1 Corinthians 15:20-22 ~ 20150426 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
04/26 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 Raised In Christ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20150426_1cor15_20-22.mp3
20 Νυνὶ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων. 21 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι’ ἀνθρώπου θάνατος, καὶ δι’ ἀνθρώπου ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν· 22 ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνῄσκουσιν, οὕτως καὶ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ πάντες ζῳοποιηθήσονται. 23 ἕκαστος δὲ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι· ἀπαρχὴ Χριστός, ἔπειτα οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ· 24 εἶτα τὸ τέλος, ὅταν παραδιδῷ τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί, ὅταν καταργήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν, 25 δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἄχρι οὗ θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. 26 ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος, 27 πάντα γὰρ ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ ὅτι πάντα ὑποτέτακται, δῆλον ὅτι ἐκτὸς τοῦ ὑποτάξαντος αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα. 28 ὅταν δὲ ὑποταγῇ αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, τότε αὐτὸς ὁ υἱὸς ὑποταγήσεται τῷ ὑποτάξαντι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, ἵνα ᾖ ὁ θεὸς πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν.
1 Corinthians 15 [ESV2011]
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Last week we looked at the consequences of believing something that is not true. The gospel is a message that is anchored in real historical events. It claims to be objectively, historically true. If it is not what it claims to be, there are dire consequences. The gospel, the good news is a proclamation that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was really dead, and that Christ was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that he was really alive – he appeared to many. If Christ in actuality remained dead, then the gospel message is empty and believing in it is worthless, those who proclaim it are false witnesses and frauds, there is no escape from the punishment your sins deserve, and those who have died trusting in Jesus are forever lost. If it turns out that there is no resurrection, we will have wasted our lives. Every sacrifice, all the suffering, all the effort and energy expended, all the heartache, all the storing up treasures in heaven, all the trading present pleasures for future hopes, was an empty fantasy, and our lives are pathetic and pitiable. It matters not only that you believe and how sincerely you believe but it makes all the difference what you are believing, and if what you are trusting in is real and true.
Perfect Tense
Paul has been exploring what if's. What if there is no resurrection? What are the hypothetical consequences if the resurrection did not in fact happen? Here in verse 20 he moves back into reality. But now Christ is risen from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is an historical reality. The verb 'raised' through the majority of this chapter is in the perfect tense; this is a verb tense which emphasizes the present effect of a past event. Christ was raised from the dead. That is an historical fact. But Christ today is risen. He continues today in his resurrected state. He is bodily, physically alive today. This has implications for us today.
Firstfruits
1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Christ is called the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. To fall asleep in Scripture is a gentle euphemism for the death of a believer. If you fall asleep, you will wake up still you, but refreshed. Death is pictured as sleep. Later in this chapter, Paul will liken death to the planting of a seed. As seed goes into the ground, it begins to decay, but suddenly life bursts forth! Life comes out of death. That life bears fruit and gives life to others. Christ is said to be the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. In the Old Testament, God's people were to keep feasts to commemorate his saving activity. They were to keep the Passover, where a lamb was killed to cover them, to protect them from God's wrath. When God brought them into the promised land, they were to take the first of the produce of the land in the spring and present it to the Lord as an offering. According to Leviticus 23, this was to take place on the Sunday after the Sabbath, after the Passover. The firstfruits was symbolic. The first and the best of the land was given to the Lord, and the firstfruits was the first of more to come. The firstfruits was the same kind as the rest of the harvest, and it was the beginning, which promised more like it to come. You plant crops so that you can harvest and live off of those crops. If you take the first of the harvest and give it to the Lord, this is an act of faith, trusting that there is more to come.
Jesus is called the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep because his resurrection is the same kind as ours; he was physically, bodily, tangibly raised from the dead and lives forever, and we too can expect a real physical bodily resurrection. And Jesus is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep because his resurrection is a promise of more of the same to come. Because he died a physical human death, and his life sprang out of that death, we can be confident that we too, although we will face physical death, we will be raised to newness of life.
Adam and Christ
1 Corinthians 15:21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
Paul gives the reason that Christ is the firstfruits of the dead. Death was through a man. God created man to love him, to obey him, to enjoy him, to glorify him forever. He created humans with the capacity for worship. And he gave them a test. One tree, in the midst of a plentiful garden of pleasure. Submit to God's authority, or throw off that yoke and become your own authority. Worship the one true God, or worship self. And life and death hung in the balance. Continue in unbroken fellowship with the living God who loves you and cares for your every need, or declare your independence, place self at the center, sever the relationship, and attempt to survive separated from the God who gives life and breath and everything good to enjoy. We rebelled against a generous and good God, and death came into the world. Man brought death into God's good world. Through man death.
Romans 5 spells this out:
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Romans 6 says:
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death
The wages of sin is death. Sin came into the world through one man, Adam, and death came into the world as a result of his sin. Humanity rebelled and everything died. This world is broken, and we broke it. God created everything good and beautiful to give him praise and we touched it and said 'mine' and it all turned ugly and grew thorns and began to decay. Man sinned and brought death into God's good creation. Man did this. Humans did this. Death was not a part of human nature. Death, physical and spiritual death was a virus introduced into humanity by the first man.
