39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Not all bodies on earth are the same. There are different kinds of bodies for humans, animals, birds, and fish. There is also a difference in glory between the bodies in the heavens like the sun, moon, and different stars and that compared to the bodies of earth. In the same way, our heavenly bodies will be different from our earthly bodies. Our earthly bodies are sown (die) in corruption and weakness but are raised incorruptible and in power. We will die in a physical body and be raised in a spiritual body. Adam came from dust and became a living body and past his sin nature on to us. The last Adam, Jesus Christ, came from heaven and became a life-giving spirit by offering eternal life to all who believe in Him. He also offers us a transformed, resurrected body that resembles His glorious body.
So many people dislike their bodies for all the wrong reasons. We are surrounded by “perfect” Photoshopped bodies that leave us unhappy with what we look like. Paul tells us the real problem with our bodies is not what they look like (remember God gave you your earthly body as well) but that they are full of the corruption of sin and are dying. We do well to long for new bodies, not bodies that look better, but bodies that are better because they are free of sin and will live forever.
I should be content with the body I have now and look forward to the one God will give me one day.
I need to make sure that I do not live for the pleasures of this world but rather for the world that is to come and which lasts much longer and is worth so much more.
Verse 42. I just thought that we should be scared to die because that’s when we are going to be imperishable