Man of Heaven
The Dichotomy of the Dust Man. Part 2 of 2
Welcome back to The Workbox. Last week, we discussed the two verses in 2 Corinthians 15 that illustrate the split between two men, the man of dust and the man of heaven. I highlighted the man of dust and explained the significance of who that man is and what that means for us today. This week, I will expound on what I believe the importance of the other side, the man of heaven, is to us.Â
THE VERSE
The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven."Â - 2 Corinthians 15:47-48
The passage in 2 Corinthians 15 kicks off in verse 38, where Paul begins to explain the way that God has made things differently, each to its own kind. He starts with different kinds of flesh, "For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish." He then moves on to discuss the glory of the varied bodies, physical, earthly, and heavenly bodies. What Paul is doing is setting up the comparison. He warms us up to the notion of comparing things we are familiar with, like sun, moon, and stars. These comparisons prepare us for the harder-to-understand but just as concrete reality.Â
THE COMPARISON
Paul marks the similarities in verse 42: "So it is with the resurrection of the dead." As the man of dust has a kind of glory all its own, so does the man of heaven. We are created, and God is not created. We are perishable but will be raised imperishable. The resurrection of the dead for those who are in Christ are raised as a new permanent creation. Though they are different, they are not separate. Just as a seed is sown into the ground, it does not immediately sprout the same seed; however, it does grow into a plant that is still from that seed. The plant is still the same, only in a different form. We are like the seed; we were born natural, perishable humans, but we will raise spiritual, imperishable people. We are born living beings, just as Paul says. But we must be found in Christ, the man of heaven.Â
The man of heaven is Jesus. He is the life-giving spirit that breathed new life into us at our spiritual rebirth. We have become a new creation. The old has passed away. The seed has been sown into the ground and died, issuing a new life-giving plant. We are no longer slaves of sin but slaves of righteousness, leading to more righteousness. This fruit-bearing righteousness is a product of the new creation. We no longer are destructive sinners; instead, we have become builders of a kingdom.Â
IMAGE BEARERS
As I said last week, we are image bearers whether we like it or not. Once we are a part of the man of heaven, we now image forth this new design. Verse 49 states, "...we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven." It is an inescapable reality that we are image-bearers. Man was made to reflect what is in his heart. Out of that abundance comes either good treasures or bad. Without Christ, we are full of bad, malice, and evil. We are slaves to sin and haters of God. But God, in his grace, acted for us, and his Son saved us. This saving grace radically changes, moving us from men of dust to men of heaven.Â
While we are on this earth, we bear the image of the dust. We are created, formed, made people. But we are also made in the image of God—these two images we hold within ourselves. As we live, we reflect those images we hold, for that is what we are. Thankfully, God has never stopped working, and even now, he is changing us, molding us into a better image, and forming us closer to himself. Finally, the day comes when we shall see him face to face and become like him, a man of heaven. The change is possible because he has paid our price. He bought us with his redemptive innocent blood. Jesus has covered our guilt-ridden, corrupted image with his perfect reflection of sinless obedience.
The glorious truth of Jesus covering us with his obedience is that we can rest in the finished work of Christ. We have died, and God has raised us. And he will raise us on that last day when we will live forever in his presence. For now, we live as sojourners on this earth, longing for a better possession and an abiding one. We are tossed to and fro, we suffer, we live and die, we are natural bodies. However, one day, as Christians, we will be clothed with an imperishable glory by the Man of Heaven himself. We shall be raised from death to life.Â
WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK:
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