This is the greatest fundamental doctrinal truth of the church of Jesus Christ, All other truths point to this very thing. [Roman 8:29] "For Whom God did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren." Whom God did [foreknow, predestinate, call, justify, and glorify], causing these things to be, and in effect, he brings this very thing into an actual fact and reality, the resurrection of the bodies of the saints, conformed to the image and likeness of his Son, Christ Jesus.

The prophets believed it, and prophesied it. The Lord taught it. He said, "I will destroy this temple (this body) and raise it up the third day, "the same temple or body. God plainly declared it a fact, by raising his Son out of death, and the grave. Where a fact is clearly established, arguments cease, for to argue against a fact is to deny the plain truth, declared by God himself in raising his Son Jesus Christ out of death and the grave. The self-same body that was crucified, not something else, the same body. Christ said, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself, handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have". The very same body that hungered, thirsted, borne of a woman, nursed her breast, and ate food just like others did, and suffered on the cross, is the very body that is alive and in heaven today. David said, "When I awake in his likeness, I will be satisfied". He saw in Christ that he would live again, and it would be David glorified, not something else. And if he will, be like Christ, then he will be raised in body, or he will not be like Christ, for Christ was raised in body.

The apostles taught the doctrine of the resurrection of the bodies of the saints and sinners. Paul in acts 24:25, [said], "And have hope toward God which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." Do we believe like Paul? Are we with him, are we holding to and in the doctrine of the apostles? Acts 26:8, "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead?" Is God not able to raise the bodies of his children from death and the grave? God has all power in heaven and earth. Yes, God can and will do that very thing. God said by his prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 26: 19, "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body (Christ) shall they arise. Awake and sing ye that dwell in dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Hosea 13: 14, "I will ransom them from the powers of the grave: I will redeem them from death; O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. " Nothing is going to turn the Lord or keep him from doing this very thing. Job 19:23-28, [says] "Oh, that my words were now written! Oh, that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen' and lead in the rock forever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. But ye should say, why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me." The spirit of prophecy is the spirit of Christ. When Israel left Egypt, they carried with them the bones of Joseph. The Jews believed in the promise of God, that there would be a resurrection of the dead. They understood. Enoch was carried to heaven before the flood. Grace will reach all the objects of his love in all ages. Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind, soul, and body, and spirit, long before Christ Jesus took upon himself a body of flesh. Hebrews 2:14-18, [says] "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage. For verily (certainly) he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted."

The children whom Christ came to save were flesh and blood. Christ also took part of the same, had flesh, blood, and bones, and was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. The law of God demanded perfect obedience. In order for Christ to represent his children, it behooved him to become man, borne of a woman, borne under the law to redeem them out from under the law. I Cor. 15:21, "For since by man (Adam) came death, by man (Christ the God man) came also the resurrection of the dead." Just as sure as Christ represented his children in his death, resurrection, they share in his representation. Partake of it in full.

Christ came into the world to save sinners. What is a sinner? The children of men who are composed of Soul, Body, and Spirit. Then if Christ saves the sinner it means the soul, body, and spirit will be saved. It is not done at the same time. In regeneration the spirit of God gives life to the soul, saves it from death. It is the same soul, changed. God does not give the sinner another soul. It is the same soul taken out of death. David said, "The Lord hath saved my soul alive." [And] Matthew 10: 23. [Says] "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather; fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. "

The spirit of God operates on the spirit of man causing the vain, haughty spirit of man to be humble and kind. At the death of the body the spirit returns to God who gave it. The soul that is taken out of death is preserved alive. See Revelation 20:4. Christ said in John 11:26, "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, Believeth thou this." Man is a complex being of soul, body, and spirit. Hebrews 4: 12, "For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul, and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Divine inspiration distinguishes between soul and spirit. Christ distinguished between soul, body, and spirit (Mark 14: 39). So there must be three, or the scriptures are wrong, and no man will say the scriptures are wrong, unless he does not believe them or their author.

I Thess. 5: 23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." All three are clearly set forth by the apostle Paul. I believe it, don't you? "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." The apostle said the Lord will do it at his coming. Do we believe Christ is faithful? Yes, the spirit and soul and body will all be together, united at the resurrection of the bodies of the saints. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first." (The elect, whose bodies have died:) "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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." There is no comfort to the church to deny the resurrection of the bodies of the dead. It will cause all kinds of trouble, confusion, and sorrow. In Romans 8: 23, Paul said "We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our bodies. " When our bodies are raised up in the glorious image of Christ, it will be the same body changed, not exchanged. The Holy Spirit changed our soul, took it out of death, and it is the same soul changed, not exchanged.

The Holy Spirit works in our spirit to be humble, and the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. Our bodies will be changed, purified, glorified and carried to heaven. It will be the sinner saved, soul, body, and spirit. Just as sure as Christ suffered in spirit, groaned in spirit, he was redeeming, purchasing, ransoming the spirits of his children, and he shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Christ suffered in soul. He was redeeming, purchasing, ransoming the souls of his children. If not, what was he doing? And when he suffered in body, even the death of the cross, his blood that flowed through his body was shed. What was he doing it for? He was redeeming, purchasing, and ransoming their bodies from sin, death and the grave. Just as sure as he purchased it with his own blood, he will call for what he bought and paid for. It belongs to him. "Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price. " The child of God has a right to live in spirit, soul and body, and by the grace of God they will live. Christ whom God sent said, "I will raise them up again at the last day." Thank God, he will do that very thing.

