1 Corinthians 15:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.

NIV: So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;

NASB: So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;

CSB: So it is with the resurrection of the dead: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption;

NLT: It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.

KJV: So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

NKJV: So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.

To describe the resurrection of the bodies of those who belong to Christ, Paul has noted the significant difference between the bodies of men and animals. He has pointed out the same difference between the bodies of earth and the bodies of the moon, sun, and stars. Each body created by God has its own unique glory.

Now Paul describes the transformation that takes place between the pre-death body and the body that is raised to new life in the resurrection. One objection to resurrection in Paul's day was that human bodies are decaying and even corrupted. That's why some teachers insisted that only the spirit could continue to the afterlife. The human body would not be appropriate; it would not fit in the celestial realms of "the heavens."

Paul does not entirely disagree. Our mortal bodies are dying, dishonorable, and weak. Paul shows here, though, that those are not the bodies which enter eternity. A transformation takes place, like what happens when a seed dies to give life to a new plant (1 Corinthians 15:37). The seed—our pre-death bodies—are something perishable. They are temporary. They are always wearing out on their way to an inevitable death. What is raised to life is imperishable, a body that can never die, a body that is both physical and eternal.

First Corinthians 15:35–49 describes how the resurrected bodies of believers will be different from our current bodies. Resurrected bodies will not be reanimated corpses or some lesser version of our pre-death frame. The opposite is true. Our current, corrupt bodies are like seeds that are sown to bring to life the plant. These forms are temporary, dishonorable, and weak. Our transformed bodies will be eternal, glorified, and powerful, made from the materials of heaven, not earth, and built for an eternity with God.

Paul provides thorough teaching about the resurrection of Christians from the dead. This is a direct counter to some group of Corinthians who did not believe in such a resurrection. He shows that natural death is not the end of life for Christians; it is the last step before receiving a glorified, resurrected body like that of the risen Christ. That ''spiritual'' body will be as different from our current bodies as a star is from a fish. In that moment, for all who have believed in Christ, living and dead, death will be defeated for good.

In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Scripture focused on the concept of spiritual gifts and how best to use them. This follows several other ideas where Paul corrected errors in the Corinthians' thinking. Chapter 15 contains extensive teaching on one last issue about which some Corinthians were confused or misled. Apparently, they harbored some doubts about the physical resurrection of Christians from the dead. After clearing up these confusions, Paul will address various other items, of a less doctrinal nature, and close out his letter.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.