by Timothy W. Burnett
Next he jumps to the contrasting truth, �But now Christ is risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept� (1Corinthians 15:20). The word �slept� refers to the dead.
Our Lord Jesus became the first fruits of the resurrection that will occur in the future. There are many examples of people being brought back to life in the Old Testament. But God resurrected His son, which set in motion future resurrection events.
With this in mind, we continue, �For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive� (verses 21-22). Because of Adam�s disobedience all of mankind after him were under the bondage of death. This included the threat of eternal death without a resurrection. But in contrast, the resurrection of the man Jesus Christ resulted in the upcoming resurrection of all mankind.
Please notice that both Adam and Jesus are referred to as men. This is vital in our understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was a man born out of the line of King David and Judah. He was a man of flesh and blood. According to Hebrews 2:14, all of mankind are partakers of the same flesh and blood, but Jesus Christ took part of that, which was the flesh. Unlike the rest of mankind, Jesus� blood was incorruptible. This was because God put life in Mary�s egg which developed toward the birth of His first born son. Everybody else gets life from their earthly fathers.
Our readers are encouraged to study and read more on the true identity of our Lord Jesus as a pre-requisite to this study on chapter 15. In light of strong influences contrary to the truth, some may read this section with a mental picture of God resurrecting Himself from the dead. Young believers may get confused about God making Himself to be subject under Himself (see 1Corinthians 15:28).
Other verses to look at concerning the true identity of Jesus Christ are Matthew 1:20; 3:17; Luke 1:35; 3:22; John 1:33-34. The book of Hebrews is packed with references to Jesus Christ being compared to the High Priests of the Old Testament times. Romans 8:29 refers to Jesus Christ being the first born among many brethren. Romans 9:5 reveals that Jesus Christ was born out of the genetic line of Israel.
We will continue with this study on 1Corinthians chapter 15 next week.
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