Peter preached the resurrection of the dead. Acts 1:21, 22 and Acts 4:2. A true witness will not lie. Stephen declared in Acts 7: 56, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. " The same Jesus that was crucified. This was some years after his resurrection. Over 500 persons saw Christ ascend up to heaven. "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." The same body that ascended is the same body that will come again, the same Jesus. I Cor. 15:12, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13, But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen.14, And if Christ has not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15, Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ, whom he raised not up, if so that the dead rise not. 16, for if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. 17, And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18, Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19, If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable. 20, But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept." Christ the first fruits, afterwards (sometime later) they that are Christ's at his coming. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? The act of baptizing is showing faith in a buried and risen redeemer, who will also raise our bodies, and if it is not done believing this, it is not done by and in faith. Romans 6:3 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" In honor, glory, and praise, showing our faith in him by our works. The child of God is dead to sin, has no confidence in anything of this world, that it will cause him to live, dead to the world, having the sentence of death in them. [4] "Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:" Knowing this, that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. [10]"For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God." Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead in deed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. If Christ be not risen, why say so, by baptizing (burying) people in the likeness of his burial, and raising them out of the Watery grave? Why not leave them in the watery grave? When you raise them up you say by your act that Christ was raised from the grave. Actions speak louder than words. If the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead? For the church to practice baptizing, burying in the watery grave and not to believe that the bodies of the saints will be raised in glory is opposing themselves. Denying what they affirm. Either believe that the body will be raised at the last day or quit baptizing.

. Read Matthew 27: 52, "And the graves were opened; and many bodies (not spirits) of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. These bodies did not go back to the grave. If so, where is it written? The dead body of Christ did rise from death and the grave. [Matthew 28:2-7 reads] "And behold there was a great earthquake: For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, Fear not ye:, for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead:" The same body is alive today. Some of the watch (the men who were watching) came into the city, and showed unto the chief priest all the things that were done. The men on watch that night acknowledged it, and did not deny it. The chief priest did not deny it, and no man denied it then. Later on when they were assembled with the elders, the leaders of the Jews, and had taken counsel, they gave large money to the soldiers, saying, say ye, his disciples came by night and stole Him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught, and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. For anyone to say that Christ Jesus has not risen from death and the grave, is ignorant of what has happened, or following the hired men's false tales. To deny the resurrection of the bodies of the saints, is to deny Christ, It is heresy, anti-Christ. For Christ said in John 5: 28, 29, "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life (good fruit grows on good trees) and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. (Corrupt trees bear corrupt fruit).

The bodies that die will rise. Christ said so. Do we believe him? The just and the unjust will rise, the just to glory and the unjust to damnation. This is the true faith. Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith. If you believe what Christ said, you are in the faith. If you deny it you have left the faith, or have never known the faith. I Cor. 15:34, "Awake to righteousness and sin not, for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come. Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die. If the grain of wheat does not germinate, soon it will decay. But the body of the saints are already dead when it is buried. There is no life in it. The germ of life is in the grain of wheat. The life in the grain of wheat is not dead, just dormant. "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be." A man can sow grain, but he does not sow his own body. Someone else does that. We sow but bare grain, it may chance of wheat (perhaps wheat) or of some other grain. You do not get the same body or grain when it comes up a long stalk and bears more grain. You get some more wheat just like the grain you sowed, not the same grain back. But a multiplication of the grain sowed. Having the same nature, therefore no change. The bodies of the saints are changed. They do not have the carnal nature when raised up, but the nature of the incorruptible seed which is Christ. (Luke 20:27). "Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection: And they asked him, saying Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren: And the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. And the third took her, and in like manner the seven also. And they left no children and died. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection, whose wife of them is she? For seven had her to wife. And Jesus answering said unto them, the children of this world marry, and are given in marriage. But they that are accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: For all live unto him." God giveth it a body as it has pleased him, and to every seed his own body. The seed that causes the bodies of the saints to come forth from death is the seed God promised to wit, Christ. And as we have borne the image of the earthy (the seed of man), we shall also bear the image of the heavenly, the seed Christ.

[I Corinthians 15:50] "This I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." No man inherits the kingdom because his father or mother or both are children of God. You must be born of the incorruptible seed that liveth and abideth forever, which is Christ Jesus, to be an heir of God. Paul was not teaching that the body would not come from the grave. [51] "Behold I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. [52] 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." Not exchanged like wheat multiplied, that is not the same body, but another body. The grain is not any different in nature than the grain sowed. But this corruptible body shall be changed. [54] "So when corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. [55] O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory? [56] The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." The child of God can rejoice in hope, through grace, even though their bodies die, the same body will be raised victorious over death, and the grave, glorified, incorruptible, immortal to live forever and ever. Every confession of faith written in any history of the true church of Jesus Christ, states and declares this very doctrine. Let us live in the faith, rejoice in the faith, and be careful not to leave the faith, but earnestly contend for the faith, which was once delivered to the saints, which will comfort, unify, and strengthen the saints in their journey here below. To not believe the truth will not keep it from being so. Unbelief will shut up in darkness, and the child will lose all the sweet joys of a hope in Christ Jesus, which is the resurrection, and the life of all of his children. He will say some day, "Here am I and all the children thou hast given me," without the loss of one. Until that day may we patiently wait. In hope of living again incorruptible, immortal, glorified though I die. Elder C. M. Mills (Deceased) (Taken from the book "The Identity of the true Baptist Church" by Elder Wiley Sammons)