As we get into the heart of 1 Corinthians 15, we have come to the comparison of Adam and Christ. Walking through the rhetorical argument Paul gives in V.12-20 reminds us that without the physical resurrection of Christ, our religion is worthless. The comparison of Adam, the direct creation of God, created perfect and became imperfect through direct disobedience in issue of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the sinless Son of God, becoming sin for us helps us to understand the condition the world is in.
Romans 5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
2 Corinthians 5:21: For he (God the Father) hath made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Adam’s sin was a choice to disobey God in eating the fruit (Genesis 2:15-16). He was not beguiled and fooled into eating the fruit, like Eve. He chose to die that spiritual death, God promised would happen, if he ate the fruit. The perfect man in body, soul, and spirit, became imperfect with the death of his spirit. Everyone born into this world is born a living soul, living body, and a dead spirit, because of Adam. This is what Jesus came to restore in man, through his death, burial, and resurrection – restore us to that perfect fellowship / relationship that Adam gave up.
Ephesians 2:1-7: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Our dead spirit is given life through the gift of God – eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord! Everyone still in Adam, only has eternal death awaiting them. It is only in Christ that we are all made alive!
I am looking forward to walking through V.23 next week and seeing the 3 part harvest of the first resurrection. It will be a great study! The key to understanding how this resurrection is accomplished is to understand any harvest of crops: first fruits — that which ripens early picturing the Old Testament saints, main harvest that which ripens in mass, picturing the rapture of the Church Age saints, and then the gleanings harvest — fruit that ripens late, picturing the resurrection of the tribulation saints. We will begin with the last portion of V.20, which states, But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. It will be awesome!