Christ Has Indeed Been Raised... 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

We are continuing our study of 1 Corinthians 15 this morning. This is our fourth look at the chapter and I’d like to take just a moment to walk us through the highlights of our past three studies. First, in verses 1-4, Paul reminded the people in the church at Corinth that he had delivered to them that which was of “first importance.” What was it? It was that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and then was raised to life on the third day. And all of this was “according to the Scriptures.” Then, in verses 5-11, Paul went through a list of the people to whom Jesus appeared after His resurrection, Paul was last on the list. We took a closer look at three of those people: Peter, James, and Paul. Each of those men were radically changed, they each spent the rest of their lives telling others about the hope that is found in Jesus. Each of those men were later killed because of their commitment to Jesus and their refusal to stop speaking about Jesus. Last week we spent our time in verses 12-19 where Paul addressed the problem that some of the people in Corinth didn’t believe in the resurrection. They may have believed in Jesus’ resurrection, but they saw no connection between Jesus’ resurrection and the possibility of their own resurrection one day. Greek and Roman culture believed and taught that the soul was trapped in the body until death, then it would be freed.  We’ve seen how the culture influenced the church in Corinth over and over again. Here is another example. So Paul walked them through seven logical conclusions, if indeed there is no resurrection from the dead. That catches us up to where we will begin this morning, in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28. You can tell from the opening sentence of verse 20 that Paul is beginning a new lesson for the people of Corinth and for us. He writes, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…” Let’s read our Scripture and see what we can learn. 

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in 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. 27 For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:20-28 NIV)

Paul had addressed how things would be if Jesus had not been raised, but now he speaks with such boldness about how things really are: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” The idea that Jesus is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” is probably an unfamiliar idea to many of us this morning. “Firstfruits” is a practice God gave to His people under Moses which first appears in Exodus 23:16. God’s people were to bring the firstfruits of the grain harvest to the Lord. By doing this God reminded His people that all good things come from God and that everything belongs to God. Giving the first share or firstfruits of the harvest also reminded the people that they could trust God to bring about the rest of the harvest. God would provide for His people. What’s really interesting is that God commanded His people to bring their firstfruits while they were still wandering in the wilderness. They had no land and no crops at the time Moses taught them to bring their firstfruits to the Lord. Paul says that Jesus is the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Ciampi and Rosner write,

By way of this metaphor Paul underlines the link between our fate and the fate of Christ; Christ’s resurrection is not an isolated event but guarantees something even more stupendous. Theologically it suggests that our resurrection is not wholly separate from Christ’s resurrection, but earlier and later parts of the same event, with the earlier part serving as a promise and guarantee of that which is yet to come. (Ciampi and Rosner. 1 Corinthians. pg. 761)

I love the imagery! The firstfruits of the wheat or barley harvest was not a separate harvest–it was the first of what could be expected, and so it is with Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection is the first of what is to come for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, those of us who have surrendered our lives to Him. Eric Sauer was a German Bible teacher who died in 1959. He wrote,

The present age is Easter time. It begins with the resurrection of the Redeemer and ends with the resurrection of the redeemed. Between lies the spiritual resurrection of those called into life through Christ. So we live between two Easters, and in the power of the first Easter we go to meet the last Easter. (Eric Sauer)

Now that gets me excited! We are Easter people who are looking forward to our own resurrection because of our assurance that “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…” Now let’s turn to verses 21-22 and spend some time trying to understand what Paul means when he says that “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Read these two verses with me. 

21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22 NIV)

There is so much in these two verses and it is so important that you and I understand what Paul is teaching us here. First, let me ask you a question, “Why do we die? Why can’t we just go on living the life we are experiencing right now?” There are only two options to choose from in answering the question: We can seek a biblical answer or we can seek an extrabiblical answer, an answer that comes from outside the Bible. For example, evolutionary biology has several different answers as to why we die. The most prevalent answer, up until the 20th century, was that we die to make room for the younger generation. Daniel Fabian writes,

