~5 min read
Ps Paul Cheng
1 Corinthians 15:45-49
“…every man or woman has a starting point…”
Dear Bethelites,
Having given two analogies to illustrate how the resurrection could be possible (1) the example of a seed, and (2) the example of the different bodies, the Apostle Paul moved on to speak of the third analogy, “the example of the first and last Adam.”
I. Example Of The First And Last Adam
1 Corinthians 15:45-46, And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
In other words, every man or woman has a starting point. He or she begins the human life in a natural, physical body. It is only when he or she dies, and afterwards comes the resurrection, then he or she would have the supernatural, spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 15:47, The first man is of the earth, earthy (which means made of dust): the second man is the Lord from heaven (emphasis mine).
What is the point Paul was trying to make here? Our earthly bodies are just like the first Adam’s body. The body you have at this moment is the same body as your father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and you trace all the way to the first Adam. It is the same earthly body. Adam was made from the dust of the ground; God took the dust, fashioned it into a body, breathed into it the breath of life, and he became a living soul. Adam was created with a natural body; it was not a glorified body but it was perfect and good in every way. If Adam and Eve had been faithful and obedient to God, they would have lived in the Garden of Eden forever and ever, eating of the tree of life. But they disobeyed God, and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They fell into sin, and because of that, the wages of sin is death. It is not just the physical death, but the spiritual and eternal death as well.
That was why God said to Adam, “...thou shall return unto the ground, for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return (Genesis 3:19b).” The same goes with every one of us, for we are just like Adam, and that is why we must die. When we die, we shall return to the ground.
The first Adam failed; therefore the last Adam must come, to quicken us or to make us alive. And He was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. But how could Jesus be the “last,” when there were other people after Him? Here, the word last was not in a chronological sense. He was the last as in the ultimate example; the ultimate prototype fulfilled, the perfect man, and there would never be another perfect man.
The first Adam came from the earth, but the last Adam came from heaven. Jesus was the Second Person of the Triune God who came from heaven; He took upon Himself the form of a servant, He was fashioned as a man, He humbled Himself and was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He paid the penalty of sin on the cross at Calvary, so that whosoever believeth Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. Have you believed in Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour?
1 Corinthians 15:48, As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
Here, what it means is that now we have an earthly body like the first Adam, but there is coming a day when we will have a heavenly body just like our Lord Jesus Christ, the last Adam.
1 Corinthians 15:49, And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
By virtue of our physical birth, we have borne the image of the earthly Adam. But by virtue of our spiritual birth, when we believed in Jesus by faith, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is our Saviour, we will experience the same way He was resurrected. It was a literal bodily resurrection, a supernatural and glorified body. It will be a body that is not limited by time and space. A body that appears and disappears at will. A body that goes from one place to another without travelling in any physical way. A body that enters the room without opening the door. That is the kind of glorified body the believers will have.
That was what Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand. And that is what every believer in Christ should understand, and that is the glorious blessed hope we all cling unto.
I was very encouraged by the testimony of a particular brother-in-Christ. This brother had a terminal illness, and he knew that he would be with Christ very soon. One day, as his pastor visited him, to encourage him through reading Bible verses and singing hymns. All of a sudden, the man said, “Pastor, is there anything I can do for you? Is there anything you would want me to do for you?” The pastor felt it was very strange because usually it would be the other way around, as in he should be asking the sick person instead. Then the brother-in-Christ explained, “What I meant is this. Is there anything you would like me to say to those believers whom you know, and they are now in heaven? Is there anything you would want me to say to them because I will see them very soon?” The pastor was taken aback and he paused for a while and said, “When my dad and mum passed away, I never got the chance to say to them that I loved them. When you see them, can you please tell them that I loved them!”
This testimony reminds me of how some of our church members would travel overseas from time to time, perhaps to visit Singapore or Malaysia, and they would be worshipping in some of those churches there. And we would say to them, “When you see so-and-so, please do send my regards to him. Tell him that I miss him, and I will be coming to see him very soon.” We do that all the time, because we know that our friend is truly going to a real physical place, and he is going to meet real people whom we know.
Now, what about heaven? Heaven is a real place, and one day, we are going to have a real glorified body. We will recognise one another, and we are going to fellowship with one another forever and ever, so it must never be strange for us to say to one another, “When you get there before me, and when you see my grandfather, grandmother, dad, mum, husband and wife who are believers, please tell them that I miss them, and we shall meet again soon, in the sweet by-and-by.” What a blessed hope!
Shalom,
Pastor Paul Cheng
1 CORINTHIANS 15The Essence Of The Gospel MessageThe Essence Of The Gospel Message1 Corinthians 15:1-11
What If The Resurrection Is Not True?What If The Resurrection Is Not True?1 Corinthians 15:12-19
What Christ’s Resurrection Would EntailWhat Christ’s Resurrection Would Entail1 Corinthians 15:20-28
How The Resurrection Should Motivate Us (Part 1) — Motivated To Believe And Be BaptisedHow The Resurrection Should Motivate Us (Part 1) — Motivated To Believe And Be Baptised1 Corinthians 15:29
How The Resurrection Should Motivate Us (Part 2) — Motivated To Withstand DangerHow The Resurrection Should Motivate Us (Part 2) — Motivated To Withstand Danger1 Corinthians 15:30-31
How The Resurrection Should Motivate Us (Part 3) — Motivated To Endure Suffering And Motivated To Live Godly LivesHow The Resurrection Should Motivate Us (Part 3) — Motivated To Endure Suffering And Motivated To Live Godly Lives1 Corinthians 15:32-34
How Could Our Resurrection Be Possible? (Part 1) — Example Of A SeedHow Could Our Resurrection Be Possible? (Part 1) — Example Of A Seed1 Corinthians 15:35-38
How Could Our Resurrection Be Possible? (Part 2) — Example Of The Different BodiesHow Could Our Resurrection Be Possible? (Part 2) — Example Of The Different Bodies1 Corinthians 15:39-44
How Could Our Resurrection Be Possible? (Part 3) — Example Of The First And Last AdamHow Could Our Resurrection Be Possible? (Part 3) — Example Of The First And Last Adam1 Corinthians 15:45-49