1Cor 15:42-54 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Cor 15:42-44: 15:42-44 Just as growing plants differ from the seeds out of which they sprout, so resurrection bodies will be vastly unlike our mortal bodies.

Summary for 1Cor 15:42-44: 15:42-44 ^a Just as growing plants differ from the seeds out of which they sprout, so resurrection bodies will be vastly unlike our mortal bodies.
Summary for 1Cor 15:45-49: 15:45-49 ^b Adam and Christ founded two distinct humanities: One is natural and earthly, enslaved to sin and death; the other is spiritual and heavenly, purified and destined for life. Adam represents the natural (physical) body and Christ the spiritual (resurrection) body. See also 15:21-22 ^c; Rom 5:12-21 ^d.
Summary for 1Cor 15:45-46: 15:45-46 ^e Just as Christ’s life-giving Spirit supersedes the natural life, the spiritual body will supersede the physical body.
15:47 ^f made from the dust of the earth: Adam’s earthly origin (Gen 2:7 ^g) is here contrasted with Christ’s heavenly origin.
15:48 ^h Earthly people (literally those of the dust): Like Adam, natural human beings are under the curse of sin and death. All return to dust (see Gen 3:19 ⁱ)—they all die.

• heavenly people are like the heavenly man: Those who belong to Christ are like him in having an unending spiritual life.
15:49 ^j Like the earthly man, Adam, we have physical bodies in this life. But we will someday be like Christ, the heavenly man, experiencing the Kingdom of God in resurrection bodies (cp. Rom 6:4-14 ^k).
15:50 ^l Physical bodies cannot inherit God’s Kingdom. Only a spiritual, resurrected body can experience the Kingdom in all its fullness (cp. John 4:24 ^m).
15:51 ⁿ The Good News reveals the previously unknown secret of resurrection.

• We will not all die: Paul might have expected the future resurrection in his own lifetime (cp. 15:52 ^o; 1 Thes 4:15 ^p, 17 ^q).
15:52 ^r Cp. 1 Thes 4:13-17 ^s.
15:54 ^t “Death is swallowed up in victory”: Resurrection defeats the ultimate enemy, death, just as the power of the Spirit enables believers to transcend sin here and now (see Rom 8:2 ^u, 11 ^v).