Do you believe that after death your actual physical body will be reanimated, an actual physical resurrection or do you believe in a purely spiritual resurrection, that it is only your soul or spirit body which survives death? The bible isn't very clear but it does appear to be a mainstream christian belief that your actual physical body is what is resurrected. That idea to me seems so implausible that it leads me to believe that Christianity, Judaism and perhaps Islam is steeped in an antiquated error. Intuitively it just doesn't make sense for obvious reasons and it's hard to understand people who actually still believe in it. Where do you stand on this issue?
I fully believe in a physical resurrection, and I believe the Bible quite clearly teaches this doctrine. To begin with, "resurrection" means "the act of rising from the dead or returning to life." I suppose that if you believe in the idea of a "soul sleep," this argument would not be particularly compelling, but if you don't, the only possible way to interpret the concept of a resurrection is in a very literal, physical sense. The Bible speaks of God breathing life into Adam, whereby he became a "living soul." Therefore, when man's spirit resides within his physical body, he is alive. When that same spirit leaves his physical body, he is dead. The spirit does not cease to exist as a cognizant entity. It's just that without the spirit, the body is just a shell.
It's the body that dies, not the spirit. Therefore, it is only the body that can be resurrected. A spirit cannot be resurrected (or brought back to life) since it never dies.
Also, the fact that Jesus Christ himself was resurrected and clearly had a physical body of flesh and bones is proof to anyone who believes the biblical account of His life, death, and resurrection that the resurrection is, in fact, literal. The spirit which leaves the body at death re-enters it at resurrection, giving it new life. The difference between a mortal body and a resurrected body is that a resurrected body is no longer subject to disfigurment, disease or death. It is perfect, immortal and immutable.
