14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.1 Cor 15
is Resurrection a big deal?
About 15 years ago I was asked this series of questions, "Why does Paul emphatically note that our faith would be futile and we would still be in our sins, if Christ were not been raised from the dead (vv.14, 17)?" "Futile is such a strong word," my friend continued, "Wouldn't it already mean some achievement that Christ died on the cross to forgive our sins, even if there's no resurrection?"My friend believed in the resurrection of Christ; he just didn't understand why it's so paramountly important. I couldn't give him a satisfying answer then.
As I read I Corinthians 15 again today, I came to a deeper appreciation of what the Good News (or the Gospel) is. I could almost feel Paul's energy as he wrote. I just hope my words are adequate to convey at least a small part of the excitment I felt.
The New Internation Version Bible has these subtitles for chapter 15, which I quote copiously in this entry: (i) The Resurrection of Christ, (ii) The Resurrection of the Dead, (iii) The Resurrection Body. Apparently, according to NIV, the entire chapter is on the subject of resurrection!
the Gospel, in full strength
This is the Gospel, according to Paul: "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" (vv.3-4).
Forgiveness of sin is only half of the gospel; the other half (or in my understanding the more important half and the ultimate goal of the gospel) is that those who belong to Christ will be resurrected, just as Christ has been raised from the dead (vv.23-26). At the end, Christ will reign and death itself will be destroyed.
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
...
50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
We who belong to Christ (Christians, Christ-followers) will be given an imperishable, spiritual body. In this future body, we will "bear the likeness of the man from heaven” (v.49). Some will go through death, some won’t; but we will all be transformed (v.51). Wow! Some will and some won't go through death, which seems to be defeating us (v.43); but wait, we’ll be raised ... in POWER. How Glorious!
Resurrection is a big deal
Forgiveness of sin, you see, is only the first part of the Gospel. To stop right here at the point of sin-forgiven would be missing the eternal boat! It's, nevertheless, important because it's the prerequisite that leads to the beautiful form that God has destined for us – that we’ll be transformed once and for all with a perfect body and to be placed in a blissful world.
Now, we're only getting a taste of renewal and spiritual nourishment, day by day. When the day comes, "in a flash, in the twinkling on an eye," "We will all be changed" (v.51). We'll be forever satisfied. I suppose that's the abundant life in full strength that Jesus wants us to have (John 10:10). Resurrection is a big deal because it's a big part of what the Good News is.
42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
afterthought
In this light, baptism symbolizes and testifies the utterly glorious hope that we believe and anticipate. Not only that we die to our sins, but more importantly, we will be raised and changed.
If you haven't already gotten baptized, isn't it time to give some serious thought?
6 comments:
> "... so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him" (vv.22-23).
Question: why "Christ, the firstfruits" not "Christ, the firstfruit"?
The answer to your question is actually pretty simple yet very encompassing. I'll explain.
The words "first fruits" is a term or phrase used as is. So it is purposely used in the plural form because it has a specific meaning. To put it in a singular form would take that meaning away. To be clear, it's not used here to indicate that Jesus is made up of more than one person nor is it used as an example of the Trinity in the Bible. So what does it mean?
Well, the phrase or term "first fruits" actually has prophetical significance. That significance is derived from Leviticus 23:10 where in this chapter God is laying down the Feasts or Holidays that the Jewish people were to celebrate and remember. One of those Feasts is called the "Feast of the First Fruits". That feast is the 3rd of 4 feasts that are held during the spring time, virtually one after another. Here they are in order:
1. Feast of the Passover (to remember how the Hebrews escaped out of Egypt)
2. Feast of the Unleavened Bread ( make bread with no yeast to symbolize holiness)
3. Feast of the First Fruits (offer up the first of the harvest crops to God)
4. Feast of the Tabernacles (build little huts to remember how God provided for them in the wilderness)
The prophetical significance of these Feasts is the fact that when Jesus was crucified, the Jews were celebrating the Feast of the Passover. This is why the Bible proclaims Jesus to be "our Passover".
Then while Jesus laid buried in the tomb, the Jews were celebrating the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. This is why the Bible proclaims that His body will not suffer decay (it had no sin).
But more importantly, when Jesus resurrected on Sunday morning - the Jews were celebrating the Feast of the First Fruits. In I Corinthians, the Bible is simply proclaiming that Jesus is the "First Fruits" raised from the dead - and therefore many more will be following in His footsteps (you and I as examples) and be resurrected just like Jesus did some day.
The term First Fruits is simply referring to the first of the harvest which is offered up to God in thanksgiving because others like it will be forthcoming. By using this term the Bible is having Jesus automatically fulfill a veiled messianic prophecy laid out through the Jewish Feasts. We call this foreshadowing. Where the Old Testment stories, objects, events, and characters are actually foreshadowing New Testament truth.
