“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 15:49
Since the very first humans walked the earth, we have remained mostly the same. Of course, learning and society and technology have all changed infinitely since that time, but humans at their core, are the same. Genesis chapter 2 says that God made Adam, the first man, out of dust. This is who Paul refers to in this verse from 1 Corinthians.
He says that we all bear the image of that first man, that at our core we are all like that first man. From the very first time that humankind sinned, we have all sinned. All of us except for one, Jesus. And while he was a human, he was also God. He humbled himself from his heavenly form to become a man. He lived a perfect life, died, was buried, and rose from the dead to fulfill all of the prophets and scriptures. Through him, we have salvation, redemption of sins, and communion with God.
For this reason, Paul says we will bear the image of the man of heaven. Just as we all have born a resemblance to the sin of mankind, so also through Christ will we bear the image of the perfect one, the heavenly one.
This is good news!
The Holy Spirit is able to transform us, through faith in Christ, into the image of the perfect and holy son of God. We are able, through his righteousness, to be seen as holy, as perfect, as blameless, just as Jesus was. It is only by this that we are saved. It is because of this that we have hope for salvation. Through faith, Jesus has given us the right to be children of God, to inherit the reward that he and he alone deserved. He has made us to look like him, rather than the sinful man that we once were.
Praise God for his great love and mercy.
Prayer:
Father,
Thank you for giving us the right to be your children through Christ. Thank you for letting us bear your image, no longer the image of sin. Thank you for the hope of heaven and the assurance of salvation.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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