Lessons #571 and 572
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Superiority of the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45-50)
45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
In our last study we indicated that this section of 1 Corinthians 15:45-50 is the fourth paragraph of the major section of 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 that is concerned with the nature of resurrection body. This paragraph is concerned with the first Adam and the last Adam or the second man, Jesus Christ. We also indicated that an examination of this fourth paragraph leads us to assert that the superiority of the last Adam or second man is presented in three relationships that enable us to understand this subject of the superiority of the second man or last Adam. The first relationship concerns life as the apostle discoursed in verses 45 and 46. The second concerns the relationship to the origin of the first and last Adam or second man in verse 47. The third is in relationship to resultant associations with the first and last Adam or second man considered in verses 48 to 49. The apostle ends the paragraph with a conclusion that is given in verse 50. Based on the summary of this paragraph, we stated that its message is that The last Adam, the God man, Jesus Christ is eminently superior to the first man, Adam. Our focus in our last study was on the first relationship that concerns life. Consequently, we stated that in relationship to life, the last Adam, Jesus Christ, is superior to the first Adam in that He as God is a giver of life. This was primarily based on verse 45 and so to complete the first relationship that involves life, we need to consider verse 46 and it is with this we begin our study this morning.
The apostle in verse 46 continued with an emphatic explanation of his quotation of Genesis 2:7 where he modified it as we have in verse 45 The first man Adam became a living being. We say the apostle continued with an emphatic explanation of the passage he cited in Genesis 2:7 because he began verse 46 in the Greek with a Greek particle (alla) that primarily is used to indicate a difference with or contrast to what precedes. In effect, it is used to express contrast between an immediate clause and the one preceding it so it may be translated “but, rather, on the contrary.” The word may mean “indeed” to indicate a contrastive emphasis between what follows and what preceded. Under certain circumstances, the particle may be used to explain what preceded or to continue a thought after a train of thought is broken off or partially interrupted. The particle appears twice in verse 46. In its first usage, the apostle probably used it to continue his train of thought regarding the creation of first Adam that he interrupted briefly to address the superiority of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, in relationship to life before returning to his thought about the first Adam that represents the head of those that have natural bodies. Thus, in the first usage of the Greek particle it may be translated “but indeed” to convey that the apostle was continuing with his thought on the first Adam with an emphatic explanation although no English version I consulted adopted this translation. The English versions that did not translate the Greek particle in its first usage might have interpreted it as being used in a continuative sense, but I am not certain about that. Nonetheless, the second use of the Greek particle is to introduce a contrasting information as we will note later.
The explanation the apostle gave regarding the body of the first Adam is presented using a strong negative as we read in the sentence of 1 Corinthians 15:46 The spiritual did not come first. We said that the apostle presented his explanation using a strong negative because of the word “not” is translated from a Greek particle (ou) that is an objective negative, denying the reality of alleged fact fully and absolutely in contrast to another Greek negative (mē) that is a subjective negative, implying a conditional and hypothetical negation. Thus, what the apostle stated in the sentence we are considering is not subject to any discussion or dispute. He presented something that no one should dispute although he did it strongly.
Anyway, the apostle states in 1 Corinthians 15:46 The spiritual did not come first. But what does he mean in this sentence? The first thing we note is that the apostle was elliptical in that he did not use a verb since literally he wrote the spiritual not first. The next thing we should note about the sentence of the NIV are the Greek words used.
The word “first” is translated from a Greek word (prōton) with two general meanings. The first pertains to being first in a sequence, inclusive of time, set (number), or space. When used of time it may mean “first” as an adjective, as Apostle Paul used it in his acknowledgment of the participation of the Philippian believers in his ministry of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in Philippians 1:5:
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
As an adverb, the word in this first general usage may mean “after” as Apostle Paul used it to inform the believers in Rome of his intention to visit them on his proposed journey to Spain as we read in Romans 15:24:
I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.
