Rom. 8:11-23--"And not only they, but ourselves also, which have
the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of
our body" (v. 23). See also 1 Cor. 6:13-20. In John 6:39 and Job
19:25-27 we are taught that the dust into which our bodies have
decayed will be quickened, which indicates a physical resurrection.
This conception of the value of the body is doubtless what leads
to the Christian's care for his dead loved ones and their graves.
The believer's present body, which is called "the body of his
humiliation" (Phil. 3:21) is not yet fitted for entrance into the
kingdom (1 Cor. 15:50). Paul's hope is not for a deliverence from
the body, but the redemption of it (2 Cor. 5:4).