The redemption of the body is the future, promised completion of the believer's salvation, when God will give a new body to be reunited with the already-redeemed soul and spirit.
Les Feldick teaches that while the soul and spirit are redeemed at the moment of saving faith, the physical body remains unredeemed and still under the curse. The Holy Spirit's sealing is God's down payment guaranteeing that He will one day complete the transaction by redeeming the body as well.
Ephesians 1:14 — This verse pairs the Holy Spirit's sealing with the 'redemption of the purchased possession,' which Les identifies as the redemption of the body.
Romans 8:23 — This verse explicitly calls the adoption 'the redemption of our body,' directly defining what believers are waiting for.
In Ephesians 1:13-14, the apostle Paul teaches that after believing the gospel of salvation, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. That Spirit is 'the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.' The word 'earnest' means a down payment or guarantee that God will finish what He began. In Romans 8:22-23, Paul writes that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now, and believers also 'groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.' This directly connects the believer's present groaning to the future redemption of the body.
Les Feldick teaches that the redemption of the body is the final, still-future part of the believer's redemption. At the moment of saving faith, the soul and spirit are totally redeemed and made ready for eternity, but the physical body remains unredeemed. It is still in the flesh, still under the curse, and still prone to pain, accidents, and sin (Clips 2, 5, 7). The Holy Spirit's sealing is God's down payment on the body, guaranteeing that He will finish the transaction and one day give the believer a new body (Clips 1, 5). At that time the new body will be reunited with the soul and spirit, making the person a complete entity of body, soul, and spirit for eternity (Clips 2, 3, 6, 7).
Les explains that when a person believes, the soul and spirit are totally redeemed, but the body is not. The body is still here in the flesh, still prone to the same pain, accidents and sin as the unbeliever, and still under the curse. This is why the body specifically is waiting for redemption.
Les teaches that the sealing of the Holy Spirit is the earnest, or down payment, of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. The Spirit's presence in the believer's life is God's brand or guarantee that He will complete the whole transaction and redeem body, soul and spirit together.
Les points to Christ's resurrection appearances during the 40 days between His coming out of the tomb and His ascension as the best way to glimpse the new body. The new body will be reunited with the soul and spirit so the believer becomes a complete entity for eternity.
Noah’s Ark & Your Salvation: A Deep Bible Study on Eternal Security
And what's Ishmael doing to Isaac? Making life miserable for him. And now God comes into the picture, and what does he tell Abraham? Send Hagar and Ishmael out into the wilderness. Why? For Ishmael will not live under the same roof with the son of promise, Isaac. Now that sounds almost cruel, but remember, God doing all this because Paul is going to use that as an allegory in Galatians chapter 4.
The Final Redemption
Les teaches that the day is coming when believers will have a new body, and this is the 'redemption of the purchased possession' mentioned in Ephesians 1:14 — the redemption of the body that is still waiting.
A New Body Reunited
Les explains that while the soul and spirit are redeemed at salvation, the body is not yet ready; God's down payment, the Holy Spirit, guarantees the believer will one day have a new body reunited with the soul and spirit.
More Than Soul and Spirit
Les shows that God has never dealt with human beings as only soul and spirit; the complete entity of body, soul and spirit is required, which is why the body's redemption is necessary.
Christ's Resurrection as a Glimpse
Les points to Christ's resurrection appearances over the 40 days after His resurrection as the best way to glimpse what the believer's new body will be like.
The Body Is the Unredeemed Part
Les draws from Ephesians 1:14 to show that although believers are already redeemed in soul and spirit, the body is the part not yet redeemed; the sealing of the Holy Spirit guarantees its future redemption.
The Body's Redemption Is Consummated
Les explains that the soul and spirit have already experienced absolute salvation, but the body is waiting to be consummated; in the eternal state believers must again be body, soul and spirit.
Body, Soul and Spirit Brought Together
Les teaches that no human being functions as a complete entity without body, soul and spirit, so all three must be brought back together before eternity; the Holy Spirit's presence is God's down payment that He will redeem all three.
Ephesians 1:13: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Paul says believers were sealed with the Holy Spirit when they believed, introducing the promise that leads to the redemption of the purchased possession.
Ephesians 1:14: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
This verse directly mentions the 'redemption of the purchased possession,' which Les identifies as the redemption of the body.
Romans 8:22: For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
The groaning of creation sets the stage for the believer's eager waiting for the redemption of the body.
Romans 8:23: And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Paul explicitly names the adoption as the redemption of the body, which Les teaches is the future completion of redemption.
No. Les Feldick explains that when you are saved, your soul and spirit are totally redeemed, but the body still remains unredeemed. It is still in the flesh, still under the curse, and still prone to pain and sin.
It is the future completion of salvation where God gives the believer a new body and reunites it with the soul and spirit, making the person a complete entity of body, soul, and spirit for eternity.
The Holy Spirit's sealing is the earnest, or down payment, of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. It is God's guarantee that He will complete the transaction and redeem body, soul and spirit together.
Watch the Teaching: Noah’s Ark & Your Salvation: A Deep Bible Study on Eternal Security