In Jesus' Likeness

1 Corinthians 15:46-49 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from Heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from Heaven, so also are those who are of Heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from Heaven.
 
THIS passage contains three magnificent miracles from our Lord God. To begin, Paul’s point seems obvious. We are first born to the earth. From our earthly life we obtain spiritual life in Jesus. All is God’s work. Paul illustrates this by contrasting Adam’s life to Jesus’ life. It is worthwhile to pause on this sentence to see the first two miracles: The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from Heaven.
   Yes, these are two magnificent miracles of God, aren’t they? Who could create life from lifeless dust but God, Creator of Heaven and earth? Who else would have the creativity and power to separate man from all other life? There is a personal intimacy in man’s creation. Mankind comes from the earth because God created us to be caretakers of his remarkable creation. Our Lord did not simply speak us into existence. He set us apart from other animals when he breathed life into Adam. We all carry with us the very breath of God.
   And then consider the second miracle: Jesus’ intimate incarnation into human existence. This, of course, is a very common teaching in the church. But might we miss this as a magnificent miracle from the LORD God, First Person of the Trinity? In the most personal intimacy possible, Jesus, Second Person of the Trinity, took form as a man to prepare the Holy Spirit, Third Person of the Trinity, to breathe spiritual life into our souls. Through Jesus’ complete life cycle as a man from conception to ascension, Jesus has created a new spiritual life for all who follow him. Because of Jesus we will bear the likeness of the man from Heaven.
   How, then, do we bear Jesus’ likeness? This brings us to the third miracle – and a great responsibility – the Lord has given to us. Recreated in Christ, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18) In God’s re-creation process, the Holy Spirit breathes into us the ability to learn and live into God’s truth. Our joy is to learn of God, so we increasingly become as he is. This is sanctifying discipleship – living a disciplined life set apart from the world’s sin, so you can grow into the likeness of the Lord you confess to follow.
   2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.