And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Parallel translations
- WEB As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly.
- BSB And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.
- 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 whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
- 2 Cor 3:18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.
- 2 Cor 4:10–11Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
- Gen 5:3And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
- 1 Jn 3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
- Matt 13:43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.