A newsletter of weekly mediations on biblical theology and curated resources from The Carson Center

February 4, 2026

“What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?⁵Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.⁶You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.” Psalm 8:4-6

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,²¹who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Philippians 3:20-21

Read Exodus 40; John 19; Proverbs 16; Philippians 3

Our bodies get older, and the older we get the more, we feel the effects of our bodies declining. For many of us we begin to notice this decline when we feel sore after doing something that previously had no such impact on us. Sometimes the decline of our bodies accelerates because of the effects of a physical condition or disease. But even if the Lord spares us from such conditions, the aging process eventually makes everyone feel the “lowliness” of our bodies.

Here at the end of Philippians 3, Paul reminds us that for those who are in Christ these frail earthly bodies are not our final state. Our hope does not rest in advancements in healthcare, nutrition, or exercise (as helpful as these can be for life in this fallen world). Because we are citizens of God’s kingdom, our hope rests in the return of our “Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” When he returns, he will transform our fallen human bodies so that they are like Christ’s resurrection body. While Scripture only gives us hints about what these resurrection bodies will be like (e.g., 1 Cor 15:35-49), the emphasis here is that our resurrection bodies will no longer be subject to the effects of sin and the curse. Through his death on the cross (John 19) and his resurrection from the dead, Jesus has defeated our greatest enemies of sin, death, and the devil. Because we are united to him by faith, we will share in his resurrection from the dead, never again to experience the effects of life in a fallen world.

Jesus can perform this supernatural transformation of our bodies because he is the one who obeyed where Adam failed. In Psalm 8 David reflects on God’s commission to Adam in Genesis 1:28-31 to exercise dominion over creation, marveling that God would give such a commission to humanity. Because Adam failed, sin and death entered the world. But as the last Adam Jesus Christ exercises the dominion over creation that Adam never could because of his sin. That dominion even extends to transforming our frail and fallen bodies into glorious resurrection bodies that will be like his, never to experience sickness, decay, or death. What a glorious hope this is! – Matt Harmon

Reflect: How should our hope in the return of Christ and receiving our resurrection body shape the way we live in this fallen world? What are some things (people, relationships, accomplishments, experiences, background) that you are tempted to place your hope in rather than the return of Christ?

Lifted Up: Discover John’s View of the Cross

Why does the Gospel of John read so differently than Matthew, Mark, and Luke? I wrestled with that question as I began reading the Gospels as a young teenager. Only later did I discover that Christians have been grappling with this same question since the earliest days of the church. I believe part of the answer lies in John’s use of the Old Testament.

Grasping John’s use of Scripture is crucial to understanding his Gospel, especially when considering the significance of Jesus’s crucifixion in John’s theology. John sharpens our theology of the cross through an Old Testament lens.

Our course “Basics of Systematic Theology” is presented by Scott Swain, president at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando. Each lecture includes a video and lecture notes. The course covers the doctrines of Scripture, God, Christ, salvation, and the Church. In this first lecture, Swain introduces the concept of systematic theology, its unity, scope, proportions, and relationships, before proceeding to the doctrine of scripture.

In our weekly newsletter at The Carson Center, we present weekly meditations on Biblical Theology. As a discipline, biblical theology assumes the unity and reliability of scripture. This assumption has been challenged from a number of different angles across Christian history. In this essay, Don Carson addresses many contemporary challenges. He writes, “Historically, it has been common to relativize Scripture’s authority by adding other authoritative sources; in recent times, it has been more common to question the Bible’s truthfulness, historical reliability, moral probity, and interpretive coherence, by taking away from Scripture its transparent qualities. Responding to such challenges is not the picky pastime of defensive cranks but the inevitable result of holding the same view of Scripture reflected by Jesus himself.”

READ "Contemporary Challenges to Inerrancy" by Don Carson

Only have time for the best-of-the-best from TGC? This weekly email includes an editor’s pick for the one newly published resource you shouldn't miss, as well as a list of the six most popular pieces of content from the week. Sign up to stay in the loop!

SIGN ME UP