1 Corinthians 15:35-49 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 15:35-49. Let’s go!
1 Corinthians 15:35-49 (NIV)
35 But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.
38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.
39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.
40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.
41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised 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 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
On verses 35-49: In 1 Corinthians 15:
In response to these questions, Paul says: don’t expect your resurrection body to look just like the body you died in (v37). Rather, your resurrection body will have a splendour that is altogether different from your earthly body (v40).
Does that mean that guys who always wanted six pack abs will get it with their resurrection body? Does that mean the parts of your body which you wish were smaller or bigger will be your ideal size when you get your resurrection body? I can’t promise anything. But if we take a clue from how the disciples didn’t immediately recognize the resurrected Jesus after he appeared to them (for example, Luke 24:15-16), it’s very possible that when your loved ones see you in your resurrected body, your resurrection body will look different enough that they might not recognize you at first, but then when they realize it’s you they’ll be like, “Wow! It IS you!”
And if we take a clue from the word “splendour” (v40) and the way God seems to work (how He saves the best for last, how heaven is incomparably better than earth in every respect, and how Jesus is arrayed in beauty and glory that He didn’t have on earth (Revelation 1:16)), I think it’s safe to say that your resurrection body will be even more beautiful, powerful and glorious than your earthly body on its best day.
And if we consider other words Paul uses to describe your resurrection body (“imperishable” (v42), “glorious” and “powerful” (v43)) we can conclude that one day you and your believing loved ones will have resurrection bodies that can’t suffer pain, sickness or death anymore. Instead, your bodies will reflect God’s glory.
Praise God for the resurrection bodies He has promised to those who have trusted in Him! We’ve got much to look forward to when Jesus comes again.
Jesus, thank You all that we get to look forward to when You come again, including a new resurrection body. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
