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Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
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5. God’s Image: The Last Adam and the Heavenly Image

As I continue examining God’s image, I come to a passage that brings image and progression into the same discussion.

In 1 Corinthians 15:45–49, Paul distinguishes the first Adam from the Last Adam, the natural from the spiritual, and the earthly from the heavenly.

Those distinctions deserve attention before we combine them.

Receiving Life and Giving Life

Paul writes:

“The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

—1 Corinthians 15:45, ASV

The descriptions differ: a living soul and a life-giving spirit.

In my study, that difference raises an important question about the source of spiritual life and those who receive it. I want to follow the relationship without making the receiver the independent source.

This connects with our examination of the treasure and the vessel.

The Order Matters

Paul continues by placing the natural first and the spiritual afterward. He then distinguishes the earthly man from the heavenly and those associated with each.

Earlier in the chapter, he also speaks of order:

“But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ’s, at his coming.”

—1 Corinthians 15:23, ASV

Christ and those who belong to Christ remain distinguishable within that sequence.

This is why progression matters to me. A connection between figures does not make every role or stage interchangeable.

Bearing the Heavenly Image

Verse 49 brings image directly into the discussion:

“And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”

—1 Corinthians 15:49, ASV

Paul’s subject here is resurrection and transformation. I want that setting to remain visible as I compare this passage with receiving the Spirit and living in Christ.

My understanding of God’s image concerns life received from God and the relationship that follows. Here, the heavenly image belongs within a discussion of change, rather than something I should assume without examining the distinctions.

Returning to First and Last

In my wider study, I connect the Last Adam with the joining of the two into one new human. I also trace Head, body, and feet—the woman as Last—and the gathering that follows.

That comparison brings this chapter alongside Ephesians and the other passages we have been examining. It requires more than noticing the same word in two places.

I want to follow who gives life, who receives it, what is joined, and what happens afterward.

Those details are how the larger understanding develops.

Threads to Follow

  • The living soul and the life-giving spirit.

  • The natural and the spiritual.

  • Christ the firstfruits and those who follow.

  • Bearing the heavenly image.

  • The Last Adam and the one new human.

  • Head, body, feet, and progression.

The books were opened…

🌿 By Maria Emilia

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