Be Raised Incorruptible

This evening, I had an opportunity to participate in a Handel's Messiah Sing Along concert. As part of this concert, I joined several other basses in singing 48. Aria for Bass: The Trumpet Shall Sound, which reminded me of a thought I had at least a year ago and apparently hadn't blogged about yet. The Trumpet Shall Sound (and the recitative that precedes it) describes the moment of resurrection as Paul described it in his epistle to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 15:
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

 This change means more than just becoming immortal. Living forever is only part of the benefit of being resurrected. Another part of the benefit is becoming "incorruptible."

I wonder what that means in this context. I could be as simple as meaning that we can't get sick or maimed or anything like that. Living forever is a given, but that doesn't necessarily mean that we will be whole and healthy. Thankfully, we have a promise that, once we have been resurrected, we will never become ill again. All our illnesses will be cured, and all our injuries will be healed. However, these benefits may all be considered under the "immortality" part of the change Paul described. Perhaps the "incorruptible" part extends beyond one's physical condition and instead focuses on our spirits.

When I think about corruption, I generally think about moral and/or spiritual corruption. Basically, in my mind, corruption is what Satan wants to happen to us, and while it has nothing to do with our physical bodies, it has everything to do with our mortal natures. Our ability to habitually make bad choices is a large part of what makes us corruptible in this sense. If we become "incorruptible" when we get resurrected, then that change could occur in a number of ways. It could mean that we can no longer make choices, or at least not bad choices. It could mean that we are impossible to persuade, or at least to effectively tempt. It could mean that we are so set in our ways that no force, not even Satan, can pull us off of them.

Or maybe I am completely misinterpreting "incorruptible."

In any case, resurrection is a great blessing, and I'm looking forward to receiving it after I die, even if it doesn't make me immune to temptation, as I would like to hope.