The second general meaning of the Greek word pertains to prominence. So, it may mean “most important” as in the question of one of the teachers of the law directed to Jesus Christ regarding the most important of all the commandments as narrated in Mark 12:28:
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
The word may be used as adverb of degree with the meaning “in the first place, above all” as Apostle Peter used it as he described how we got our Scripture in 2 Peter 1:20:
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:46, the word is used of time so means “first” in the sense of preceding others in time. The thing the apostle said not to precede others in time is described with the word spiritual.
The word “spiritual” is translated from a Greek word (pneumatikos) that means either “belonging to the Spirit” or “determined by the Spirit.” As an adjective, the word means “spiritual” as it is used to describe the drink involved in the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 10:4:
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
But when the word functions as a noun in the neuter gender, in the plural, with a Greek definite article the word means “spiritual things/matters.” It is in this sense that the word is used in Apostle Paul’s argument that as an apostle he should be supported by those who have been blessed spiritually by his ministry as we read in 1 Corinthians 9:11:
If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
The clause If we have sown spiritual seed among you is literally If we have sown spiritual things among you. It is in the sense of “spiritual matters” that the apostle used the word to indicate that Gentiles owe sharing their material blessings with the Jews because the Jews through the apostles have shared their spiritual blessings with them as stated in Romans 15:27:
They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.
The phrase Jews’ spiritual blessings is literally their spiritual things. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:46, the word has the sense of “spiritual,” that is, that which belongs to the immaterial and supernatural order of being.
We again ask, what is the “spiritual” the apostle had in mind when he wrote The spiritual did not come first? Some interpret the spiritual as a reference to Jesus Christ. This is unlikely because the apostle’s mind would have been going back to the quotation, he modified, regarding the creation of the body of the first Adam and so the order in the creation of the first man, Adam. This being the case, it is our interpretation that the spiritual refers to that which made Adam a living being that is often referred to as the soul the apostle referenced in his modified quotation given in 1 Corinthians 15:45“The first man Adam became a living being”. As we considered in verse 45, the word “being” is translated from a Greek word (psychē) that we considered previously, indicating that it may mean “soul” as “seat and center of the inner human life in its many and varied aspects” or “that which possess life.” In the order of creation of Adam this did not come first. For it was the last thing God gave to Adam to make him a living being. The first thing was the creation of his body as the apostle stated in the next phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:46 but the natural. The word “but” is translated from a Greek particle (alla) that we considered at the beginning of verse 46 where we said it was used in a continuative sense to provide an emphatic explanation regarding the quotation of the Apostle from Genesis 2:7 but this second time, as we also previously stated, the particle is used to state a contrast between the spiritual and the natural in the verse.
The word “natural” in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:46 but the natural is translated from a Greek word (psychikos) that outside the NT refers to what pertains to the soul but in the NT, it pertains to the life of the natural world and whatever belongs to it, in contrast to the realm of experience whose central characteristic is spirit. Thus, we can say that the Greek word is used of people who put emphasis on the physical rather than on the spiritual, and who depend on their natural instincts rather than on the help of God’s Spirit, hence it means “natural, unspiritual, worldly.” It is with the meaning “unspiritual” that the word is used to describe the wisdom of this world in James 3:15:
Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.
The word is used with the meaning “natural” to describe mockers or false teachers in Jude 19:
These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
The clause who follow mere natural instincts of the NIV is more literally worldly men or natural men. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:46, the word has the sense of “finitely natural,” that is, “characterized by the created, finite, and fallen world.” Thus, the phrase the natural is a reference to the physical body of Adam. Sure, those who interpret the spiritual as Christ take the natural as Adam. However, as we indicated in our interpretation of the spiritual, the apostle’s mind was on the quotation he made from Genesis 2:7 so his mind was on the creation of the physical body of Adam and so it is better to take the natural as a reference to Adam’s physical body as that related to this world. Of course, the apostle had referenced the natural body in 1 Corinthians 15:44 hence it is most likely that he was thinking of the physical body of Adam in the phrase the natural.
