1 Corinthians

Saturday, 11 April 2015

As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 1 Corinthians 15:48

Paul has just made statements of fact concerning the state of man in regards to Adam and in regards to the Lord. In verse 46 he said, “…the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.” Then in verse 47 he noted that, “The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.” Verse 48 now further explains verse 47. Verse 46 will be further explained in verse 49.

Adam was of the earth, made of dust. Logically then it follows that, “As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust.” All who are “in Adam” are like Adam. Everything follows after its own kind. Pumpkins don’t come from whales nor do papayas come from mangos. As Adam is earthly, it naturally follows that all who issue from him will be earthly as well.

Likewise, we can take it as an axiom that just “as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.” Christ is “the heavenly Man,” and therefore all who are of Christ are also of the “heavenly.”

Paul states this as a fact based on verse 47. In the next verse, he will show what that means to those who are “in Christ.”

Life application: If you are in Christ, you are in Christ. Nothing can change this. He cannot deny Himself. If you falter in your walk with Him, you may lose rewards, but your salvation is not in question. Be confident that God’s eternal grace and mercy in Christ are greater than your temporary failings.

Lord, Your word says that when my sin was transferred to the cross of Christ, it included all of my sin. An exchange was made which changed me from an earthly position to a heavenly one. I cannot tell You how grateful I am for this. As I walk along this current path, I stumble and fall often, but I have the complete confidence that I am saved, once and for all through the work of Another; through the work of Jesus. Thank You for the assurance I have. I need it often as I know I fail You often. Amen.

Friday, 10 April 2015

The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:47

Paul has been speaking of the body of believers in their current state as well as their bodies to come. He continues with that now. To compliment what he said in the previous verse, he enters this thought. Speaking of Adam, he says, “The first man was of the earth, made of dust.” Adam is wholly earthly; he came from the earth and his body is suited for life on the earth. The earth is perishable and thus Adam is also perishable.

In contrast to this is the Lord Jesus. He is “the second Man.” Paul is not saying that Adam existed before the Lord, but that in the order of redemptive history, and thus the order of the body of the believer, we follow this pattern. Even Jesus followed this pattern, coming in human flesh and participating in His creation. It is the pattern which Paul is focusing on. First came Adam; next comes Christ. First came the natural; next comes the spiritual. First came the earthly; next comes the heavenly.

The Greek gives extra hints concerning the nature of the heavenly body. Citing Meyer, Vincent’s Word Studies notes that, “‘no predicate in this second clause corresponds to the earthy of the first half of the verse, because the material of the glorified body of Christ transcends alike conception and expression.’ The phrase includes both the divine origin and the heavenly nature; and its reference, determined by the line of the whole argument, is to the glorified body of Christ – the Lord who shall descend from heaven in His glorified body.”

To Paul it is an axiom that Adam stands as the representative of the entire earthly human race. He was created and earthly and thus all who issue from him bear that same image. Likewise, the Lord is the Head and Representative of all of His spiritual children. Therefore, we (meaning believers in Christ) will participate in His heavenly nature, just as we have participated in Adam’s earthly nature. John gives an insight into this in his first epistle –

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2

Life application: As surely as we bear Adam’s image because we are of Adam, we shall bear Christ’s image because we are now in Christ. Don’t despair, but be prepared to be amazed.

Lord, Your word is orderly, it is precise, and it is intricate in the extreme. Every detail shows us that a set plan has been in the works and that we can have the absolute confidence that all will come out as it should. For those in Christ, the temporary pain and sadness we face will be swallowed up in an eternity of joy and blessing. I don’t need to read horoscopes or look to the stars for the answers which my soul desires… No, I have Your superior word and it is the guide to my feet and the light to my path as I walk on toward glory. Thank You for the Bible. Amen.

Thursday, 9 April 2015

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 1 Corinthians 15:46

Speaking of the process of the resurrection and the order of it, Paul now explicitly states a truth to consider which confirms what he has been saying. There is an order to the progression of man (not meaning all men, but those who will be of the resurrection).

Earlier in 1 Corinthians 15:21-23 Paul spoke of this order which has been ordained. Included in it is not only resurrection to life, but a different category of life than what we currently understand. There was first “the natural.” Adam was created as a living being, being brought from the dust. He was given free will and he (known to God before it happened) exercised that free will. In doing so, corruption ensued. This is the state of the natural.

However, for those who will participate in the resurrection, like the seed which changes into something else, we too will change. It will be from “the natural” into “the spiritual.” This is the process which God ordained for the order of things. Whereas the natural was of decay and death, the spiritual will be of eternal vigor and life.