For centuries, beginning with Aristotle, scientists and philosophers have struggled to resolve this enigma. The Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius, for example, argued in his De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things) that aging and death are beneficial because they make room for the next generation (Bailey 1947), a view that persisted among biologists well into the 20th century. The famous 19th century German biologist, August Weissmann, for instance, suggested – similar to Lucretius – that selection might favor the evolution of a death mechanism that ensures species survival by making space for more youthful, reproductively prolific individuals (Weissmann 1891). (Daniel Fabian. The Evolution of Aging. Knowledge Project) 

Evolutionary biologists today have come up with some other theories, most of which include the idea that aging takes place and we die because natural selection becomes inefficient at maintaining function and fitness the older we get. This is not a biblical explanation, but it is an example of an extrabiblical explanation of why we die. When we turn to God’s Word we read, “...death came through a man…in Adam all die.” What does that mean? Well, Paul goes into more detail about this in Romans 5. Turn with me to Romans 5:12. 

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned-- (Romans 5:12 NIV)

Sin entered the world through Adam and death entered the world through sin. That’s the biblical explanation. Evolutionary biologists say that death is a natural part of life, but in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says death is the “last enemy.” How did Adam sin? It was in the Garden of Eden when he was given free reign of the entire Garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Turn with me to Genesis 2:15-17 and let me show what I’m talking about.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:15-17 NIV)

Adam and Eve disobeyed God and were banished from the Garden of Eden, their relationship with God was broken from that moment on. God’s Word teaches that Adam had a leadership role in humanity, all of those who would come after him would be affected and infected with Adam’s sin. God’s Word teaches us that it was “one man’s trespass” (Romans 5:17), Adam’s sin, through which “sin came into the world” (Romans 5:12) and by this one man’s sin “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Now, I’m no mind reader, but I know some of you who have never heard this before are thinking, “That’s not fair! Why should I suffer because of Adam’s sin? Why wouldn’t God judge me on my own merits?” God’s Word teaches that we are sinners and therefore we sin. It also teaches that we sin and are therefore sinners. Even if we had not been affected by Adam’s sin we would still choose to do our own thing, to thumb our noses at God’s will for our lives. Why do we do the things we do? Why do we suffer from the conflict we have in our relationships? Why do we cheat one another? Why do we slander and gossip about one another? Why do we allow the things we see take place that we know are wrong? Is it only because we believe it doesn’t affect us? Why are we unfaithful to our wives and our wives unfaithful to us? Why do people kill one another over an argument or a pair of shoes or a handful of drugs? Why do those with power use their power to gain more power and not to empower those who have no power? Why do we do the things we do? We can now say, “It’s Adam’s fault,” but the truth of the matter is we have choices to make and we make bad choices, ungodly choices, choices that shatter God’s heart. Let me say one more thing about the fairness of our being “in Adam,” of our being separated from God from the womb because of Adam who sinned so long ago. You and I have a choice about what to do with this information now that we have received it. You can reject it outright and simply say, “I don’t believe that and I won’t accept it.” We have that option. That would be a foolish choice when you consider that God is God and what He has shared with us in His Word is true. It really has nothing to do with what is fair. What I’ve shared with you is what is. Let me give you an illustration that might help.More than ten years ago now Connie had cancer. Her younger brother had first had cancer when he was 26 years old. When Connie found out she had cancer her father had already had cancer several times. After Connie’s bout with cancer, Dr. Geister, who is an oncologist and one of our Elders, said, “You need to go and get genetically tested. I think you might have Lynch Syndrome.” Connie was tested and sure enough she found out she has Lynch Syndrome which is a genetic disorder that causes an increased risk of certain types of cancer. When we found out, Brian said you really need to get your kids tested. We did what he said and found out our boys were negative, but our youngest, Annie, was positive. She was still in college. It was crushing. It just wasn’t fair that our baby, our only daughter, had this horrible genetic disorder. Annie had her first colonoscopy when she was a Sophomore in college and the doctor found precancerous polyps. What if we did not possess the knowledge we had been given about Annie’s situation? What if she had waited another 20 years for her first colonoscopy? Annie is on top of things. She goes to all of the doctors she needs to see every year to stay on top of things, just like her mom. “Fair” isn’t part of the equation for us. We are grateful to know what we know so that we can do what we need to do to keep both of them aware of what’s going on in their bodies. And so it is with what we’ve been talking about. This is vital, incredibly important information that helps us as we go forward in life. Sin and death came through one man, Adam. Every person who has ever lived since that time has been born a sinner, separated from God. That’s information we desperately need to know, yet today, more and more we are taught that we are all basically good, decent people. That’s like telling Connie and Annie that everything is just fine, no need to keep up those yearly visits to the doctors they see. If they were to do that it would not end well at all and neither will it end well for those of us who deny the diagnosis God has given us. There is more to the story. Paul, in Romans 5, shares with us how sin and death came to all of humanity, but he didn’t stop there. Turn back to Romans 5 and let’s continue reading in verse 15. 

