What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 15:49?

We have borne the likeness of the earthly man

“And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man…” (1 Corinthians 15:49)

• Paul points back to Adam, “the first man” (1 Corinthians 15:45), whose dust-formed body (Genesis 2:7) became the pattern for every human body that followed.

• Adam’s fall introduced a legacy of frailty and death—“for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

• Because we share Adam’s nature, we experience:

– Physical decay (2 Corinthians 4:16).

– Sin’s corruption (Romans 5:12).

– Groaning for redemption (Romans 8:22-23).

• Bearing Adam’s likeness is not merely external; it includes the inward pull toward sin (Ephesians 2:3). Yet God’s plan never leaves us stuck in that condition.

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So also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man

“…so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.” (1 Corinthians 15:49)

• “The heavenly man” is Christ, risen and glorified (1 Corinthians 15:47). His resurrection body is the prototype for ours.

• Scripture promises a real, bodily transformation:

– “He will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body” (Philippians 3:21).

– “When He appears, we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2).

– “The perishable must be clothed with the imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:53).

• Key contrasts:

– From dust to glory (Colossians 3:4).

– From weakness to power (1 Corinthians 15:43).

– From mortality to immortality (1 Corinthians 15:54).

• This promise is certain—“shall” signals a future guaranteed by Christ’s own victory (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Our current groaning is temporary; the coming likeness is eternal.

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summary

We presently carry Adam’s fragile, fallen image, but in Christ we are destined for a complete, physical makeover into His heavenly likeness. The same God who formed Adam from dust and raised Jesus from the tomb will one day clothe every believer with a glorified body perfectly suited for eternity.