The apostle did not leave us to guess the order of creation of Adam he was concerned so he wrote in the last phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:46 and after that the spiritual. Literally, the Greek reads then the spiritual. This is because the apostle used a Greek particle (epeita) that is used as a marker of succession of time and order and so may mean “then, thereupon, thereafter.” The word may be used without giving a specific indication of chronological sequence as Apostle Paul used it to narrate his movements following his conversion as we read in Galatians 1:18:
Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days.
The word may be used with the word “first” to indicate chronological sequence as it is used to describe the order in time of the sacrifices offered by a priest under the Levitical priesthood as we read in Hebrews 7:27:
Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
The word may be used in the sense of being next in position of an enumeration of items as Apostle Paul used it to enumerate offices in the church of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:28:
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:46, it is used with the meaning “then” in the sense of “subsequently or soon afterward.” Hence, the apostle emphasized that the spiritual followed the natural implying that the apostle meant that the physical body of Adam was formed first then followed by God giving Him life or soul, so he became a living being. This is the order reported in the passage from which the apostle quoted in 1 Corinthian 15:46 that was still in his thought as he wrote verse 46. I am referring to Genesis 2:7:
the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Anyway, the apostle’s reference to the order of creation of Adam ends the first relationship of the superiority of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, as it pertains to life. This brings us to the superiority of the last Adam that the apostle stated.
The second relationship that concerns the superiority of the last Adam is in relationship with origin. So, the apostle begins with the origin of the first Adam as being from this world since the apostle writes in 1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man was of the dust of the earth. Literally, the Greek reads The first man from earth made of dust.
The literal translation enables us to recognize that there are two points the apostle intended to convey. The first point is that the first man is of earthly origin. This he conveyed in the phrase of the earth of the NIV or from earth in the literal translation. The word “of” in the NIV or “from” of the literal translation is translated from a Greek preposition (ek) that may be used as a marker of separation in which case it means “out of, from” as the word is used in reporting the assurance of salvation of believers that the Lord Jesus gave in the sense that no one could separate the believer or take the believer from Him as stated in John 10:28:
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
The Greek preposition may be used as a marker denoting origin so may be translated “from, of.” Hence, Apostle Paul used the word to describe his specific family origin as the tribe of Benjamin according to Romans 11:1:
I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
Under the usage of denoting origin, it may be used of the material out of which something is made as the clay from which a potter makes a pot as Apostle Paul used it in his argument of doctrine of election to indicate God has the right to elect one to eternal life and not the other as we may gather from Romans 9:21:
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:47, it is used as a marker of origin so it can be translated “from, of” as reflected in our English versions. The point is that the Greek preposition the apostle used supports the point that the first man, Adam, is of earthly origin.
A further support of this first point is the word “earth” used in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:47 of the earth of the NIV or from earth in the literal translation. The word “earth” is translated from a Greek word (gē) that no doubt means “earth” as habitation of humans and in contrast to heaven, but it has other meanings. The word “earth” may be used to indicate that which is transitory as that is meant in the teaching of our Lord Jesus that encouraged believers to bank in heaven, so to say, in the sense of using one’s wealth to do good that would be rewarded in heaven as we read in Matthew 6:19:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
Our Greek word may mean “region” as it is used to describe the areas that the blind men that were healed by the Lord Jesus broadcasted their healing and about the Lord Jesus as we read in Matthew 9:31:
But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
The word may mean “world” as it is used in the description of the brilliance of the clothes of the Lord Jesus’ appearance in the time of His transfiguration as stated in Mark 9:3:
His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
The phrase in the world is literally upon the earth. The word may mean “country” as it is used in Stephen’s sermon to describe the place of residence of the descendants of Abraham according to Acts 7:6:
God spoke to him in this way: ‘Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.
Despite the various meaning of the Greek word, it is used in 1 Corinthians 15:47 with the meaning “earth” as opposed to heaven. Thus, the first point of the Apostle is that the first man, Adam, is of earthly origin.
