Bible Verse of the Day Wednesday June 28th, 2023

1 Corinthians 15:20-22   But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Resurrection is a journey from physical death to immortality. Jesus was the first resurrected from the dead into a resurrected body. Other people experienced resurrection: however, they would die again. Lazarus, the daughter of Jarius, the son of the widow in Nain, was resurrected from the dead but eventually went to the grave. They were raised from the dead but died again; resurrection is to be raised from the dead, never to die again. There has only been one resurrected from the dead to eternal life, our Lord, and Savior Christ Jesus (Acts 26:22-23; Revelation 1:18).

 

There are two represented in today's verse, Adam, and Jesus. Adam represents humans' death because of our sins, and Jesus represents the salvation of our eternal souls. Jesus paid the price for our sins, and consequently, there will be a day when all that believe and follow Him will be resurrected to eternal life. All of us will die as Adam died; however, all that have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior will know eternal life. 

 

Earlier in this chapter, Paul established that Jesus was the first fruits of all who died. The term firstfruits comes from the Greek word "aparche"  which in its secular usage indicates an "entrance fee." Jesus' resurrection is the first fruit of our resurrection in that he paid our "entrance fee" to our resurrection into eternal life; Jesus paid the admission fee so that we might enter eternal life, which is terrific news for all that have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have surrendered their lives to him, heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit. 

 

This verse clearly states that Jesus is our first fruit; some may question that Jesus was not the first one resurrected from the dead. They might point to the widow's son from the Book Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24), Lazarus (John 11:38-44), and others. They did not experience a resurrection; they simply were resuscitated from death. In both cases mentioned above, both were raised in the same human body that they had died in and eventually died. To be resurrected is not just living again in the same body one dies in but resurrected in a new body well suited for life in the eternal state. Although Jesus was not the first one brought back from death, He was the first truly resurrected one.