1 Corinthians 15:20-34
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.”[c] 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.
29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesuswith no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.”[d]
33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”[e] 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Next Sunday at soulcity we are celebrating our First Fruits offering. In the Bible you find three types of giving:
- the tithe, which is ten percent of your income and was given to the priests.
- offerings, which are regular gifts beyond the tithe. For example, many Christians might support a Compassion child or give to a local charity.
- extreme generosity offerings, which are designed to show your trust and love for God.
First Fruits is the third type. It is a time when we give big to God as a spiritual discipline, showing our love and priority for him. The church gets really excited about it and it feels like a faith stretching time. The idea is taken from the Old Testament where the Israelites would give the first of their fruits to God. In fact one of the earliest stories, Cain and Abel was about this practice. God was happy with Abel’s offering because it was the first of his flocks. Whereas, Cain did not. This shows the heart of the First Fruits offering. It was not about giving God the best or the most but the first. It was about priority and the idea was that by giving God the first, that he would bless the rest.
In this passage, Pauls says that Adam was the First Fruits (offering) of creation. He brought death into the world and so, everything that has come after him has been cursed by death. However, Jesus is a new first fruits offering. He is bringing life into the world, and so any of his children will also be blessed in the same way, with resurrection life. He was given to God, so that the rest of us could be blessed.
What this means is that if you are a follower of Jesus and are part of his kingdom, then you receive all the blessings because he was your first fruits offering. His resurrection is your promise of new life and resurrection. The sacrifice of the first fruits affects how God blesses the rest.
