What is promised to believers at the resurrection?

The promise to believers at the resurrection includes that they will be openly acknowledged and made blessed in God. This reflects the Christian belief in the hope of eternal life and the full communion with God that comes after death. In this context, believers are assured that their faithfulness will be recognized, and they will experience the beatific vision—seeing God face to face and enjoying the fullness of His presence and glory.

Being openly acknowledged means that believers are publicly recognized as children of God in the presence of angels and the heavenly host, affirming their identity and worth in God’s sight. This acknowledgment serves to emphasize the communal aspect of salvation, where believers are welcomed into an eternal relationship with God and affirmed in their dignity and purpose.

The other options, while they may resonate with various theological concepts, do not encapsulate the central promise of the resurrection as outlined in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. New bodies without defects, authority to judge, and returning to earth for a mission touch on different aspects of eschatology but do not center on the relational and blessed status conferred upon believers at the resurrection as directly and clearly as the promise of being acknowledged by God.