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:15-19 NIV)

One trespass resulted in death and condemnation for all people, but one righteous act resulted in justification and life for those who are in Christ. Through Jesus’ act of obedience in giving His sinless life for Adam’s sinful children, many will be made righteous and their relationship with God restored. Now that’s not good news, that’s great news! If it’s not fair that we are “in Adam,” then it is absolutely, absurdly unfair that God would include us, we who are sinners, “in Christ.” Ciampi and Rosner write,

To be in Christ is to be part of the group which finds in Christ its representative and leader, which finds its identity and destiny in Christ and what he has brought about for his people. All humans who have not yet found redemption through faith in Christ remain in Adam. Those who have entered into the promise of a new life, the life of Christ, are in Christ, and will find that their initial experience of the newness of life was but a foretaste of the ultimate restoration of life that awaits them in the resurrection. (Ciampi and Rosner. 1 Corinthians. Pg. 763)

To be “in Christ” has a very specific meaning and we need to talk about it for a moment because there is a growing number of people who teach what is known as “universal salvation” or “universalism.”  Universalism teaches that eventually all will be saved whether or not they receive God’s offer of forgiveness and reconciliation which comes through Jesus. A little more than ten years ago a popular, nationally known preacher named Rob Bell wrote a book called, “Love Wins.” In the book he writes,

Every sinner will turn to God and realize he has already been reconciled to God, in this life or in the next. There will be no eternal conscious torment. God says no to injustice in the age to come, but he does not pour out wrath (we bring the temporary suffering upon ourselves), and he certainly does not punish for eternity. In the end, love wins. (Bell, Rob. Love Wins.)

I’m sure Rob Bell is a nice guy, a well-meaning guy, but he’s either not read the Bible or only read the portions he likes. In God’s Word there are only two kinds of people; those “in Christ” and those still “in Adam.” One of the universalists favorite passages is the one we are studying this morning. They highlight the phrase, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”  “All” means “all” right? “All” does mean all, but first we have to recognize that what Paul is saying is that “all” who are “in Christ” will be made alive and not all as in all of humanity. The one who wrote the phrase was well aware of what he was writing. Over and over again in his letters he highlighted the transformed reality for those who were “in Christ.” Let me give you a couple of examples. Turn with me to Galatians 3:26-29. 

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29 NIV)

Nobody in Paul’s day would have questioned the fact that there were dramatic differences between Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free people, and males and females in their society and yet Paul says, “in Christ” they are all one. Let’s take a look at one more example. Turn with me to Romans 8:1-3 and let’s read together.

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering… (Romans 8:1-3 NIV)

Those who are “in Adam,” and separated from God, can turn to Jesus, receive His mercy and grace, and be reconciled to God. If we choose to turn to Jesus then we learn that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” Being “in Christ” changes everything! For each and every one of us there was a time when we were not “in Christ.” For some of you who are here this morning and not a follower of Jesus, you are not “in Christ,” you are still “in Adam.” Paul knew this to be true about himself and that is why he wrote in the last chapter of his letter to the church in Rome,

7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. (Romans 16:7 NIV)

Paul tells us that Andronicus and Junia had been in prison with him, but they came to know Jesus before Paul did. Paul’s situation before he came to know Jesus as his Savior and Lord is the condition of every person who has ever lived. Some who hear the good news of Jesus turn away from their old life, confess their sins, and turn to Jesus. Others walk away. I pray that this morning you have heard God speaking to you through His Word. If you are not “in Christ,” but you believe the message and recognize your need for Jesus, then please come forward and let’s talk. The Lord can take you from where you are, regardless of where you have been, and He will clothe you in His righteousness and grace. Mike HaysBritton Christian ChurchMarch 13, 2022