Question: I understand that our Resurrection bodies will be glorious....And yet we’re going to see the nailprints in Christ’s hands! This seems like a contradiction as well as totally unjust and inequitable. What is your opinion? | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

Question: I understand that our Resurrection bodies will be glorious, whole and entire, even if on earth we have suffered disfigurement, loss of limb, or other physical handicaps or deficiencies. And yet we’re going to see the nailprints in Christ’s hands! This seems like a contradiction as well as totally unjust and inequitable. What is your opinion?

Response: Our physical disfigurements and pain, and the mental anguish and sorrow we endure, are because of sin that began with Adam and has plagued his descendants in ever greater measure since. Christ, the “last Adam” (1 Cor:15:45), “hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows...he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities...and with his stripes we are healed” (Is 53:4-5). It is because Christ died for our sins at Calvary that we will have perfect new bodies without any of the marks caused by sin upon them.

The marks of Calvary in Christ, however, will remain forever as a reminder of His love and what He endured for us. Our song will eternally be “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rv 1:5). Forever He will be the “Lamb as it had been slain” (5:6) and the throne in heaven will always be “the throne of God and of the Lamb” (22:1).

The marks of Calvary must remain, not only to inspire us in worship and praise, not only as proof that the penalty has been paid, but as the wonderful assurance of our eternal security in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The nailprints in our Lord’s hands and feet identified Him to His disciples after His resurrection; and they are the distinctive marks of His identity as our Savior for eternity.

The cross of Christ divides all eternity. There God triumphed in love over evil, in justice over sin. The marks of that suffering and triumph were the proof that caused Thomas to fall at Jesus’ feet, and as he declared in worship, “My Lord and my God,” so will we.