SALVATION REFASHIONED THESE BODIES OF CLAY!!
Nothing in Paul's epistles is him crying out for a future resurrection. His longing to share in sufferings is not by going through things here in life so that he could more fully identify with Jesus by suffering also! NO! Paul KNEW that Christ's sufferings were his sufferings. Christ's resurrection was his resurrection! He fully identified with Christ!
In Philippians 3:14 (Mirror Bible – emphasis mine), he says, "I have the prize of mankind's redeemed innocence in full view; just like a champion athlete in the public games, I refuse to be distracted by anything else. God has invited us IN Christ to lift our eyes and REALIZE our identity IN Him."
Can you hear Paul's excitement? Not a longing for something in the future but lifting our eyes and seeing what is true NOW, that we were co-crucified, co-died, co-resurrected, co-ascended, and NOW are co-seated with Him in heavenly places, in REST. We are identified IN HIM!
His passion continues in verses 15-17 (Mirror Bible – emphasis mine), "We who have discovered our perfect righteousness have our thoughts anchored IN Christ. If you still see yourself as imperfect (INCOMPLETE!), God will reveal to you that you are wasting your time to imagine that you can become more accepted and righteous than you already are! 16 So then, let the message of grace set the pace. 17 You are free to mimic me as we together impact the lives of many others to follow in our footsteps."
And then in verse 18 (Mirror Bible), he says, "As you know I am often moved to tears talking about these things; I am so passionate about the revelation of mankind's redeemed innocence that it makes no sense to me that there can still be people who oppose this message. Many are openly hostile and indifferent to the cross of Christ."
And I LOVE verse 20,
"Our citizenship is referenced in our joint position with Christ in heavenly places. Heaven is not our goal; it's our starting point! Our understanding is sourced in a Savior; we fully embrace the Lord Jesus Christ!"
Paul fully understood that heaven was our beginning, our genesis. It was our origin! In Ephesians 1, he says, that God chose us IN Christ BEFORE the foundation of the world. Paul understood we are seated there NOW, and we reign in this life from that same heavenly position (our co-seatedness) NOW on earth.
And then Paul wraps up chapter three with these words,
"the salvation (or sozo - wholeness) that Jesus is the Author of, refashions these bodies of clay and elevates us to FULLY participate in the SAME pattern of His heavenly glory!" (Philippians 3:21, Mirror Bible – emphasis mine).
Salvation refashioned these bodies of clay!! The Greek word refashion is metaschematizo. It is two words, meta meaning with and sxema meaning outward shape. It is to change in outward appearance after a change. This same word is used in Philippians 2:8, talking about Jesus being in the form of God and equal with God, came to earth in the likeness of man and found in appearance (schematizo) as a man. Paul said salvation changed the outward appearance of our “bodies of clay.” The root word of schematizo is echo! Our entire being (spirit, soul, AND body), our whole man, ECHOES the appearance of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, the Author of our salvation, the Author of our WHOLENESS!! And He elevated us to FULLY participate in the SAME pattern of His heavenly glory!
It says in Greek, synmorphon to somati tes doxes auto which in English is conformed (jointly formed; co-formed!) to His glorious body! How? The rest of verse 21 tells us how. It was according to the working of His enabling and also His subduing of ALL things!! IT IS FINISHED!! We are right NOW co-glorified with Him!!
