers the questions you might have.

For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:35 (NIV), the Apostle Paul knows that when he talks about a resurrection from the grave, “someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” Paul then answers that question.

First, Paul notes that our resurrection body will be different from the body we have now, comparing it to the planting of a seed. Plant a kernel of corn, for example, and the resulting corn stalk looks very different than the kernel you placed in the ground – larger, greener, and hopefully producing far more than one kernel of corn, but still retains the essence of the seed.

So, Paul explains, our resurrection body will be more glorious and wonderful than our present body. In 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Paul writes, “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

Since “a picture is worth a thousand words,” Paul gives us a picture of what our resurrection body will be, promising that “just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man” (1 Corinthians 15:49). Paul wants us to know that just as each human traces his physical lineage back to Adam, each believer should understand that we will one day raise from the dead with a body similar to Jesus’ resurrected body.

Jesus’ resurrected body was physical flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). Jesus could be touched (Matthew 28:9; John 20:17) and Jesus could eat (Luke 24:42). Jesus’ resurrected body looked enough like the body that died on the cross so that Jesus could say to “doubting” Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe” (John 20:27).

But on the other hand, Jesus’ resurrection body was not subject to the normal laws of physics that govern time and space. Jesus appeared suddenly in a locked room (John 20:19) and ascended into Heaven by being “taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

So, when we have our resurrection body, will calories count in Heaven? Will we all be able to fly in the clouds? Will we be able to go from place to place, crossing distances and barriers instantly? Sometimes the answers breed more questions!

While we don’t yet understand it all, the Bible tells us enough to make us yearn for resurrection and Heaven. Joni Eareckson Tada, paralyzed by a diving accident as a teenager, writes, “I still can hardly believe it. I, with shriveled, bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees and no feeling from the shoulders down will one day have a new body, light, bright and clothed in righteousness–powerful and dazzling. Can you imagine the hope this gives someone spinal-cord injured, like me? Or someone who is cerebral palsied, brain-injured or who has multiple sclerosis? Imagine the hope this gives someone who is manic depressive. No other religion, no other philosophy promises new bodies, hearts and minds. Only in the Gospel of Christ do people find such incredible hope.” Joni told about speaking to a class of mentally handicapped Christians. They thought it was great when she said she was going to get a new body. But then Joni added, “And you are going to get new minds” and the class broke out in cheers. They knew what they wanted–new minds!

This is a promise to treasure! Bodies that work right, never wear out, get sick or die. Minds that aren’t cloudy or forgetful. An immortal life, guaranteed because Jesus defeated death once for all. Paul rightly says in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory…The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”