Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
The verse teaches that what is natural comes first and what is spiritual comes afterward, so mortal life precedes immortal being. It identifies two Adams, with Adam the first as the natural head of humanity and Christ the second Adam coming afterward as the spiritual. The first Adam was created holy and sinless with every advantage, yet by his own free choice he disobeyed under a small test and brought sin and woe upon his posterity. The second Adam came in the likeness of sinful flesh amid far less favorable surroundings, yet as a free moral agent He resisted every temptation and remained perfectly obedient and sinless. All that was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second, who redeems humanity to immortality, recovers the forfeited dominion, and renews the earth as the eternal home of the holy.
Natural Before Spiritual Order
The natural comes first and the spiritual afterward, so mortal life precedes immortal being. That is the order of the two Adams, the natural first Adam first and afterward the spiritual second Adam, Jesus Christ. Continuity of identity in resurrection does not require the same particles of matter, as the figure of grain shows, but rests in organization, so the matter making up the mortal body does not have to become part of the immortal body. The chapter places great importance on the resurrection, showing the hope of the dead is not that they have already entered final glory but that they await resurrection. Redemption has two stages: in this life the redeemed gain moral fitness for the next, while the change at resurrection is not moral but the exchange of a corruptible body for an incorruptible one, which is the resurrection to immortal life as the second stage.
The same order appears in Israel's history. The natural first is the present encampment in its vast extent and perfect arrangement with thorough discipline and order, bearing the favor of God and a distinctive character as His chosen people exalted above all nations and not reckoned among them. The spiritual afterward is the increase and prosperity of the true Israel of God to the close of time, scattered throughout all nations as sojourners whose citizenship is in heaven, with the special favor of the Most High attending those who love and fear Him. He upholds them by His arm as they enter the dark valley of the shadow of death, then brings them forth from their graves crowned with glory, honor and immortality to rejoice in the unfading glories of the earth made new in endless life of unalloyed happiness as a multitude no one can count.
The natural first is the dead laid in their last home in this world in the poor body that went into the grave. The spiritual afterward is their coming forth when the Life-giver comes and calls them from their prison houses, clothed with immortal splendor in an immortal, glorious body, not returning in the poor body that went into the grave. That coming better day is precious to the faithful ones who know Jesus and His love, bringing blessing and encouragement under great loss by looking at the things which are unseen. Those who mourn can therefore look forward to meeting their loved ones again and sorrow not as those who have no hope.
In that spiritual state believers come forth from the tomb to glorious companionship with heavenly angels. There saints meet their loved ones and recognize their faces, for being made like Christ does not destroy their image but transforms it into His glorious image, and every saint connected in family relationship on earth will know each other in heaven. In the great day of God all who are faithful and true will receive the healing touch of the divine Restorer, the Life-giver will remove every deformity from them, and they will be given eternal life.
First Adam, Second Adam
The order of natural first and spiritual afterward is the order of the two Adams, with Adam the first as the natural and humanity's first representative, and Christ as the second Adam who comes afterward as the spiritual. Christ began where the first Adam began, in purity and holiness and connection with God, to redeem Adam's failure on the very ground where Adam fell. Adam himself fell, repented, and will be raised from the dead and brought back into Eden, where the two Adams will meet face to face.
The first Adam was a free moral agent furnished with a holy, sinless, pure, undefiled nature, placed in the most favorable situation in Eden with wonderful provision from a God who loved him, everything pure and undefiled with abundant fruits, flowers, and beautiful lofty trees. Yet he abused his freedom and let appetite overcome him under the smallest test of obedience, when Satan insinuated doubts of God's wisdom and accused God of selfishness over prohibiting the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Eve fell under temptation and Adam accepted the forbidden fruit from his wife's hand because he listened to the enemy, and by disobedience lost his innocence and by his own free will became a sinner separated from the favor of God. By that fall the floodgates of woe were opened upon the world, his posterity became depraved, and by one man's disobedience many were made sinners.
The second Adam came in the likeness of sinful flesh, taking human nature in its fallen condition with the race's infirmities and degeneration, in humanity weakened by sin and its effects. For man's behalf He became subject to sorrow, weariness, hunger, thirst, and temptation, living amid sinners and intensely subtle and misleading influences in surroundings much less favorable than Adam's for leading a sinless life. Adam stood in unfallen human strength, while Christ took humanity's infirmities so He could reach fallen humanity.
The second Adam was also a free moral agent held responsible for His conduct, and though so surrounded He resisted every temptation, yielded not to sin, and no taint of sin was upon Him, but maintained His innocence and was ever sinless. He kept His Father's commandments in His earthly life in perfect obedience, and He had infinite power only because He was perfectly obedient to His Father's will. By remaining loyal to God under temptation He worked out a perfect character, proving that people can live sinless lives through God's power without relying on merely human strength. By facing a test like Adam's but far more severe and standing the trial, He took up the work where Adam failed, met humanity's temptations to reach and raise fallen humanity, rescued people from degradation, and became the Owner of all humanity.
All that was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second. By yielding to temptation Adam was brought under the power of Satan, and the dominion over the earth originally given to him passed to his conqueror, bringing man and the earth under the wicked one. Christ by His sacrifice in paying the penalty of sin redeems man to life and immortality and also recovers the forfeited dominion, so the earth is renewed, freed from sin and sorrow and fulfilled in its created purpose as the eternal abode of holy, happy, redeemed beings.
