And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.
Parallel translations
- WEB As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly.
- KJV And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
- NKJV And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
- NASB Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
- NLT Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
As we bore Adam's image, we will also bear Christ's heavenly image. It matters because believers are destined to be conformed to the glorified Christ.
Overview
Paul promises that just as humanity has borne the likeness of earthly Adam, believers will bear the image of the heavenly Christ. This transformation is the climax of resurrection hope, full conformity to the risen Lord. It assures Christians that their final destiny is glorious likeness to Christ Himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Rom 8:29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.
- 2 Cor 3:18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 2 Cor 4:10–11We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
- Gen 5:3When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.
- 1 Jn 3:2Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.
- Matt 13:43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 15:49 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.