In this passage, Paul continues explaining the resurrection, tackling two big questions: How are the dead raised? And What kind of body will they have? Let’s start with the first question.

Paul writes:

"Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body." (1 Corinthians 15:36-38)

Paul compares our bodies to seeds, which is a great way to help us visualize resurrection. He’s not introducing a brand-new concept here—Jesus used a similar analogy to describe His own death and resurrection, which we’ll get to shortly. For now, Paul’s point is that resurrection involves transformation. The body that dies isn’t the same as the body that will be raised. Instead, it’s completely transformed, just like a seed turns into a plant. And who’s behind this transformation? God. He’s the one who gives the new body, just as He designed each seed to produce a specific plant.