1 Corinthians 15:20-23
Jesus Christ, the first of the firstfruits, willingly gave His life so others may receive forgiveness of sin. He was a holy, sinless sacrifice, and three days later, He was the first person resurrected to eternal life! In this, He fulfilled the symbolism of the wavesheaf offering.
Earl L. Henn
Holy Days: Pentecost
Related Topics: Christ's Sacrifice
| First of the Firstfruits
| Firstborn from the Dead
| Forgiveness
| Jesus Christ's Sacrifice
| Wavesheaf
| Wavesheaf Offering
Paul presents type and antitype: the harvest's firstfruits is the type, and Christ's resurrection, the first and epitome of God's spiritual harvest, is the antitype. Like the wavesheaf, Jesus is "the first of the firstfruits"; His followers are also firstfruits, harvested some 2,000 years after the first is cut and waved before God. A holy, sinless sacrifice, Christ willingly gave His life so others may be forgiven, and three days later became the first person resurrected to eternal life. As the Firstfruits, He embodies the promise of resurrection: those belonging to Him will be raised, not to mortal life, but to eternal life, ultimately becoming absolutely at one with God, "that God may be all and in all."