Reflection on 1Cor 15:45
In this regard, the Apostle Paul speaks about the resurrection of our body, beginning with verse 35 which asks: How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? The Apostle answers by comparing it to a seed sown in the ground which brings forth wheat or another plant. Verses 42-44 read: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory… It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” And it is followed by verse 45: “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living soul.’” It is written in the Book of Genesis: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen 2:7) Why is it not written that he became a living body but rather that he became a living soul? The essence of spiritual, i.e. human life is the human soul which has reason, memory and will. As long as the soul is in the body, the body lives. The body without the soul is dead. So it is the soul which gives life to the body. It not only guides the will and the mind, which are immaterial, but it also affects the immune system and the whole psychosomatic system with all neurovegetative processes. But let us realize that God made the body out of the dust of the earth. The human body contains elements which are found in the earth – phosphorus, iron, calcium etc.
However, the first man failed to stand. Through him came the infection of evil, sin and death which we all inherit from Adam, our first father. In verses 47-50, we read: “The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.”
The first man was a living soul and committing sin he lost this life given to him by God. The last Adam, i.e. Christ, however, is a life-giving spirit. A dead soul cannot enter the kingdom of God unless and until given life by the Spirit of Jesus. He Himself said: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” So through the faith in Christ and through Baptism we are born into the kingdom of God. At that moment, Jesus gives us life through His Spirit. Of course, it is our task to keep this life even in the moment of our physical death and thus to enter the kingdom of heaven.
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