Life application: What we perceive now will be put away and something far better than we can imagine will replace it. Whatever is coming, it will be glorious!

Heavenly Father, without a life of difficulty, disease, death, and decay, we could never truly appreciate eternal life. Contrast provides perspective, and knowledge allows us to perceive it in its proper way. Knowing this, I am happy to say that “This world isn’t my hope or my home.” I long for that which lies ahead. No fear here! Even so, come Lord Jesus! Amen.

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45

In the previous verse, Paul noted that, “There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” In support of this, he returns to Scripture to establish that this is an indisputable truth. Here he cites the Greek version of the Old Testament from a portion of Genesis 2:7 –

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

He adds into the thought the words “first” and “Adam” to show the contrast between our first father, Adam, and our Redeemer, Christ. Even though Jesus isn’t mentioned directly in this verse, it is obvious that he is substituting His name for the term “the last Adam.” It is similar to what he submits in Romans 5:19 –

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

These contrasts are given to show us a distinction between our mortal, human nature and our anticipated eternal nature through the work of God in Christ. God breathed life into the mortal man, Adam. At that time, there was no anticipation of death, but there is also the truth that he was fashioned from the dust and is thus closely connected to it. After his creation, he was told that there would be consequences for disobedience. The account goes on to show that he disobeyed and he “died.” This was first a spiritual death; a spiritual disconnect from God. This eventually led to his physical death as well.

In contrast to this sad state (which is inherited by all of Adam’s fallen seed) there is Christ, “the last Adam.” He was not born with Adam’s inherited sin and He lived in sinless perfection under God’s law.  Having paid the price for the sins of man through His death, He “became a life-giving spirit.” Paul speaks of this in Romans 8:11 –

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

As Matthew Poole says of this verse, “Adam was the first, with respect of natural and carnal propagation, so Christ was the last Head, in respect of grace and spiritual regeneration, he was made a quickening spirit.”

Life application: We still bear Adam’s fallen nature. Until this corruptible body is done away with, we struggle against the flesh and the weaknesses of this life. However, for those who have called on Christ, these things are already defeated and are only awaiting their final realization. Be fully confident that whatever weaknesses and temptations you face now, they will be done away with when Christ comes to change us and bring us to Himself.

Lord God, I am still in my first father Adam. I face trials, temptations, weaknesses, and failings. There are days where I can’t seem to get anything right. Frustrations arise and I get disheartened. I long to be clothed in my eternal body and to be taken away from these present shortcomings. Until that day, I have the sure hope that it will come to pass. Jesus prevailed over death and He has saved me, promising to return and grant me that life which is true life. How I long for that day! Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.

Tuesday, 7 April 2015

It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:44

Paul continues with his explanation of the resurrection body. Still referring to the example of a seed he says that, “It is sown a natural body.” Seeds are sown; the corrupt and weak bodies of the dead are buried. This is its natural state and this is what is placed into the ground. Just like all of the animals of the earth, they live a certain amount of time, they age, and then they die and return to the soil from which they came. However, for the believer in Christ, the body that was sown will have a marvelous change. Paul says that, “it is raised a spiritual body.”

It has to be noted that it doesn’t say a “spirit body.” This would be contradictory to a literal, bodily resurrection. The body which is raised is “spiritual” not “spirit.” Misunderstanding this, or purposefully changing the intent and meaning (as for example the Jehovah’s Witnesses do), leads to heresy. Christ was raised with a literal, physical body. He made this abundantly clear when He ate among the apostles and even asked them to touch Him. He was showing that His body, in fact, was literal and physical. As we will be like Him in nature (not deity, but body) we will also have a literal, physical body.

To ensure his words are perfectly comprehended, he repeats the thought saying, “There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” In an emphatic way, Paul is showing here that there are two bodies for the believer. We have one like a seed which dies, and yet there is another which sprouts from that decay to be like a plant. It is different in form and yet it has all the same life of the original. Our spiritual body will not rely on the natural order that we now know for its continuance. Rather we will derive our continuance from our spiritual reconnection to God through the power of the resurrection.

Life application: What God has promised He is fully capable of fulfilling. Know and understand that we will have a literal body and it will never wear out. It will be spiritual, not natural, in nature.

O God! I am so thankful that eternity will be spent in a way that I cannot even comprehend now. At this time I get so tired, I get worn out, and I get frustrated with the events around me. Sometimes I get sick or injured too. And this happens to those around me that I love as well. We trudge through life, we get old, and then we die. But You have promised a new order of things which will sustain us for all eternity. I simply can’t wait for what You have in store for Your people. Thank You, O God, for the hope I have because of my Lord Jesus! Amen.