One of the ancient heresies is called Docetism; it plagued the Christian Church for centuries starting in the New Testament days. The word docetism comes from the word “to show or to appear,” and it taught that Jesus just appeared as a man, but He really was not God in flesh. It taught that Jesus was more like an angel that appeared on earth in the form of a man, or maybe like a theophany, a “God appearance”, like sometimes occurred in the Old Testament times. The idea behind Docetism is that God is too holy and too pure to be involved in fleshy, earthly, sinful things like earth. So to protect God’s honor, they came up with this false teaching.

Docetism is a false teaching because the Bible clearly teaches that God did become a man; that Jesus is God Incarnate, in flesh, born of a woman, born in Bethlehem; He walked on the earth, He interacted with sinful people, He suffered, He was brutally crucified, died, and even thrown into a earthen tomb. On the Third Day Jesus rose from the dead in His body.

Jesus’ resurrection is called the “firstfruits,” which means that He is the first one to rise from the dead on Easter Sunday; and then our own bodies rise from the dead on the Last Day. Jesus rises first, we will rise later. His resurrection guarantees your resurrection from the dead!

Your body has been created by the God the Father, redeemed by Christ the Lord and sanctified by God the Holy Spirit! It will rise from the dead on the Last Day and be glorified!

The Resurrection of the Dead on the Last Day is our HOPE: our confident faith in life after death! The Resurrection of the Dead, the Easter victory in the Lord Jesus Christ, reminds us that Your body is important! Amen!