⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall^[a] also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:49 ESV)

The duality of man is that he is of both earth and heaven. We are always reflecting one or the other. Our goal should be to reflect the heavenly man (or woman) more than the earthly. That is easy knowledge to accept, but not necessarily such an easy image to live out.

You see, the man of dust is tied to this world and will do everything in his power to live just as he sees fit. This is our human nature, the sin nature. This is the part of us the enemy speaks to and the part of us so easily tempted and lured away. We must constantly fight the man of dust.

The man of heaven is our faith life. It is that aspect of us that aligns closely with the Spirit and wants to do what is right. It is the part of us that wants to live for God. So if our faith is strong this will be easy, but if our faith is weak then this can be very hard.

You see, the man of dust factors in so many things of just who we are and that may not necessarily be a good thing. We may desire to do right and live a holy life but our sin nature, the world and the enemy will continually strive to drag us away. And they are all an active force in our lives. While God’s still small voice may seem very passive in our lives. But He is not. He is the strongest force in the universe. Yet, even in His unending strength He will not impede upon our will. Free will is a gift of God that in the fight between the man of dust and the man of heaven will always win out.