A Literal Resurrection

As I have reviewed the April 2025 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the phrase “literal resurrection” resonated with me from three addresses¹. I then searched all of the April talks and found that 13 of them reference the resurrection. I have recently noticed a significant increase in mentions of the resurrection on my various timelines, which is the genesis of my post.

What is a Literal Resurrection?

What is meant by the phrase “literal resurrection?” For members of the church, it means that, after His death on the cross, Jesus’s spirit left His body. His body was then placed in the tomb, and after three days, His spirit and body were reunited to produce a resurrected being. The separation that occurred at His death would NOT happen again. That’s a long way of saying that we believe that Jesus Christ has a body today.

This is in alignment with the first article of faith, which states: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost” (Articles of Faith 1:1). This statement means that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct beings. In fact, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22-23)

That scripture, along with personal witnesses by prophets, confirms that Jesus Christ has a body. He was resurrected and continues to be a being composed of a perfect spirit and a perfect body. That composition will live on in eternity.

Why is a Literal Resurrection Important?

The Plan of Salvation, God’s plan for His children, has some basic requirements. One of these is the need for God’s spirit children to receive a body, a being where they can become like Him one day if they abide by the laws and ordinances He has established. The plan also calls for His children to be “[proved] herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:25). We cannot become like God if we aren’t willing to obey the laws that He has established.

In life, there are two kinds of death: physical and spiritual. Jesus Christ, being central to God’s plan, was designated as the one who would overcome these two deaths. Physical death is when our mortal body no longer supports mortal life. It is when our spirit departs, and there is a separation between the spiritual and the physical. Christ overcame that death by His literal resurrection. His resurrection created a universal resurrection; a resurrection that all will experience. The separation of our spiritual from our physical will not be eternal. This gift has been given freely to all of us because of Christ’s literal resurrection

The literal resurrection is also important because it affirms that God the Father also has a physical body. If a physical body was not needed for God, why would Christ need a body? Why would we need a resurrection? Christ could have accomplished all He did after His death with just a spiritual body (except for eating and allowing people to feel the marks of His crucifixion).

Conclusion

Christ’s resurrection was literal. His body and spirit were reunited three days after His death on the cross. He lives with a corporeal, immortal body that houses His spirit. This helps us to understand the nature of God, Christ, and our eventual immortality.

Footnotes

1. “And We Talk of Christ” – Elder Gary E. Stevenson; “Eternity’s Great Gifts: Jesus Christ’s Atonement, Resurrection, Restoration” – Elder Gerrit W. Gong; “The Times of Restitution of All Things” – Elder David A. Bednar