Raised in Christ’s Image

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.
1 Corinthians 15:42-49
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Raised in Christ’s Image
Paul draws a stark contrast between our earthly bodies and the resurrection bodies we will receive in Christ. In our current state, we bear the image of the "man of dust," Adam. Our bodies are weak, decaying, and subject to sin. Yet, in the resurrection, we will be transformed to bear the image of the "man of heaven," Christ. This transformation is rooted in the cross of Christ, where He took on our perishable nature to conquer sin and death. As we look to the cross, we see not only our Savior's sacrifice but also the promise of new life. Because He rose victorious, we too shall be raised imperishable, glorious, and filled with the life of Christ. In His victory, we find our eternal hope.