John Chrysostom

"As we have borne the image of the earthy," i.e., as we have done evil, "let us also bear the image of the heavenly," i.e., let us practise all goodness. But besides this, I would fain ask thee, is it of nature that it is said, "he that is of the earth, earthy," and, "the Lord from heaven?" "Yea," saith one. What then? Was Adam only "earthy," or had he also another kind of substance congenial with heavenly and incorporeal beings, which the Scripture calls "soul," and "spirit?" Every one sees that he had this also. …

Homily on 1 Corinthians 42 ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

Here he more clearly reveals the exhortatory tone of his discourse. By the image of the earthly he means wicked deeds, and by the image of the heavenly – good deeds. Therefore, just as before we lived in wickedness, as sons of the earthly one and being mindful of earthly things, so now we must live in virtue, in order to preserve the image and likeness of the heavenly one. The image of the earthly consists in the following: "dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. …

Commentary on 1 Corinthians ↗

Irenaeus

Since, therefore, in that passage he recounts those works of the flesh which are without the Spirit, which bring death [upon their doers], he exclaimed at the end of his Epistle, in accordance with what he had already declared, "And as we have borne the image of him who is of the earth, we shall also bear the image of Him who is from heaven. …

Against Heresies Book V ↗

Thomas Aquinas

998. – Just as we have borne. Here he concludes with how we ought to be specially conformed to the man, that is to say, the heavenly man. We can be conformed to the heavenly man in life in two ways, namely, of grace and of glory, and the one is the way to the other, because without the life of grace we cannot attain to the life of glory. And so he says, just as we have borne, i.e., inasmuch as we are sinners, the likeness of Adam is in us: "That is the law of Adam, O Lord God" (2 Sam. 7:19, Vulgate). …

Commentary on 1 Corinthians ↗