First Corinthians 15 Part 5 Christ's Resurrection Fulfills Firstfruits Offerings

False teaching about the resurrection of Christ is refuted.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19  Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13)  But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14)  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15)  Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16)  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17)  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18)  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19)  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 

Guided by God's Spirit, Paul shows the foolishness of those who taught that there is no resurrection from the dead.

They were teaching that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead which also means that those who died in Christ, perished.

Yet, the truth of Christ's resurrection is supported by indisputable eyewitness testimony. 

Our risen Lord was seen by hundreds of people in many different locations for a period of 40 days. 

Then, many disciples saw Jesus ascend toward heaven returning to His Father.

Having rebuked the false teacher's doctrine about the resurrection, Paul is now ready to expound true realities of the resurrection.

True realities of Christ's resurrection are given.

1 Corinthians 15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 

This is the apostle's foundational statement that the rest of the chapter flows from. 

The words "But now" are very emphatic in the Greek, meaning that this truth is undeniable and irrefutable. 

But now, Christ is risen from the dead, present tense because He is eternally alive.

But now, Christ Himself is the firstfruits offering of all who died in faith trusting Jehovah. 

Christ is raised from the dead, and is become the first fruits of them that slept. 

His resurrection has been convincingly demonstrated, and our resurrection necessarily follows because He rose from the dead.  

The Old Testament firstfruits offerings were the best of the early harvest that was dedicated to God. 

The offering was proof of His bountiful provision for His people and acknowledgement of their devotion to Him. 

As sure as the first fruits are proof that there is a harvest, so surely the resurrection of Christ is a proof of our resurrection. 

Firstfruits offering is the earnest or pledge, that the whole resurrection harvest will follow, so that our faith is not vain, nor our hope limited to this life. 

The time of writing this Epistle was about the time of Passover (See 1 Corinthians 5:7). 

On the day after the Passover sabbath was for offering the first-fruits ( See Leviticus 23:10-11). 

This day was the day of Christ’s resurrection and this is why Paul referred to the firstfruits offering.

God's Spirit raised Christ. He lives in us and will raise us up from the grave. 

Romans 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

Paul taught the Christians at Rome that the Spirit of God indwells each believer in Christ.

He is the same Holy Spirit who raised up Christ from the dead and because He lives in us, He will also raise us up at the resurrection of life. 

This is the secure promise of God, the source of our hope and the essential truth of the gospel of Christ. 

Death came by the first Adam, but Christ the second Adam brings life.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22)  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Christ's resurrection is proof from God, if we are true believers in Christ, because He has risen, we shall rise. 

All people die because all humanity is "in Adam." We are born as sinners into a world groaning under the curse of sin.

All people (the gospel is for all who will hear and heed it) can be born again and receive a fresh start from God.

All who hear the gospel, and turn to Christ for salvation will be regenerated by God's Spirit and be given eternal life. 

Romans 5:12-14  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13)  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14)  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 

Adam's sin was significant and unique. He and Eve were created without a sin nature, and placed in a perfect world without sin.

God gave them a simple moral command to obey. Because Adam was created first, he was placed in headship over Eve according to God's plan. 

Thus, Adam was representing all of humanity and his decision became our decision. 

This is why no one else in history has sinned with the magnitude of Adam's sin.

He chose to disobey God and sinned. Because of Adam's sin, death and sin entered paradise. 

Every person born since that date are born sinners, separated from God and in need of salvation.

Romans 5:15-21  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16)  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17)  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18)  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19)  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21)  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Jesus Christ is the second Adam. This is why He was born of a virgin, because the tainted blood of Adam was not passed on to Christ.

Instead, the blood that Jesus shed to pay for our sins was the blood of God (See Acts 20:28).

As second Adam, Jesus was without sin and passed the test of obeying God's moral law. 

He became God's perfect Passover Lamb dying in our place, experiencing suffering that rightly belongs to each one of us. 

Jesus died the death that we should die because the wages of our sins is death.

In place of death, Christ offers the grace of God and eternal life to all who repent and believe on Him.

Sin and death have reigned on earth since the moment Adam sinned. But now, God offers grace through righteousness by faith in Christ, and eternal life to all people.

Christ took the firstfruits of the resurrection to the Father. 

1 Corinthians 15:22-23  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23)  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 

Through the sin of the first Adam all men became mortal beings because all derived from him the same sinful nature.

In like manner through the merit and resurrection of Christ shall all who are regenerated by the Spirit become immortal.

Christ rose as the first-fruits. Therefore those that are in Christ shall rise too. 

Inheriting a sin nature from Adam is universal. There are no exceptions. All of us are born as sinners separated from God.

Gospel preaching is what liberates mankind from the power of sin, but salvation is not universal like the sin nature is.

This is why the gospel must be preached and why Christians must tell others about Jesus Christ and the good news. 

Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (See Romans 10:17). 

People must hear the gospel of Christ. They must hear of their state of condemnation, our need of a Savior and what God did for us through the sacrifice of His Son. 

Then, each person who yields to the Holy Spirit's work of bringing them to repentant faith in Christ, will be saved. 

Sin and its condemnation is universal but salvation in response to hearing the gospel is individual.

Thus it seemed fit to the divine wisdom that, as the first Adam ruined his posterity by sin, the second Adam should raise his seed to a glorious immortality.  

Paul states that there will be an order observed in the resurrection of life. 

We are not told of the exact nature of that order, just the general principle that the firstfruits with Christ will be first in the resurrection.

The offering of the firstfruits was what made the entire harvest holy.  The firstfruits were set apart for God and dedicated solely to Him.

This offering sanctified the whole harvest.  So Christ's resurrection must precede that of his saints because He has risen so that they rise.  

Some saints were resurrected when Christ rose from the dead.

Matthew 27:50-53  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51) And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52)  And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53)  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

Jesus died for our sins and after His resurrection three days later, many graves were opened and Old Testament saints were raised from the dead and were seen by many people.

We do not read anymore about those who were raised from the dead with Christ. 

It is safe to assume that Jesus took them to heaven with Him as part of the firstfruits offering to the Father.

This would follow the pattern of the firstfruits offering.

Leviticus 23:9-14 institutes the firstfruits offering. The people were to bring a sheaf of grain to the priest, who would wave it before the Lord. 

God gave first fruit offerings as a picture of Christ and our resurrection.

Deuteronomy 26:2  That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. 

A burnt offering, a meal offering, and a drink offering were also required at that time. Deuteronomy 26:1-10 gives even more detail on the procedure of firstfruits.

No grain was to be harvested at all until the firstfruits offering was brought to the Lord (Leviticus 23:14). 

The offering was made in remembrance of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt, the Lord’s deliverance from slavery, and their possession of “a land that floweth with milk and honey.” 

The day of the firstfruits offering was also used to calculate the proper time of the Feast of Weeks (See Leviticus 23:15-16).

The firstfruits were to be the best of the harvest to come, whether grains, grapes, nuts or fruits.

Thus, we see  a beautiful picture of Christ and the firstfruits and those resurrected saints that He took with Him to heaven.

Bob