The second point of Apostle Paul in sentence of 1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man was of the dust of the earth or literally The first man from earth made of dust is that the body of the first man, Adam, is made from dust. This second point also explains the first point of what it means that the first man is of earthly origin. It means that his body was formed from the dirt of the earth. This point is derived from the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:47 of the dust or literally made of dust. The word “dust” is translated from a Greek word (choikos) that means “made of dust/earth, earthy.” The apostle certainly had in mind the creation of Adam from dust as stated in the passage we cited previously, that is, Genesis 2:7:
the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
In the Septuagint, the word “dust” is translated using the Greek word (choús) that means “dust, soil” as that which individuals could pick up on their feet or shoes while walking on a dusty road as the word is used in the instruction of the Lord Jesus to His disciples regarding what they should do when their message is rejected by those He sent them to preach the good news of the kingdom of God as we read in Mark 6:11:
And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”
Apostle Paul did not use this Greek word for “dust” but used an adjective (choikos) that could mean “made of dust/earth.” Hence, the apostle wanted to emphasize that the body of the first Adam was made of the dirt of the earth so that it is his material and not the immaterial part, the soul or spirit, of the first man that is his concern. Hence, he intended to convey that the first man is of earthly origin in the sense that his body was made from the dirt of the earth. It is this that makes the first man inferior to the last Adam or second man. With this recognition, the apostle then shifts his attention to the superiority of the last Adam.
The second fact of the superiority of the last Adam or second man, Jesus Christ, is that He is of heavenly origin. It is this that is given in the last phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:47 the second man from heaven. Many of our English versions inserted verbs to the Greek phrase. For example, the 2011 edition of the NIV added the word “is” giving the reading “the second man is of heaven.” Others such as the ISV added the word “came” so reads “the second man came from heaven.” By the way, the Authorized Version/KJV adds the phrase “is the Lord”, based on certain later manuscripts, that was certainly not in the original Greek manuscript of 1 Corinthians.
The word “second” is translated from a Greek word (deuteros) that may mean “second” in the sense of next to the first in a sequence or series as the word is used to describe the next miracle of Jesus Christ John recorded after He turned water into wine which is the healing of the son of an official as the word is used in John 4:54:
This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.
The word may mean “other” as it is used to indicate that if the first covenant had been effective there would have been no need for a second as stated in Hebrews 8:7:
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
The word may mean “again” as it is used to describe shout from those in heaven as recorded in Revelation 19:3:
And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:47, it means “second” in the sense of “coming next after the first in position.”
The word “second” is not used with the word “man” as a description of the next man after Adam as that would be Cain, the first son of first Adam. Instead, it is used to describe the last Adam that the apostle mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:45 so that it is essentially the same as “last.” We are not certain the reason the apostle used the word “second” instead of last. It is probably because, as some have indicated, he meant to say, “the second type of man.” However, we are more certain that the apostle in using the word “second” had in mind the One he described as the last Adam because he used a definite article before the word “second.” The use of the definite article is to indicate that the apostle perceived the One described with the word “second” to be unique and in a class by Himself. There is no other person that could be described as the second man in the sense of being at the head of the new humanity other than the One he described previously as the last Adam. So, it is Jesus Christ that the apostle referred as the second man in the phrase the second man from heaven.
There are two observations we need to make before we examine the phrase the second man from heaven. First, the word “from” is translated from the same Greek preposition (ek) that was used in the first part of 1 Corinthians 15:47 that we indicated is used as a marker of origin. It is in the same sense that the word is used in the phrase we are about to consider and so it is translated “from.” Second, unlike the description related to the first man where the source of the body of the first man is referenced with the use of the word “dust” no reference is made to the body of the second man or the last Adam. This is probably because the focus of the apostle is on the origin of the second man, so the apostle simply wrote the second man from heaven.
The word “man” is translated from a Greek word (anthrōpos) that we have examined previously in 1 Corinthians 15:45. We indicated that the word may mean “a human being” without regard to gender. However, in our verse of 1 Corinthians 15:47, the Greek word is used in the sense of “man,” that is, an adult person who is male, as opposed to a woman. Of course, there is the implication the apostle’s use of the word “man” is a recognition of the fact that Jesus Christ is both human and God in one person. His divinity is implied in the phrase the second man from heaven.
