1 Corinthians 15:44 - Printer Friendly

ESV: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

NIV: it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

NASB: it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

CSB: sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

NLT: They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

KJV: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

NKJV: It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

This part of Scripture lists ways in which a Christian's earthly body is drastically different from our resurrection body. We will have something entirely different when Christ returns for those who belong to Him. So far, Paul has described that new body as being eternal, rather than temporary (1 Corinthians 15:42), glorified, rather than dishonorable (1 Corinthians 15:43), and powerful, instead of weak (1 Corinthians 15:43).

Now he adds that the born-again believer's earthly form is "sown" as a natural body (1 Corinthians 15:37), but will be raised as a "spiritual body." The current body is made from nature, in the sense that Adam's body was molded from clay (Genesis 2:7). Our naturally-born frames are "of the earth" and cannot exist in the realm of eternity. The spiritual body revealed by the resurrection is made of the stuff of heaven, so to speak. It exists easily in eternity.

It's important to note that the word "spiritual" as used here does not mean the "spiritual body" has no physical shape or form. Paul has not followed the idea of resurrection all the way back to the idea of existing as mere spirits for eternity. He's attempting to explain something profound in simple terms. The resurrection body is "spiritual" in the sense that it fits into the spiritual / heavenly realm while still having a solid, physical form. Jesus' body after the resurrection is an example of this. He could be seen, heard, and touched (John 20:24–29), and He could eat (Luke 24:36–43). He could also, apparently, move through solid objects (John 20:19). He had been raised into His spiritual, glorified body.

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.