New Life Bible Fellowship Church
11/1/2026

      • Psalm 103:1–5ESV

  • Before The Throne Of God Above
  • We Come, O Christ to You

      • Luke 5:1–26ESV

  • Doxology

  • Introduction:

    So far in chapter 15, we have seen the absolute necessity of the resurrection. Without it there is no gospel, no hope, no purpose for ministry, and no purpose for life in general. It is the watershed of Christianity, meaning that all of our hope for time and eternity flows from the resurrection. No resurrection, no hope.
    Paul has established the fact of resurrection: Christ is raised, and those who belong to Him will be raised at His coming. But now a question is raised as to what sort of body the resurrected possess, and this topic dominates the remainder of the chapter. The Corinthians were likely struggling with the same ancient skepticism that surrounded them—the cultural assumption that bodies don’t come back from the dead.
    This sets up the natural movement from theological assertion to practical explanation, as Paul prepares the Corinthians and us to understand by using three illustrations, the seed analogy, the distinction between earthly and heavenly bodies, and the comparison between the first Adam and last Adam (Christ). These aren’t just random illustrations but essential arguments for why transformed, imperishable bodies can genuinely exist.
    Today we examine how the dead are raised and with what kind of body they come. The answer is more glorious than we could imagine.
    Let’s open our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 15:35.

    Text: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49

    1 Corinthians 15:35–49 ESV
    35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 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.

    Main Idea: Because the resurrection body will be a transformed, glorious, and imperishable body, it will be suited for eternal life, patterned after Christ's heavenly image.

    Background:

    1. Paul’s Strategy
    Paul answers the questioner with three analogies from nature:
    Seeds (vv. 36-38): What you sow must die to become something greater
    Flesh (v. 39): Different creatures have different kinds of flesh
    Heavenly bodies (vv. 40-41): Celestial and terrestrial bodies differ in glory
    These analogies prepare for the contrasts in verses 42-44 and the Adam-Christ typology in verses 45-49.
    2. The Flow
    The Question and the Seed Analogy (vv. 35-38)
    The Diversity of Bodies (vv. 39-41)
    The Nature of the Resurrection Body (vv. 42-49)

    I. The Question and the Seed Analogy (vv. 35-38)

    35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”
    ἐρεῖ τις (erei tis) — “Someone will say” - Paul anticipates the objection. This is diatribe style—posing an opponent’s question to answer it. The “someone” may represent actual Corinthian skeptics.
    This question is in two parts:
    πῶς ἐγείρονται (pōs egeirontai) — “How are the dead raised?” - The question of mechanism. Bodies decompose, scatter, are consumed. How can they be reconstituted (restored)?
    ποίῳ... σώματι (poiō... sōmati) — “With what kind of body?” - The question of nature. What sort of body could the resurrected have? The same decaying flesh? Something different?
    36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
    ἄφρων (aphrōn) — “Foolish one” - From ἀ- (negative) + φρήν (“mind”). Literally “mindless” or “senseless.” Strong rebuke. The question reveals not intellectual sophistication but failure to observe nature.
    σὺ ὃ σπείρεις (sy ho speireis) — “What you sow” - The emphatic “you” makes it personal: you yourself sow seeds and observe this process. The answer is in your own experience.
    οὐ ζῳοποιεῖται ἐὰν μὴ ἀποθάνῃ (ou zōopoieitai ean mē apothanē) — “Does not come to life unless it dies” - The seed must “die”—be buried in the ground, cease to exist as a seed—before it can become a plant. Death is the pathway to greater life.
    Jesus tells us this same truth in preparing His disciples for His own death in John 12:24:
    John 12:24 ESV
    24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
    37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
    οὐ τὸ σῶμα τὸ γενησόμενον (ou to sōma to genēsomenon) — “Not the body that is to be” - The seed you plant is not the plant that will grow. There is discontinuity as well as continuity. The wheat stalk is not identical to the seed, yet it comes from the seed.
    γυμνὸν κόκκον (gymnon kokkon) — “A bare kernel” - Just a naked seed—no leaves, no stalk, no head of grain. What emerges is far more glorious than what was planted.
    The determination of what it will be is not arbitrary, it is by design:
    38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
    ὁ δὲ θεὸς δίδωσιν αὐτῷ σῶμα (ho de theos didōsin autō sōma) — “But God gives it a body” - The transformation is God’s work. God determines what the seed becomes. This is not natural process alone but divine action.
    as he has chosen - καθὼς ἠθέλησεν (kathōs ēthelēsen) — “As he willed / chose” - God’s sovereign choice determines the outcome. The resurrection body will be what God has determined it to be.
    ἑκάστῳ τῶν σπερμάτων ἴδιον σῶμα (hekastō tōn spermatōn idion sōma) — “To each kind of seed its own body” - Wheat produces wheat; barley produces barley. There is specificity. The resurrection body is not generic but particular—suited to each person.
    In Summary:
    Paul dismisses the objection as foolish, establishing that the questioner’s confusion stems from faulty reasoning rather than legitimate difficulty.
    Seeds illustrate the principle that life requires death—what is sown must die before it can live, suggesting that resurrection operates according to natural patterns God established.
    What is planted is not identical to what grows—the farmer sows a bare kernel, not the mature plant, introducing the concept of transformation within continuity.
    God provides each seed with its own appropriate body according to his design, transferring the principle from agriculture to theology: God determines the form of the resurrected body just as he determines what grows from each seed.
    Now Paul moves from the seed analogy to the body (flesh) diversity:

