What happened to Jesus' body when he went to heaven?

"It's not like only his Spirit went, because his body would be somewhere right? I'm sure his body didn't fall form the sky a few days later. But if it IS in heaven, and since we humans will only have the spirit going to heaven, would Jesus' body be the only physical body in heaven?"

Interesting question! Let's read Acts 1:9 for clues: "And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight." Jesus' body was LIFTED UP, indicating Jesus retains a physical human body as he ascended to heaven. Acts 1:11 also tells us that Jesus will someday return in the same physical body. This is what is known as the Doctrine of the Incarnation: The eternal God took human nature on himself and became a person who is both fully God and fully man. These two verses show that he will remain fully God and fully man forever.

In regards to what happens to our bodies when we go to heaven, read Phil 3:20-21: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

We don't just go to heaven as spirits! Jesus will return one day and give us new glorified resurrected bodies. Think of a seed that is buried in the ground and dies. After a while, it will emerge as something more glorious and beautiful than we could ever imagine. When a Christian dies, we too are buried but likewise spring forth with a glorified resurrected body. The difference between our body now and our future resurrected body is that our body now is mortal and can be subject to sin, but our glorified body is not. It cannot be subject to sin or suffering.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Is it wrong for a Christian to marry someone of a different religion?

We can answer this question if we understand the goal of marriage. What is the goal of marriage? It’s to be one with your spouse - to know him or her intimately. This is a reflection of God's relationship with the church (Ephesians 5:31-32).

How can we be intimate with other person? It’s when you share and love the most important thing in your heart. For the Christian, the most important thing in your heart is God. For the non-Christian, it isn’t.

So what inevitably happens is that you have a hard choice to make if you marry a non-Christian. On the one hand, if you want intimacy with your non-Christian spouse, you have to push God out of the center of your heart to make room for her. On the other hand, if you want to keep God in the center, you’ll be forced to put her on the outskirts of your heart and lose intimacy. Either way, it’s a brutal choice at the end of the day, so that’s why I implore you to date and marry a Christian. Make sure you make this conviction BEFORE you think it's time to start dating because it's so easy to compromise if you don't. I've witnessed many Christians who compromise on this one issue, and they aren't walking with Jesus anymore. Practically, you're going to have to say something like the following to your non-Christian friends who want to date you: “Look, every major decision I make involves God and you won't understand that. So every time we make decisions, I have to hide the most important thing in my heart, and that won’t work.”

Other resources:

1. Read this article by Got Questions

2. Listen to the V-DAY Live Ask Us Session Podcast (this very question was asked)

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: How do you know that God is talking to you and it's not some occuring coincident?

A: The topic of hearing God's voice always seems very arbitrary. Who's really talking, you or God? How do you know it's Him and not someone else? How do you respond or react? These are all questions that baffle the every day Christian and send our minds twirling with curiosity and confusion.

Well, believe it or not, there is a simple answer to finding out where God's voice is. The question to ask yourself is: are you a Christian who is committed to the path of spiritual maturity?
If you have answered "yes" to that question, it gives a good sense as to where your heart it; it's with God and His will.

And if your heart is aligned with God's (as in you keep Him in the forefront of the decisions of your life), than you can discern what is God's will and what is not. Check yourself with the following questions:

1. What you think God is saying to you, does it contradict in the Bible? The Holy Spirit (that voice you think you hear) will never contradict to the Word of God. So check the Bible if you are unsure!

2. Having you been praying for something and could this be God answering that prayer?

3. Double check with your Pastor, Counselor or accountability partner. Someone that you trust who can help you discern this situation.


[answered by Pastor KJT]

Q: Why did God create angels?

One thing is for sure: He didn't create the angel in this movie!

Here's a good article on the nature & role of angels. While we will never really know why God created this non-human order of being, we can examine their activities to get an idea. The following is an excerpt from the fore-mentioned website.

