---
title: 1 Corinthians 15:48
url: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/1-corinthians-15-48/
markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/verses/1-corinthians-15-48.md
type: verse
perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching
reference: 1 Corinthians 15:48
testament: NT
section: Letters
index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt
---

# 1 Corinthians 15:48

## Text (Berean Standard Bible)

> As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.

## JW Usage

The Watchtower reads "as the earthy one is, so are those who are earthy; as the heavenly one is, so are those who are heavenly" as confirming the two-class hope — the earthy class destined for the paradise earth, the heavenly class (the 144,000) destined for heaven. The verse becomes a proof-text for their two-destiny system, with each believer sorted into a fixed track that he or she will never leave.

## Protestant Usage

Paul is not dividing believers into two destinies. The "earthy" category is all humans in Adam — mortal, dying, bearing Adam's image. The "heavenly" category is all humans in Christ — raised, transformed, bearing Christ's image. Read verses 48-49 together: "AS we have borne the image of the earthy one, WE SHALL ALSO bear the image of the heavenly one" (v.49). The same "we" walks from one to the other. This is single-destiny resurrection transformation for every believer, not a two-class sorting system. Ask: "If some believers are 'earthy' and stay earthy, and others are 'heavenly' and go heavenly, who is Paul's 'we' in verse 49 that walks from one image to the other?"

## Arguments Using This Verse

- [The Last Adam — More Than a Man](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/1corinthians15-45-last-adam.md) — 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 [Deity of Christ]