    II. The Diversity of Bodies (vv. 39-41)

    39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
    οὐ πᾶσα σὰρξ ἡ αὐτὴ σάρξ (ou pasa sarx hē autē sarx) — “Not all flesh is the same flesh” - The skeptic assumes “body” must mean the same kind of body. But even in the present creation, there are many kinds of flesh. God has already demonstrated variety.
    ἄλλη... ἄλλη... ἄλλη... ἄλλη (allē... allē... allē... allē) — “One kind... another... another... another” - Fourfold variety: humans, beasts, birds, fish. Different environments require different kinds of bodies. Why assume resurrection bodies must be identical to present bodies?
    40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.
    σώματα ἐπουράνια... σώματα ἐπίγεια (sōmata epourania... sōmata epigeia) — “Heavenly bodies... earthly bodies” - Paul now moves from biological variety (seeds, flesh) to cosmological variety. The sun, moon, and stars are “bodies” in a different category than earthly creatures.
    δόξα (doxa) — “Glory” - Key term. Paul introduces “glory” here, which will govern the contrasts in verses 42-43. Different bodies have different kinds of glory—different splendor, radiance, magnificence.
    41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
    ἄλλη δόξα ἡλίου... σελήνης... ἀστέρων (allē doxa hēliou... selēnēs... asterōn) — “Another glory of the sun... moon... stars” - Even among heavenly bodies there is variety. The sun has one kind of radiance, the moon another, the stars another.
    ἀστὴρ γὰρ ἀστέρος διαφέρει ἐν δόξῃ (astēr gar asteros diapherei en doxē) — “For star differs from star in glory” - Even among stars there is differentiation. Some are brighter than others. Variety exists at every level of creation.
    The Point - If God has created such variety in the present world—different seeds producing different plants, different creatures with different flesh, heavenly bodies with different glories—why assume He cannot create resurrection bodies suited for the age to come? So with this point, we will now look at:

