18 Then also those who have1 fallen aasleep in Christ have perished.
19aIf in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
The Last Enemy Destroyed
20 But now aChrist is risen from the dead, and has become bthe firstfruits of those who have1 fallen asleep.
21 For asince by man came death, bby Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall abe made alive.
23 But aeach one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those whoare Christ’s at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers athe kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
25 For He must reign atill He has put all enemies under His feet.
26aThe last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
27 For a“He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” itis evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.
28aNow when all things are made subject to Him, then bthe Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
Effects of Denying the Resurrection
29 Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead?
31 I affirm, by athe boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, bI die daily.
32 If, in the manner of men, aI have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage isit to me? If the dead do not rise, b“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
33 Do not be deceived: a“Evil company corrupts good habits.”
34aAwake to righteousness, and do not sin; bfor some do not have the knowledge of God. cI speak this to your shame.
A Glorious Body
35 But someone will say, a“How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?”
36 Foolish one, awhat you sow is not made alive unless it dies.
37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain.
38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but thereis one kind1 of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
40Thereare also1 celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
Jesus Christ, the first of the firstfruits, willingly gave His life so others may receive forgiveness of sin. As a holy, sinless sacrifice, He was resurrected three days later to eternal life, fulfilling the symbolism of the wavesheaf offering. Paul presents the type and anti-type here: the type is the firstfruits of the harvest, while the anti-type is Christ's resurrection as the first and epitome of God's spiritual harvest. Stated plainly in verse 23, "Christ the firstfruits." Believers too are firstfruits, but He is the first of the firstfruits, just as the wave sheaf is cut and waved before God. The rest of the harvest occurs some 2,000 years later. The symbol, the grain offering, must match the spiritual reality.
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.
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Jesus Christ, the first of the firstfruits, willingly gave His life so others may receive forgiveness of sin. As a holy, sinless sacrifice, He was resurrected three days later to eternal life, fulfilling the symbolism of the wavesheaf offering. Paul presents the type and anti-type here: the type is the firstfruits of the harvest, while the anti-type is Christ's resurrection as the first and epitome of God's spiritual harvest. Stated plainly in verse 23, "Christ the firstfruits." Believers too are firstfruits, but He is the first of the firstfruits, just as the wave sheaf is cut and waved before God. The rest of the harvest occurs some 2,000 years later. The symbol, the grain offering, must match the spiritual reality.