True Humanity
1 Corinthians 15:21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
A man did this great evil. A man must undo it. Through a man the resurrection of corpses. This points us to the real genuine humanity of Christ. Just as Adam was human, Jesus was truly human.
There are plenty of Scriptures that clearly tell us that the Son of God is God from all eternity, equal to and eternal with the Father, no beginning and no end, sharing with his Father and the Spirit every characteristic that makes God God. John 1, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1 are just a few of the many many passages that clearly communicate the eternal divine nature of Jesus. But at a point in history God the Son became something he had never been before. He was conceived in the womb of a virgin. He was born in a cave in Bethlehem. He became human. Remaining what he was, he became what he was not. He became God with us. God incarnate. God with flesh on. His divine person was inextricably knit to a real human nature. He became the God-man. Continuing to be fully God, he became really and truly human. That is the wonder of Christmas, that God became a man.
If Jesus was not who he was, he could not have accomplished what he did. If he were merely human and not God, his death would have no value beyond himself. If as God he never took on human nature, he would be unable to stand in our place. He could be our judge but not our Savior. But because he, eternal God, became really and truly human, he could take our place as our substitute. Because he continued to be fully divine, his death was of infinite worth, and he was fully capable of bearing the weight of every sin any human had ever committed.
It was a man that brought sin and its consequences into this world through his disobedience in the garden. It was a man who conquered sin and reversed those consequences by his perfect obedience, restoring God's good creation so that it could again give him glory and praise. By a man comes resurrection of the dead.
Representatives
1 Corinthians 15:21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
There is a parallel between Adam and Christ. In Adam all die. All of us are descended from Adam. In seed form, we were all present when Adam rebelled. We share his guilt. He acted as our representative. All of us who are in Adam, who are on his team, who are united with Adam in his rebellion against God, will die like Adam died. 'To be in Adam is to be part of the group that has Adam as its representative leader, who finds its identity and destiny in Adam and what he brought about for his people.' (Ciampa & Rosner, PNTC p.763).
Just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. At first read, this may sound universal. Because of Adam every single human will experience death. Because of Jesus Christ, every single human will enjoy resurrection. But if we read more carefully, we see this is not the case, and this would be contrary to the clear teaching of all of Scripture. It is all those who are in Adam that are included in the consequences of his rebellion. This indeed includes all humanity. But it is all those (and only those) who are in Christ who enjoy resurrection life. This does not include every human; this is a sub-set of humanity. Not all who are in Adam come to be in Christ. Those who are in Christ are those who take Jesus as their representative leader, who find our identity and destiny in Christ and what he brought about for his people. Those who belong to him.
Many people complain about the injustice of suffering the consequences of the rebellion of Adam. It doesn't seem fair. But this is fair. If you are in Adam, you join him in his actions and in his consequences. You follow in his footsteps. You do what he did, you refuse to worship and submit to the one true God, and you set yourself up as the god you worship and serve, and you sever yourself from the God who really is. You deserve the same consequences Adam received. But the good news is you don't have to stay in Adam. There is another choice. You can transfer your allegiance. You can take Christ as your representative. All those who are in Christ, who unite themselves to Christ and belong to Christ, will be made alive. This refers to more than a bare resurrection, it points us to real life. Jesus said
John 10:10 ... I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
God will give abundant life to those who are in Christ Jesus. They will truly live. They will know the fullness of joy in his presence. A reconciled relationship. Fellowship with God. Intimacy. Communion. To all who are in Christ.
In Christ
What does it mean to be in Christ? Much of the New Testament talks about being in Christ. This letter starts out addressing the church of God, 'to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints'. Paul gives thanks to God for 'the grace of God that was given you in Christ.' Paul says in 1:28-30
1 Corinthians 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
We are set apart in Christ Jesus, we are given grace in Christ, we are in Christ Jesus because of God who chooses what is low and despised, the nothings in the world. Wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption are found in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5 says
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Romans 8 says
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
God reconciles people to himself in Christ. He does not count our sins against us in Christ. In Christ, we are made new. The condemnation we deserve is taken away in Christ Jesus. Paul says in Philippians 3:
Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
Righteousness comes not from works of the law but from being found in Christ through faith. Jesus told his followers in John 15:
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Jesus invites us to abide in him like a branch abides in the vine. We stay connected to him, drawing everything we need from him, bearing fruit through his resources and for his glory.
We are placed in Christ by God through faith. We receive grace in Christ, we are sanctified in Christ, we are reconciled to God in Christ, we find forgiveness in Christ, we escape condemnation in Christ, we receive God's righteousness in Christ, we are made new in Christ. If we are in Christ, if we died in Christ, at his coming we will be raised to life, abundant resurrection life in him. We will find that whatever the sacrifice, whatever the cost, however we were poured out and laid down our life in the service of Christ, it was worth it. It was not in vain.
Who is your representative? Who are you connected to? In whom do you find your identity and your destiny? Is self at the center, independent, autonomous, I can do it my self my way. Or are you connected to Christ, being found in him, not having your own righteousness, but trusting in him, depending on him, receiving from him, drawing sustenance from him, submitting to his good authority? Giving all glory and praise to him for he is worthy?
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org