    III. The Nature of the Resurrection Body (vv. 42-49)

    42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
    οὕτως καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις τῶν νεκρῶν (houtōs kai hē anastasis tōn nekrōn) — “So also is the resurrection of the dead” - Paul now applies the analogies. What is true of seeds and bodies in creation is true of resurrection: continuity with transformation.
    Paul now uses four contrasts (vv. 42-44) of what has been sown and what will be raised to make his point:
    (1) sown is perishable—raised is imperishable
    φθορά (phthora) — “Corruption / Decay / Perishability” - From φθείρω (“to destroy, corrupt”). The present body decays. It is subject to entropy, aging, death, decomposition.
    ἀφθαρσία (aphtharsia) — “Incorruption / Imperishability” - From ἀ- (negative) + φθορά. The resurrection body will not decay. It is not subject to death or deterioration.
    43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
    (2) sown in dishonor—raised in glory
    ἀτιμία (atimia) — “Dishonor / Shame” - From ἀ- (negative) + τιμή (“honor”). The dead body is shameful—it must be covered, buried, hidden away. Even in death there is indignity.
    δόξα (doxa) — “Glory” - The resurrection body will be radiant, glorious, honorable. No more shame, no more hiding.
    (3) sown in weakness—raised in power
    ἀσθένεια (astheneia) — “Weakness” - The present body is weak—subject to illness, fatigue, limitation, decline. Death is the ultimate weakness.
    δύναμις (dynamis) — “Power” - The resurrection body will be powerful—no longer limited by weakness, fully capacitated for eternal existence.
    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.
    (4) It is sown a natural body—raised a spiritual body
    σῶμα ψυχικόν (sōma psychikon) — “Natural body” - From ψυχή (“soul / life”). The present body is animated by natural life—the breath of life given at creation (Gen 2:7). It is suited for earthly existence.
    σῶμα πνευματικόν (sōma pneumatikon) — “Spiritual body” - From πνεῦμα (“spirit / Spirit”). The resurrection body is animated and dominated by the Holy Spirit. It is suited for heavenly, eternal existence.
    Important Clarification
    “Spiritual body” does not mean immaterial or non-physical. Paul is not contrasting material vs. immaterial but source of animation:
    ψυχικόν = animated by ψυχή (natural life)
    πνευματικόν = animated by πνεῦμα (the Spirit)
    The resurrection body is a real body—but one fully empowered and transformed by the Spirit.
    If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
    Paul argues from the existence of the natural body to the existence of the spiritual body. The one implies the other.
    The logic: God designed two kinds of body for two stages of existence. The natural body is suited to this age; the spiritual body is suited to the age to come.
    Paul now digs deeper by contrasting who we are, and who we will be, using the first and last Adam:
    45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
    Thus it is written,— (γέγραπται) Perfect tense: “it stands written” with abiding authority. Paul quotes Genesis 2:7 LXX but adds “first” (πρῶτος) and “Adam” to set up the contrast with “the last Adam.”
    The first man Adam became a living being — (ψυχὴν ζῶσαν) “A living soul/being.” This is what Adam became when God breathed into him. Adam received life.
    the last Adam — (ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδάμἔσχατος) “The last Adam” = Christ. Not “second” (δεύτερος) but (“last, final”). There will be no third Adam. Christ is the final, definitive representative head of a new humanity.
    a life-giving spirit — (πνεῦμα ζῳοποιοῦν) “A life-giving spirit.” Christ does not merely receive life; He gives life. The present active participle (ζῳοποιοῦν) indicates ongoing, continuous life-giving activity.
    Contrast between the first and last Adam:
    First Adam: Became a living being—Last Adam: Became a life-giving spirit
    First Adam: Received life—Last Adam: Gives life
    First Adam: Head of natural humanity—Last Adam: Head of spiritual humanity
    First Adam: Source of death (v. 22)—Last Adam: Source of resurrection (v. 22)
    1 Corinthians 15:22 ESV
    22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
    46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
    Paul emphasizes the order: natural first, then spiritual. This is God’s design in redemptive history.
    Why this matters: Some in Corinth may have thought they had already arrived at the spiritual existence (over-realized eschatology). Paul says no—the natural body comes first; the spiritual body comes after, at resurrection.
    The pattern applies to:
    Individual believers: We have natural bodies now; we will have spiritual bodies at resurrection
    Redemptive history: Adam’s era (natural) precedes Christ’s consummated kingdom (spiritual)
    47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
    Two Origins:
    first man was from the earth — (χοϊκός) “Made of dust, earthy.” From χοῦς (dust, soil). Adam was formed from the ground (Gen 2:7). His origin determines his nature.
    second man is from heaven — (ἐξ οὐρανοῦ) “From heaven.” Christ’s origin is heavenly. This does not deny His true humanity but affirms His divine origin (the incarnation) and His heavenly character.
    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.
    The solidarity principle (v. 48): Each representative head stamps his character on those who belong to him:
    As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust - Adam’s people share his dusty, mortal nature
    as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven - Christ’s people will share His heavenly, glorious nature
    Two humanities: Humanity divides into two groups defined by their head—those “in Adam” (natural, mortal, dusty) and those “in Christ” (spiritual, immortal, heavenly).
    49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
    we have borne - φορέω — “To bear, to wear habitually” (intensive form of φέρω). We have habitually worn Adam’s image;
    ἐφορέσαμεν (aorist) — Looking back at our life in Adam’s image as a completed fact.
    we shall...bear - φορέσομεν (future indicative) — “We shall bear.” This is a promise, not an exhortation. The resurrection is certain. We shall habitually wear Christ’s image.
    εἰκών — “Image.” The same word used for humanity made in God’s image (Gen 1:26-27). We now bear Adam’s fallen, mortal image. At resurrection, we will bear Christ’s glorified, immortal image.
    Theological climax: The goal of redemption is not merely forgiveness but transformation. We shall be like Christ in His glorified humanity. This is the “conformity to the image of His Son” of Romans 8:29.
    Romans 8:29 ESV
    29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