The word “heaven” is translated from a Greek word (ouranos) that may mean “sky” as in the description of where the disciples of the Lord Jesus were looking as He returned to heaven as per the question of the angels to them recorded in Acts 1:11:
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The word may mean “heaven” as the abode of angels as we gather from the assertion of Apostle Paul regarding the place of residence of angels in Galatians 1:8:
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
The word refers to God’s residence and location of His throne as in the Sermon on the Mount where the Lord Jesus forbade swearing using heaven as stated in Matthew 5:34:
But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
Our word may mean “heaven” as a figurative expression for God as we read in the record of the acknowledgment of the prodigal son about his state in relationship to his father in Luke 15:18:
I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
The phrase against heaven refers to God since the prodigal son sinned against God. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:47, the Greek word means “heaven” as the abode of God and angels.
Anyway, we have stated that when Apostle Paul wrote the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:47 the second man from heaven he implied the divinity of Jesus Christ. We can support this by noticing how the phrase from heaven is used especially in the gospel of John. The phrase is one that Jesus Christ used to identify Himself as recorded in John 3:13:
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
The phrase from heaven or the Son of Man is one that Jesus Christ used to refer to Himself in relation to His earthly ministry as He no doubt looked forward to His death on the cross, His exaltation, and His coming back as Savior and Judge. On one occasion, He used the phrase the Son of Man to imply He is God because the Jews understood rightly that only God can forgive sins. Thus, Jesus Christ forgave sins and healed, to indicate that He is God as stated in Mark 2:7–11:
7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
That aside, the phrase from heaven used is one that Jesus Christ used to indicate His supremacy over all creation as we read in John 3:31:
“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
The same phrase from heaven is used by our Lord Jesus to convey that He is God because of what He said in John 6:33:
For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
The clause he who comes down from heaven is how Jesus Christ described Himself. After describing Himself, He indicated that He gives life to the world. The life that He gives is eternal life. The declaration of giving eternal life is a clear indication that Jesus Christ claims to be God since only God can give life. It is true that Jesus Christ did not come out plainly to say that He is God but as we have already noted in verse 45 only God can give eternal life. Thus, when Jesus Christ said that He gives life that is to be understood to mean that He is God. The point is that when Apostle Paul wrote in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 15:47 the second man from heaven he implied the divinity of Jesus Christ. The implication, of course, is that He is superior to the first man because He is God and His origin is heaven and as God He eternally exists in heaven. Anyway, the apostle had indicated in relationship to origin, the superiority of Jesus Christ, the last Adam or the second man. This brings us to the third relationship of comparison the apostle made as it pertains to the superiority of the last Adam, Jesus Christ.
The third relationship that addresses the superiority of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, concerns the results of association with the first Adam and second man or the last Adam. The first result is that those associated with first Adam in that they are originated from him are described as earthly as in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 15:48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth. There are no verbs used in the Greek, but the verbs added in our English versions help to make sense of the Greek since literally the Greek reads As the earthy man, so also the earthy persons.
Association with the first Adam is introduced with the word “as” that is translated from a Greek word (hoios) that pertains to being similar to something else in some respect hence means “like, such as, likewise, similar” so the word is used with the meaning “as” in Apostle Paul’s apprehension that the Corinthians might not please him through their action and that he might not please them through his own action as stated in 2 Corinthians 12:20:
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
The Greek word may be used as interrogative references to class or kind and so means “what sort of, what kind of.” The word is translated “how” in the NIV in the indirect question of Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians regarding his and team’s conduct while they were with them as he penned in 1 Thessalonians 1:5:
because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:48, it is used as a correlative, that is, a word that establishes a relationship between clauses and so means “as, like” as found in our English versions.
