Useful Bible Studies > 1 Corinthians Commentary > chapter 15
First there was Adam, and then there was Christ. The present and future life of every person depends on that person’s relationship with those two men, Adam and Christ.
From birth, all people have a natural relationship with Adam, the first man. Our bodies are like his body. As God formed him from the earth, so substances from the earth make up our natural bodies. Adam had the opportunity to have a relationship with God, but he chose instead to follow his own desires. Our desires are like his desires; our behaviour is like his behaviour.
Because of Adam’s evil act, his body died and the substances in it returned to the earth. That is what happens to everyone’s bodies. Adam had not received the kind of life which would cause his body and spirit to live always. He was unable to give that kind of life to the people that lived after him. They only have natural life, like his life.
Although Christ is God, he became a man like us. He was born with a natural human body. He lived a perfect life, but he died for our evil deeds. By his death, he defeated the power of death. He became alive again with life that came from heaven. This life was not just in his spirit, but in his body too. It was not just for him, but for all God’s people.
Adam’s life was for a temporary period; Christ’s life never ends. Adam’s life had shame and weakness; Christ’s life has honour and power. Adam’s life was separate from God; Christ’s life was because of his relationship with God (15:42-44).
When people trust Christ to save them, they begin a relationship with him. When Christ returns, they will have life like his life. Like Christ, they belong to heaven, so they too will receive life from heaven. That life will never end.
Next part: How can people live in God’s kingdom? (1 Corinthians 15:50)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.