The Westminster Shorter Catechism
Q38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at
the resurrection?
A. At the resurrection,
believers being raised up in glory,[1] shall be openly acknowledged
and acquitted in the day of judgment,[2] and made
perfectly blessed
in the full enjoying
of God[3] to all eternity.[4]
[1]
1 Corinthians 15:43; [2] Matthew 25:23;
10:32; [3] 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians
13:12;
[4] 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
We saw in our last question that the bodies of believers, “being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.” This question deals with what happens at the Resurrection.
The Resurrection occurs at the “last day” (Jn 11:24; cf. Dan 12:2). On that
day, “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…” (1 Thes 4:16–17a). Believers who
are alive in that day will, in a moment, have their earthly bodies changed into
a incorruptible, glorious body (1 Cor 15:52–53), but the bodies of those who
have died will “by the Spirit of Christ, and by virtue of His resurrection as
their head,… be raised in power, spiritual, incorruptible, and made like to His
glorious body” (WLC 87). This
glorious body is also known as a “spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:44) and will be
“incorruptible” (1 Cor 15:52). It will be freed from all pain, defects,
diseases and proneness to diseases. It will no more be a “vile body” (Phil
3:21).
Immediately after the resurrection, will be the general judgement of angels and
men (WLC 88). At that time, “the
righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, shall be set on his right
hand, and there openly acknowledged and acquitted, shall join with Him in the
judging of reprobate angels and men” (WLC
90a). The righteous are acquitted, not because of their own righteousness, but
because of the righteousness of Christ. Indeed, Christ Himself will not only be
the judge (Jn 5:22), but He will also be our advocate (1 Jn 2:1), He having
paid the penalty for our sins.
After this, we “shall be received into heaven, where [we] shall be fully and for ever freed from all
sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy
both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels,
but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity” (WLC 90b).