The object of correlation in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 15:48 is given in the phrase the earthly man. The expression “earthly man” is translated from the Greek word (choikos) that we have previously considered that we indicated meant “made of dust/earth, earthy.” As we have indicated previously, the phrase the earthly man refers to the first Adam since he is the only human whose body God directly fashioned from dust of the earth. Thus, the origin of the body of the first Adam is related to planet earth. In any event, the apostle introduced the result of association with the first Adam in the clause of 1 Corinthians 15:48 so are those who are of the earth or literally so also the earthy persons.
The word “so” is translated from a Greek word (toioutos) that pertains to being like some person or thing mentioned in a context hence means “of such a kind, such as this, like such.” It is with the meaning “such as this” that the word is used to describe those Jesus Christ said the kingdom of heaven belongs to in Matthew 19:14:
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 15:48, the word is used in a correlative sense so that it may be translated “so” as done in most of our English versions.
The apostle is certainly emphatic in stating the relationship of the first man, Adam, to those who are related or associated with him. This point is not that obvious in the NIV because the clause of the NIV in verse 48 reads so are those who are of the earth. Literally, as we have indicated, the Greek reads so also the earthy persons. This is because the translators of the NIV did not translate a Greek particle used in the clause. The apostle used a Greek particle (kai) that is often translated “and” in our English versions. However, the Greek particle has several other usages. For example, it may be used to introduce a result that comes from what precedes and so may be translated “and then, and so.” It may be used to emphasize a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy with the meaning “and yet” or “and in spite of that” or “nevertheless.” Of course, it could be used simply for emphasis with the meaning “even.” It may be used to mark an explanation so that what follows explains what goes before it, leading to the translation “that is, namely, and so.” In our verse, the Greek particle is used for emphasis so that it may be translated “also” as in the NASB or the Revised edition of the NAB, or it may be translated “too” as in the NET.
In any case, the result of being associated with the first Adam is the possession of the same kind of body that he had. It is this that is conveyed in the clause so are those who are of the earth or literally so also the earthy persons. The phrase of the earth of the NIV or of the literal phrase the earthy persons is translated from the plural of the Greek word (choikos) we have previously considered that we indicated meant “made of dust/earth, earthy.” Thus, anyone associated with Adam in a natural way originates from planet earth as Adam was in the sense that the body is similar to that of Adam although no longer made directly from dust as that of Adam. Our use of the word “natural” is important because it is necessary to differentiate the last Adam, Jesus Christ, from the first Adam. Jesus Christ took on a human nature to be able to die on the cross for our sins as the Scripture states in Hebrews 2:14:
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—
The sentence he too shared in their humanity is more literally He Himself likewise shared of the same things. In the context, the phrase the same things refers to “flesh” and “blood” of the first part of the sentence of Hebrews 2:14. If Jesus Christ, the last Adam, shared in human nature or humanity then on a surface reading, it would be difficult to differentiate Him from the first Adam whose origin is this earth. Although Jesus Christ shared in humanity, unlike the first Adam and all those who were born naturally on this planet, He was not born naturally as indicated in the promise of the virgin birth recorded in Luke 1:35:
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
That Jesus Christ was born through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit indicates that His origin is not from the earth as that of the first Adam and all his descendants that are born naturally through the involvement of male and female. So, it is important that we are careful in our understanding of the result of the association of the last Adam with the first Adam. The last Adam is clearly different from the rest of those associated with first Adam because He was born differently from every human being and so stands in a class by Himself as far as this planet is concerned. Of course, association of Jesus Christ with the first Adam in the sense that He shared in humanity points to the fact that He is the unique person who is God and man. That aside, the point of the apostle in the first clause of 1 Corinthians 15:48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth is that the result of being associated with the first Adam is that of having one’s origin from this planet earth. Furthermore, such association certainly implies all those associated with first Adam possess the body that is capable of decay. Anyway, the apostle having stated the result of being associated with the first Adam proceeds to describe the result of being associated with the last Adam. It is with this we begin our next study. But let me end with a reminder of the message we are considering, which is the last Adam, the God man, Jesus Christ is eminently superior to the first man, Adam.
11/10/23