What is the hope of the believer regarding the death of the body?
The believer’s hope is not merely to be unclothed, with soul and spirit separated from the body, but to be clothed upon with a new, immortal body. When this mortal body quits functioning and is no longer necessary, the believer has a far better one—never again experiencing pain, sickness, or death. That is the hope of the believer.
Les explains that while believers are still in this tabernacle—still in the flesh and burdened—they are not primarily looking forward to losing this old body and having soul and spirit separated from it. The whole prospect is that as soon as this body has quit functioning and is no longer necessary, we have a new one, far better: one that will never again have pain or sickness, not even a cold. Mortality, being prone to die, will thus not end in death for the believer; the body prone to die is never going to die. That, Les says, is the hope of the believer. He also points to the earnest, or down payment, of the Spirit as a holding pattern until the later consummation (Ephesians 1:13-14).
For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
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