48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
15:48
As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust;
Those born of Adam are like their representative head – Adam. God made their natural bodies from dust. Natural proclivities rule in the unregenerate state.
and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
God will fit for eternity those regenerated persons who embrace their representative head, the “heavenly Man,” Jesus Christ. When Jesus imparted spiritual life into us, our proclivities shifted toward God.
15:49
And as we have borne the image of the man of dust,
God created man out of the dust, and so people bear the image of Adam in their first birth. It is natural for non-Christians to sin without many options. They act just like their father, Adam. The word “image” carries the idea of representation and manifestation; “image” always supposes a prototype. We do not merely resemble Adam, but we reflect his nature. We bear the representation of Adam as our natural prototype.
we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
Christians will also bear the image of Jesus Christ via their second birth and ultimately receive a resurrection body. The resurrection of Christ was a prototype of our resurrection. It is natural for Christians to act like Jesus Christ. One day we will be just like Jesus, but for now, we are in the process of becoming more like Him (Ro 8:28-30; 2 Co 3:18).
PRINCIPLE:
Our eternal future rests on our identity.
APPLICATION:
Salvation is about our identity. Our identity with Adam brought us fallen nature and death. Our identity with Christ brought us eternal life and a resurrection body. Both the first and second Adams are representatives. Jesus possessed true humanity and represented us as a true man/person.
