1 Corinthians 15:50-53
The resurrection transforms mortal bodies into immortal life fit for God’s kingdom.
50 Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s Kingdom; neither does the perishable inherit imperishable.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
53 For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
The resurrection transforms mortal bodies into immortal life fit for God’s kingdom.
Paul explains that the present mortal body cannot inherit God’s eternal kingdom and therefore must be transformed through the resurrection.
This passage brings the resurrection argument toward its climactic conclusion. After explaining the nature of the resurrection body and the contrast between Adam and Christ, Paul now reveals the necessity of transformation for entrance into the kingdom. The language of mystery signals a revealed truth about the final transformation that will occur at the end of the age. The section prepares the reader for the triumphant declaration of death's defeat in the verses that follow.
Paul addresses confusion among the Corinthians about the nature of resurrection and the future kingdom. Influenced by philosophical views that diminished the body, some may have struggled with the idea that transformation of the body was necessary for eternal life. Paul clarifies that participation in God's kingdom requires a transformation beyond the limitations of the present mortal condition.
Christ Is Risen, the Dead Will Be Raised, and Death Will Be Destroyed
Because Christ has been bodily raised from the dead as the firstfruits of his people, believers will also be raised, death itself will be defeated, and therefore Christian faith, holiness, suffering, and labor are meaningful and steadfast in the Lord.