01.03. The Resurrection Of The Race
Chapter 3 - The Resurrection Of The Race "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept.
"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" (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
Paul’s conclusion in the premises must be ours, when he says: "Now is Christ risen from the dead." But what of the inference he draws? Here apply Dean Alford’s words about Christ’s "inclusive humanity," and "the revelation of holy mysteries imparted by special inspiration." From history alone Paul might have known that Christ arose, but without revelation how could he have known that Christ was "the firstfruits of them that slept," and how could he have made the peculiar application of it which he does? By the "first-fruits" is meant the earnest or pledge that the whole resurrection harvest will follow. There is some reason to believe that this epistle was written about the time of the passover (1 Corinthians 15:7), while the day after the Passover Sabbath was that for the offering of the first-fruits (Leviticus 23:10-11). As the same was the day of Christ’s resurrection, we perceive the appropriateness of the image.
There were indeed those who rose from the dead before Christ, as the man whose corpse touched the bones of Elisha (2 Kings 13:21), or those whom Christ Himself raised from the dead, and others who came out of their graves at the time of His crucifixion. But in all these cases there was a return to the grave afterwards, and hence no resurrection in the sense that they never saw death again. He was the first-fruits of them that slept and who now are alive forevermore! But how shall we explain the words that follow? "We know that by man came death," for this we are taught in the story of Eden and the comment upon it in Romans 5. And we know that " by man came also the resurrection of the dead," for, as we have seen, through Christ this great blessing has been received. And yet the meaning of the word "all" is not clear. "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." Does it have the same significance in both cases? We know that all men without exception die in Adam, but do all men without exception rise in Christ? This may be accepted without danger if we keep in mind that there are two kinds of resurrection-a resurrection of the just and of the unjust, a resurrection unto life, and a resurrection unto condemnation (Luke 14:14; John 5:29). Indeed it strengthens the Gospel position to insist that because Christ has risen from the dead, every man shall rise, both the wicked and the righteous, whether he will or not, to receive the things done in his body whether they be good or bad. But instead of emphasizing the word "all" we might emphasize the word "in," and then the teaching would be that only those who are in Christ, i. e., believing on Him, and saved by Him, are thus referred to. Of course, this would not exclude the thought just spoken of, that the wicked as well as the righteous are to rise, but only limit our attention for the moment to the latter.
What a wonderful thought then this is, and how comforting and assuring to Christian faith, that "because He lives, we shall live also" (John 14:19)! Our spiritual life now (to us who believe on Him), and our eternal life hereafter, are both secured by His life. To accommodate the figure used in this and other of the epistles, He is the head of His body, the Church, of which we are the members, and hence His life guarantees our life. My head cannot rise from the dead without including the rising of my whole body, and in like manner, Christ’s resurrection is incomplete without that of His people who are united to Him (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Romans 6:8-11; Ephesians 3:4-7; Colossians 2:9-12).