They praise God (Psalm 148:1-2; Isaiah 6:3). They worship God (Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8-13). They rejoice in what God does (Job 38:6-7). They serve God (Psalm 103:20; Revelation 22:9). They appear before God (Job 1:6; 2:1). They are instruments of God's judgments (Revelation 7:1; 8:2). They bring answers to prayer (Acts 12:5-10). They aid in winning people to Christ (Acts 8:26; 10:3). They observe Christian order, work, and suffering (1 Corinthians 4:9; 11:10; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:12). They encourage in times of danger (Acts 27:23-24). They care for the righteous at the time of death (Luke 16:22).

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: What color was Jesus' skin?

Interesting question! The New Testament does not give us a description of what Jesus looked like. The only thing we know is that Jesus was a Jewish male who was born in Bethlehem; raised in Nazareth and did most of his ministry in the city of Galilee. So he would most likely looked like any other Jewish, middle-eastern male at the time.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Not faith alone?

Q: In James 2:24, it says, "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." Does this mean Protestants are wrong?

Certainly not! The Book of James can be confusing because it seems to contradict much of what the Apostle Paul wrote (e.g. Ephesians 2:8-9). But there is no disagreement between these two New Testament authors. Both Paul and James would agree that the basis of salvation is grace alone through faith - meaning that the works & deeds of a person are not the basis of faith, but rather a necessary RESULT of faith.

If you read James 2:22, it says that faith "was completed by works." The word "completed" means "bring to maturity." So this verse does not mean we are saved by works but rather that genuine faith is seen in the good works it produces! For James, "faith alone" (2:24) means a fake kind of faith (e.g. the kind of faith that is purely intellectual without a personal trust in Jesus that bears good fruit in one's life). Summarily, no - the Protestants are not wrong in this regard.

Hope that this makes sense. Keep good theological questions like this coming, friend.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

V-Day Podcast is LIVE.

Our live Ask Us Session on dating, sex and relationships ("V-Day") took place Friday Night, February 19, 2010. Over 50 questions were asked (40 of them were live text-in questions!). We tried to answer as many as possible, but in the end, we had about 10 unanswered (We'll answer them soon via another live session or via this blog).

You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the following links:

(1) PART ONE (1 hour, 18 min.) and (2) PART TWO (33 min.).

Among the questions asked were the following...

You say that there is marriage when you find the other half God has given to you. If that’s the case then why is there divorce?

Some couples say I love you right away but some aren’t ready to say it after a year. How do you know when the right time to say it?

How far is too far when it comes to physical intimacy? I mean, as long as you don’t have premarital sex it’s okay, right?

If your potential soulmate, like you really believe you’re going to spend your life with this person, asks you to choose between God and him or her, how should you respond?

I’m in a relationship but we don’t talk, what do I do *sad face*

What if your parents beat you if they find out that you’re dating someone? What if they go and yell at who we’re dating? (personal experience)

How do you get over a hard and painful breakup?

If you’re dating is it ok to prioritize and neglect your gf/bf over your other friends in life?

What would you say is the hardest thing about marriage?

I have a Christian friend who’s dating a guy 4 years older than her and they’ve already gone FAAR. I’m scared for her so how should I respond?

Is infatuation a sin?

What if you like a Christian best friend?

How do I get a non-christian friend out of an unhealthy relationship?

What if you have more than one girlfriend of boyfriend?

My friend’s really mean to me…it makes me really sad L what should I do?

What do we do if we’re no longer a virgin?

My ex keeps following me and bugging me, what do I do?

Is it wrong to date my friend’s ex?

If a non-christian friend has told you that they have had sex, how should you respond?

Is dating for fun ok? Must all relationships be serious or the first step towards marriage?

How do you deal with someone who likes you but is the same sex as you?

Is it alright for a guy to date a girl who is 2 years older than him?

What should I do if I like one of my friend’s sibling?

I got my girlfriend pregnant…As a Christian what should I do?

I met this guy who I thought was pretty cool, but he won’t leave me alone. He sends me creepy messages on Facebook. How do I deal with him in a nice Christianly manner. This person is a true stalker, like seriously.

Thanks to everyone who came, and especially the brave counselors on the panel! As this was a resounding success, we'll try to do another in the near future!