Hope this helps a little bit!
I believe "firstfruits" here refers to all Christians of the "Church Age":
I Corinthians 15:22-23 has put the order of resurrection like this:
"each in his own turn:
1. Christ
2. the firstfruits
3. then, when he comes, those who belong to him"
Specifically for the 3rd group of people who resurrect, it is at the time when Christ comes again for the 2nd time, i.e. Judgement Day.
So it is obvious that "firstfruits" refer to the group of Christians who died between Christ's resurrection and Judgement Day. And this includes all of us.
Read on to v.24-26 and we'll see after all Christians are risen, together with those on earth, we'll witness Christ's glorious victory over His enemies. The nearest picture I can imagine is like the ending at the final episode of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Ring: Return of the King.
Thanks for the differing opinions!
I take it that "the firstfruits" refers to Christ, and its meaning in the historical context of the Feasts in the Old Testament. Paul's readers would also have the Feast of First Fruits in the back of their mind.
Could "the firstfruits" be given new meaning in the New Testament to refer to Christ's followers? Can't find evidence in ch.15.
Since I'm no scholar of the Greek language, I checked several translations. Here's what I find, studying several translations:
- The Chinese Union Version translates v.25 to "初熟的果子是基督"(The First Fruits is Christ).
- The New Chinese Version, published by the Worldwide Bible Society, keeps "初熟的果子是基督."
- The King James Version simply states "Christ the firstfruits" without the comma between "Christ" and "the firstfruits."
Let's look at the NIV again, "But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him." Note the use of semi-colon. See also v.20, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." The firstfruits here clearly refers to Christ, not a different group of people. The English syntax/grammar is similar to "Shakespeare, the great 16th-c. English writer," both referring to the same person.
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[I just checked with Donald. Here's what he adds.]
"First fruits" used in the Bible should be taken as a whole term as is.... it goes back to the real meaning of what the term "first fruits" is all about. For that as I said you will need to go back to the Old Testament to see how it is used in Scripture. Actually what I have given you is pretty much the generally accepted interpretation of the term "first fruits".
Additionally what I didn't tell you is that when it comes down to it, the first four Jewish Feasts foretell the Redemptive Ministry of Jesus' First Coming (Death, Burial, Resurrection, and the Coming of the Holy Spirit). The latter three Jewish Feasts that occur in the Fall (Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Feast of the Tabernacles, plus the one additional holiday the Jews celebrate today, Hanukkah (the Feast of Lights) - all point to the Redemptive Ministry of Jesus' Second Coming (the Rapture, the Day of the Lord/Judgement Day, the start of the Millennial Kingdom, and the Kingdom Dedication). But that is overcomplicating your question but it does go to show you how prophetical and significant the term really is.
...
Don't confuse the term with the grammar, because back in OT days, the term "first fruits" refers to the first gathering from the harvest which was then sacrificed (offered) to God. Yes, back in those days it was more than one fruit, thus "first fruits". But the term now in the NT simply means the first one, the one that goes before, the one that leads the way, the preemminent one. In the NT, it is only referring to one person, though the term is in the plural. But the term is used to show that others (we Christians) will follow Christ in tthe final Resurrection. Actually where we Christians come into the scene is foreshadowed by the 4th Jewish Feast, the Feast of Weeks. (I believe I gave you the wrong one in the last email. I'm been doing this all by memory ...
To set the record straight the Jewish Feasts are:
1. The Feast of the Passover foreshadows the Crucifixion
2. The Feast of the Unleavened Bread foreshadows the Burial
3. The Feast of the First Fruits foreshadows the Resurrection
4. The Feast of Weeks(Pentecost) foreshadows the Coming of the Holy Spirit
5. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) foreshadows the Rapture
6. Day of Atonement (Yom Kiuppur) foreshadows the Day of the Lord/Judgment Day
7. The Feast of Tabernacles foreshadows the coming Kingdom
8. The Feast of Lights foreshadows the celebration in the Kingdom
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A very long comment! Hopefully, your time spent on reading this is rewarding. Blessings.
Oops! I guess this is why serious Bible students should study Greek. Thanks for the detail commentary (this is far more than a comment) of these few verses.
Would also like to share with you C K Barrett's own translation in his commentary:
Each one, however, will be brought to life in his own rank: Christ himself as the firstfruits, then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.
i think we're pretty blessed to be bilingual!
Just read John Piper's The Triumph of the Gospel in the New Heavens and the New Earth. Don't understand the last part yet. Hope this doesn't take another 15 yrs.
"But the ultimate gift of the gospel is not the new heavens and the new earth. The ultimate good of the gospel is not a redeemed body...These are all means to an end..."
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