The verse teaches that what is natural comes first and what is spiritual comes afterward, so mortal life precedes immortal being. It identifies two Adams, with Adam the first as the natural head of humanity and Christ the second Adam coming afterward as the spiritual. The first Adam was created holy and sinless with every advantage, yet by his own free choice he disobeyed under a small test and brought sin and woe upon his posterity. The second Adam came in the likeness of sinful flesh amid far less favorable surroundings, yet as a free moral agent He resisted every temptation and remained perfectly obedient and sinless. All that was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second, who redeems humanity to immortality, recovers the forfeited dominion, and renews the earth as the eternal home of the holy.
Natural Before Spiritual Order
The natural comes first and the spiritual afterward, so mortal life precedes immortal being. That is the order of the two Adams, the natural first Adam first and afterward the spiritual second Adam, Jesus Christ. Continuity of identity in resurrection does not require the same particles of matter, as the figure of grain shows, but rests in organization, so the matter making up the mortal body does not have to become part of the immortal body. The chapter places great importance on the resurrection, showing the hope of the dead is not that they have already entered final glory but that they await resurrection. Redemption has two stages: in this life the redeemed gain moral fitness for the next, while the change at resurrection is not moral but the exchange of a corruptible body for an incorruptible one, which is the resurrection to immortal life as the second stage.
The same order appears in Israel's history. The natural first is the present encampment in its vast extent and perfect arrangement with thorough discipline and order, bearing the favor of God and a distinctive character as His chosen people exalted above all nations and not reckoned among them. The spiritual afterward is the increase and prosperity of the true Israel of God to the close of time, scattered throughout all nations as sojourners whose citizenship is in heaven, with the special favor of the Most High attending those who love and fear Him. He upholds them by His arm as they enter the dark valley of the shadow of death, then brings them forth from their graves crowned with glory, honor and immortality to rejoice in the unfading glories of the earth made new in endless life of unalloyed happiness as a multitude no one can count.
The natural first is the dead laid in their last home in this world in the poor body that went into the grave. The spiritual afterward is their coming forth when the Life-giver comes and calls them from their prison houses, clothed with immortal splendor in an immortal, glorious body, not returning in the poor body that went into the grave. That coming better day is precious to the faithful ones who know Jesus and His love, bringing blessing and encouragement under great loss by looking at the things which are unseen. Those who mourn can therefore look forward to meeting their loved ones again and sorrow not as those who have no hope.
In that spiritual state believers come forth from the tomb to glorious companionship with heavenly angels. There saints meet their loved ones and recognize their faces, for being made like Christ does not destroy their image but transforms it into His glorious image, and every saint connected in family relationship on earth will know each other in heaven. In the great day of God all who are faithful and true will receive the healing touch of the divine Restorer, the Life-giver will remove every deformity from them, and they will be given eternal life.
First Adam, Second Adam
The order of natural first and spiritual afterward is the order of the two Adams, with Adam the first as the natural and humanity's first representative, and Christ as the second Adam who comes afterward as the spiritual. Christ began where the first Adam began, in purity and holiness and connection with God, to redeem Adam's failure on the very ground where Adam fell. Adam himself fell, repented, and will be raised from the dead and brought back into Eden, where the two Adams will meet face to face.
The first Adam was a free moral agent furnished with a holy, sinless, pure, undefiled nature, placed in the most favorable situation in Eden with wonderful provision from a God who loved him, everything pure and undefiled with abundant fruits, flowers, and beautiful lofty trees. Yet he abused his freedom and let appetite overcome him under the smallest test of obedience, when Satan insinuated doubts of God's wisdom and accused God of selfishness over prohibiting the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Eve fell under temptation and Adam accepted the forbidden fruit from his wife's hand because he listened to the enemy, and by disobedience lost his innocence and by his own free will became a sinner separated from the favor of God. By that fall the floodgates of woe were opened upon the world, his posterity became depraved, and by one man's disobedience many were made sinners.
The second Adam came in the likeness of sinful flesh, taking human nature in its fallen condition with the race's infirmities and degeneration, in humanity weakened by sin and its effects. For man's behalf He became subject to sorrow, weariness, hunger, thirst, and temptation, living amid sinners and intensely subtle and misleading influences in surroundings much less favorable than Adam's for leading a sinless life. Adam stood in unfallen human strength, while Christ took humanity's infirmities so He could reach fallen humanity.
The second Adam was also a free moral agent held responsible for His conduct, and though so surrounded He resisted every temptation, yielded not to sin, and no taint of sin was upon Him, but maintained His innocence and was ever sinless. He kept His Father's commandments in His earthly life in perfect obedience, and He had infinite power only because He was perfectly obedient to His Father's will. By remaining loyal to God under temptation He worked out a perfect character, proving that people can live sinless lives through God's power without relying on merely human strength. By facing a test like Adam's but far more severe and standing the trial, He took up the work where Adam failed, met humanity's temptations to reach and raise fallen humanity, rescued people from degradation, and became the Owner of all humanity.
All that was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second. By yielding to temptation Adam was brought under the power of Satan, and the dominion over the earth originally given to him passed to his conqueror, bringing man and the earth under the wicked one. Christ by His sacrifice in paying the penalty of sin redeems man to life and immortality and also recovers the forfeited dominion, so the earth is renewed, freed from sin and sorrow and fulfilled in its created purpose as the eternal abode of holy, happy, redeemed beings.