This verse is said to be the supreme personal relevance of Easter. God has promised us clearly that if His Spirit has taken up residence in our heart, then even though our body dies, He will raise it from the dead like He did the body of Christ. This little word “if ” is the if that separates life from death. Have you received the Spirit of God into your heart? Has He adopted you into His family and begun to give you the character of your heavenly Father? If the if is not true, then the promise is in vain and your mortal body will not be raised into life but into fearful judgment. For the resurrection of Jesus to do us any good, we must receive the Spirit of God into our hearts.
This verse is also a wonderful example of how the triune God works out the redemption of His children. By the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, the Father raised the Son from the dead. By that same Holy Spirit, the believer’s mortal bodies will be raised at the Son’s return in glory.
As the Spirit of God dwells in us, our body becomes His temple. This temple—no matter how tired or weak or deformed or filled with disease—will be rebuilt. The Spirit of God breathing upon the dry bones (Ezekiel 37) will make them live and the believers shall see God.
How does that promise make a difference in our lives now? If you believe that God is for you and not against you and that He will give eternal life to our body; if you believe the good you do for our Lord in this life will be repaid a hundredfold; if you believe that you will shine like the sun in the kingdom of your Father, then you have an unending supply of strength to keep doing the good that God has called you to do. This is true whether anyone appreciates that good or not. We struggle not to win the reward of men; we struggle to keep focusing on the resurrection glory of our bodies in the presence of Christ.
Consider the if of Romans 8:11… and invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in you.
by Elder Debbie Bailey
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
– Romans 8:11
