1 Corinthians 15:20-23
The risen Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection to come.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruits of those who are asleep.
21 For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming.
The risen Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection to come.
Paul declares that Christ has indeed been raised from the dead and explains that His resurrection inaugurates the future resurrection of those who belong to Him.
This passage marks a decisive turning point in Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15. Having shown the absurdity of denying resurrection, Paul now declares the positive reality of Christ's resurrection and explains its theological significance. The resurrection of Christ inaugurates the future resurrection of believers, establishing a redemptive parallel between Adam and Christ that Paul will continue to develop throughout the chapter.
Paul addresses confusion in the Corinthian church regarding the resurrection of believers. By declaring Christ as the 'firstfruits,' Paul draws from agricultural imagery familiar within Jewish Scripture and Greco-Roman agricultural life to explain the certainty of future resurrection.
Christ Is Risen, the Dead Will Be Raised, and Death Will Be Destroyed
Because Christ has been bodily raised from the dead as the firstfruits of his people, believers will also be raised, death itself will be defeated, and therefore Christian faith, holiness, suffering, and labor are meaningful and steadfast in the Lord.