it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. 1Cor15:44-49
Observing the Resurrection of Christ and pondering on our own resurrection are a refreshing endeavors for us, the believers. It excites the hope in the hearts of the believers for the heaven to come in the same way that the light at the end of a tunnel propels travelers onward. It is a joyous and glorious vision of the future that ignites passion for the Lord even in the midst of life’s circumstances.
As we observe this portion of Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 15 in which Paul outlines the resurrection that is to come for the Corinthians, we are reminded of Christ’s conflict with the Saducees, who, like some in Corinth, did not believe in the resurrection.
The Saducees were a powerful political party of Israel at the time of Jesus, and equaled the Pharisees in political power and influence. While the Pharisees believed in the resurrection, the Saducees did not. Accordingly, the Saducee’s challenge against Christ was against the resurrection.
In their challenge to Jesus, the Saducees described the application of the Jewish law that calls on a man to marry his brother’s wife in the event of his death. One woman was married five times as a result of four deaths among five brothers. Using this premise, they ask their question – in the resurrection, who is the husband of the wife? This question challenged Jesus’ authority and wisdom by creating a scenario in which the active obedience of the wife through remarriages resulted in a sin, namely, polygamy, because of the resurrection.
Jesus address this question by stating that there are no marriages in heaven. Marriage is a blessing, to be sure, but it is primarily the way God brings two imperfect beings together in a complementary relationship. The implication of Jesus’ response is that the resurrected believer will be perfect in Christlikeness in His resurrected body.
Back in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul harkens back further to the Creation account in the beginning chapters of Genesis. From verse 44 to 49, Paul refers to Adam, the first man, and Jesus, the second Adam as he contrasts the two federal figures upon mankind. He denotes the earthly body as the natural man’s body and the heavenly body as that which is gained in the resurrection. In Adam, then, all human beings have a living soul (Gen 2:7), a body made of dust (Gen 3:19), an earthly disposition (v.48), and are ultimately the full expression of earthly sin nature (v.49). In Jesus, all believers are given new life (1 Cor 5:17), a new body, a heavenly disposition (Col 3:1-2), a new identity as the children of God (Rom 8:15). Although Adam passed on life through his seed, the life that he passed on was of sin and death. Jesus, with the life-giving Spirit, gives eternal life to his believers.
What are we to do with this hope given to us by Christ? We are to bear the image of Christ, the heavenly Lord and Savior, through a life of active repentance and submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the living Head. In this, we honor and glorify Christ.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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