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The Image of the Heavenly Man

The resurrection is a pivotal New Testament teaching. Paul defended the literal-historical resurrection of Christ and the surety of a future resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul opined, "For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable." (1 Corinthians 15.16-19). Within this same context, Paul makes an affirmation that bears examination and that is the topic of today's devotional.

Here is Paul's pithy but powerful affirmation: "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man." (1 Corinthians 15.49). The force of his statement is this: Just as surely as we have lived in this material universe robed in flesh, just that surely we will live in a non-material universe and that robed in supernatural bodies. The time at which believers will bear the image of the heavenly man is a fixed part of the events of the future resurrection. Although we do not now see Jesus nor even know the nature of His existence, we are assured the reality of being like Him. John wrote, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3.2-3).

Man had claimed to know the essence of God's being but that is all it amounts to – just claims! No man has seen God at anytime (John 1.18; 1 John 4.2). Man has made images which purported to be like God, but in fact, they were gods made in the image of corruptible man (see Romans 1.23). Man's efforts to describe God apart from His special revelation are all futile. Those who have worshiped idols have done so apart from and contrary to God's instructions. Nothing upon this earth bears His image in the absolute and complete sense; man is made in the image of God in as much as he is a rational living soul. Thus being made in the image of God has nothing to do with out physical existence; rather it has to do with our spiritual existence.

But, the promise of the future is undeniable. We (the believers) will be like Jesus (1 John 3.2) and He is the very essence of God; He (Jesus) has declared the Father (John 1.18)! If we want to know what God is like, that is, to know His very essence and being, we must know Him through Jesus Christ. One of the Lord's very purposes in coming to this earth was to declare (exegete) the Father. Just prior to His crucifixion, Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father…" (John 14.9). Though no man has seen the Father, some saw the Son and described Him in great detail through the inspired pages of the New Testament. Therefore, if one wants to know the Father, He has only to know the Son; when we know the Son, we know the Father!

To hear us tell it we would do almost anything to know God and to know His essence! But in reality, we tend to want to do almost nothing and yet to be like Him. Those who would bear the image of the Heavenly man need but to put their Lord on in baptism (Romans 6.3-4) and wait faithfully for His return! His promises stand sure. We can be like Him!

"'Winging It" from Stan Smith

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