20 “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”
Paul now turns from negative (15:11-19) to positive consequences of the resurrection (15:20-28) – the assurance of the resurrection of the body of believers from the dead.
15:20
But now Christ is risen from the dead,
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a fact. He is risen indeed!
and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Passover was on the fourteenth day of the first month of the Jewish calendar. Jews offered a sacrifice of firstfruits the Sunday after the Sabbath (Saturday) following Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Le 23:10-11). The priest would bring a sheaf of grain and wave it before the Lord. These “firstfruits” represent the harvest to follow and the first installment of the harvest to come. It was like a guarantee or first payment on what was to come. This day Jesus arose. Jesus was the “firstfruits” at the time of His resurrection. The full harvest of the corps of believers was to follow.
The Jews presented a grain offering to God on Pentecost 50 days later, also called “firstfruits” (Le 23:15-17). Thus, the first firstfruits of the Passover was the first of the corps offered later. Jesus is the “firstfruits,” and the harvest is yet to come. Paul compared these two firstfruits to Jesus’ resurrection and the resurrection of believers. If God raised Jesus, He will also raise the saints after Him.
“Those who have fallen asleep” are believers who had died at some point in the past. Christ’s resurrection became the firstfruits to rise from the dead of those who had already died from the Corinthian point of view. Jesus was the first human being resurrected. Jesus resuscitated Lazarus from the dead, but Jesus did not raise him into a resurrection body. Lazarus returned from the dead to the same life, only to die again. Jesus rose never to die again.
15:21
For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
The two representative men in the Bible are Adam and Jesus. Adam represented the death of man because of his sin, and Jesus represented the salvation of man’s physical body by His resurrection; He makes believers alive for all eternity (Ro 5:12-19). Jesus was the firstfruits of those who would later rise from the dead.
15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
The resurrection of the believer will be physical, not a spiritual resurrection. Just as certainly as Adam died, so those in Christ will have resurrection life. Note the word “all.” “All” in one case is the “all” in another case. Everyone dies without exception in Adam (He 9:27), but everyone who believes in Jesus will rise bodily from the dead without exception.
PRINCIPLE:
Resurrection is from physical death to immortality.
APPLICATION:
Jesus was the first person to rise from the dead into a resurrection body. Others were resuscitated only to die again, such as the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus. They rose from physical death only to die again. Resurrection is from physical death to immortality – never to die again.
Ac 26:22-23, 22 Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— 23that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
Re 1:18, I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
In 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22 is Paul speaking to the Church at Corinth?
Ethlyn, Paul is giving the Corinthians instructions about the results of Christ’s resurrection on believers.
Dr. Grant,
Bringing to your notice typo “The full harvest of the corps of believers was to follow.” Corps instead of crops.
FYA
Rose, thank you very much for catching that typo. Now fixed.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
The resurrection of the believer will be physical, not a spiritual resurrection. Just as certainly as Adam died, so those in Christ will have resurrection life. Note the word “all.” “All” in one case is the “all” in another case. Everyone dies without exception in Adam (He 9:27), but everyone who believes in Jesus will rise bodily from the dead without exception.
If all will be “made alive”, then it looks to me like they must be dead now. And it does not say their bodies will be made alive, so that must surely mean that believers are dead now–body and soul.
Alison, the physical body of a believer is indeed in the process of dying and will (apart from an act of God) die. But there will be a resurrection body one day for the believer, which will be like the resurrected body of Christ (Php 3:21; cf 2 Co 5:8).
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
You did not explain how they will all > BE MADE ALIVE. It does not say their “bodies” will be made alive.
And verse 20 says that have fallen asleep meaning of course that people died. It doesn’t say that their “bodies” have fallen asleep.
I haven’t seen anyone who can explain where this verse could possibly mean bodies will be made alive.
Alison, note the verse that I referred to in Philippians 3:21, the resurrection of the believer’s body will be like the resurrected physical body of Christ.
An explanatory “for” introduces an elaboration on the metaphor of firstfruits in terms of an Adam/Christ typology. Verse 21 sets forth a verbless parallelism: “For since through man [came] death, also through man [came] resurrection from the dead.” Verse 22, introduced by another “for,” explains further, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Both Adam and Christ are representative human beings; there is corporate solidarity between them. The death of Adam was physical, and the resurrection of Christ was physical. As Adam was the progenitor of everyone who dies, so Christ is the progenitor of everyone who will be physical raised to life. Everyone born in Adam is subject to physical death, but those identified with Christ are subject to physical resurrection when Christ comes again. In other words, the syntactical parallelism shows that both are physical resurrections: physical death came by Adam, and physical resurrection came by Christ. The structure of the syntax in which Paul’s thought is given expression, precluding the notion that Paul in this chapter envisions a non fleshly resurrection body composed either of nonmaterial ‘spirit’ or of materially ethereal ‘spirit’ or pneuma. Rather, in 1 Cor 15:36–54 the resurrection is understood as the revivification and glorious transformation to immortality of the mortal body of flesh
The “die” in reference to “in Adam” is in the present tense, indicating linear aktionsart, that is, the ongoing characteristic of those who physical died in Adam. “Will be made alive” is future tense, a logical progression. The timing of the believer’s resurrection is “at his coming.”
The argument of the whole chapter is the hope is the physical resurrection of the believer. The inheritance in both Adam and Christ includes both spiritual life and physical life.
Nothing that you wrote is wrong. I am just pointing out that believers will be raised from the dead—not just their physical bodies.
20 But at this moment the Messiah stands risen from the dead, the first one offered in the harvest of those who have died. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in the Messiah will all be made alive. 23 However, this will happen to each person in the proper order: first the Messiah, then those who belong to the Messiah when he comes.
According to this Bible text, Jesus is the only one to have been resurrected (with a glorified body). Everyone else is still dead. Those who belong to Jesus will be resurrected with glorified bodies when he comes.
And by the way, their new bodies will not be coming from the ground. Those new bodies will come from heaven. That is what 2 Cor. 5:2 says.
2 Corinthians 5:2
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven,…
So it will be the soul that hears Jesus’ voice from the grave (John 5:28-29). Then the souls will come forth to be clothed with their new bodies or new house which is from heaven.