    So What?

    Do we understand that death Is not the end but the doorway, the resurrection body is real, and that this body will be transformed, not resuscitated?
    The seed must die to live. Burial is not destruction but sowing. When we lay a believer’s body in the ground, we are planting a seed that God will raise in glory. Christian funerals are not merely farewells—they are plantings with a harvest to come.
    “Spiritual body” does not mean “immaterial ghost.” It means a real body animated by the Holy Spirit, suited to the age to come. Christ’s resurrection body was tangible—He ate fish, He was touched, He was recognized. Our resurrection bodies will be the same: real, physical, yet transformed beyond our imagination.
    The resurrection is not getting your old body back. It is receiving a transformed body—the same “you” but glorified. Just as a wheat seed becomes a wheat stalk, your mortal body will become an immortal body. Continuity of identity, transformation of nature.
    Do we understand that Christ is the Life-Giving Spirit, and that we shall bear His image as the Man of Heaven?
    The first Adam received life; the last Adam gives life. Christ does not merely show us the way to resurrection—He is the resurrection. He imparts to us the life that He has. Apart from union with Him, there is no resurrection to glory.
    This is the goal of redemption: to be conformed to Christ’s image. We have borne Adam’s image long enough—dusty, weak, mortal, sinful. The day is coming when we will bear Christ’s image—glorious, powerful, immortal, holy.
    Do we understand that God fixed the order with the natural first, then the spiritual, as He gives each seed its own body?
    We must not claim now what God has reserved for then. The Corinthians wanted to skip ahead to glory. Paul says no—the natural comes first. We live in mortal bodies, we suffer, we die. Then comes the spiritual body. Patience is required.
    God’s sovereign creativity is on display. He gives variety to creation—different kinds of flesh, different glories in the heavens. He will give you a body suited to who you are and to the glory of the age to come. You will be you—but glorified.

      • 1 Corinthians 15:35–49ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:35–49ESV

      • John 12:24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:37–38ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:39–41ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:42–49ESV

      • Romans 8:29ESV

  • Jesus Paid It All
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
dick.bickings@gmail.com
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