“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.” -1 Corinthians 15:20-23
I find that my inquisitive nature is both a blessing and a curse, as will become apparent in my commentary concerning this passage of Scripture. The mind is a astonishing thing, though it can also serve evil, but it was gifted by God that we may seek out the wonderful mysteries of Him. Yet, our faith must surpass our own understanding, for God is beyond the reason of man. Rather than use this as an excuse, the inability to reason God and His ways, is perfectly reasonable. If we were able to reason God, we would need to be Him, which is impossible. Much like you can know a person, you can’t really know them to a full degree unless you are actually one in the same, which trespasses against the law of identity. Thus, we see only as a poor reflection and though we can approach God using the mind, the fullness is unattainable.
We can stretch our minds to have great understanding of the Lord, and such wisdom is provided by Him, but there is a line past which man cannot reason, where thought becomes defused, a chaos of reason, if you will. This is an important thing to realize, if one who is as inquisitive as I am begins to get tripped up from unanswered questions, as it used to do with me. A couple other things to realize are:
- Just because you don’t have an answer, doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
- Answers can be hard to come by, but most often they come not from teachers or pastors, but from the Lord Himself.
- If the mind of man is corrupt and evil, how can we possibly fully comprehend that which is perfect and good? Perfect goodness cannot be fully comprehended.
- If you have pondered it, chances are someone else has as well, therefore a answer, or rather partial answer, is bound to be available somewhere.
- If you feel your questions eating at your faith, this is really a manifestation of pride. Wait on the Lord to provide an answer, if the question is that important to you, remain in prayer.
In this verse, it tells us Christ was the Firstfruit. What is meant by this? Christ at the time of His resurrection, arose with a new glorified body. One that is free of decay and will never pass away. He was the first to receive such a body, but won’t be the last. While Christ justly received His new body, we, those who belong to Him, will receive it according to His grace. If death came through the disobedience of one man, as 1 Corinthians tells us, how much more can the perfect obedience of Christ negate the disobedient act of he who cursed all man?
Again, His body is the first of the new bodies which we will be granted at the time of our passing from death into life. Christians will be raised again, with the blood of Christ covering us and we will be seen as righteous, through grace, and we will acquire our new bodies through the Son of Man. Our bodies will be unperishable and not be bound to the physical world and it’s laws as we now know it.
This certainly is a glorious truth that we eagerly await. When the Lord comes in glory we will be free of the struggle, the pain, the anguish, and the disgusting nature of sin which stains us all. What a glorious day it will be! However, here my inquisitive mind interjects and asks a question, I almost can’t help but ask, and as of now I have no answer. The question is this:
If Christ is the Firstfruit, and I have faith He is, then how could He talk with both Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1-9)? Were they not resurrected?
One answer seems rather obvious. Elijah never died, but was whisked off to heaven in a whirlwind accompanied by a chariot of fire and horses. For this reason I believe the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11:1-14 will be Enoch and Elijah, for both in the scriptures did not experience physical death, but were taken straight up into heaven in bodily form. Thus, both have yet to die, which the two witnesses will be subject to before being raised up again to life.
The famous Hank Hanegraaff, who is well renowned for providing biblical answers, said on his blog concerning this question:
“There is no reason to think that they (Moses and Elijah) had yet received permanent resurrected bodies.”
Truly, the Bible doesn’t say that at all. Both were beloved by God and may have been called from Abraham’s Bosom to speak to the Lord. Also, the fact that the transfiguration occurred at this very time, might indicate, that in this miraculous event, Christ was transcending the world prior, of course, to His crucifixion. However, this is all speculative, and exactly what form Moses, whom the Law was given, and Elijah, whom was the restorer of the Law, took might be a mute point when juxtaposed with the “pre-incarnate” glory manifest in Christ. Whatever the answer is, perhaps it lies in the chaos of reason and I would not even be able to grasp a full answer, and thereby the inquisitive nature is overshadowed by that of faith. My faith in the Scripture, which I have no reason to disbelieve, tells me that Christ was indeed the Firstfruit, and Moses and Elijah were in form of something different than the glorified body, for Christ had not yet became glorified, so the opportunity for the two men to receive their new bodies had not yet come to pass.
We must be wary not to include those things in the Bible that it does not say. In this case it does not say that they, Moses and Elijah, were in bodily form, so there is no reason, truly, to conclude that they are. Though, again, at least one, Elijah, could have been. Another form is possible, for we know people after their earthly death go into Hades, or Abraham’s bosom. Therefore, it follows that they still exist in some form and perhaps it was this form that, at least Moses took, on the Mount of Transfiguration. Finally, the mountain itself is unknown, but three suggestions have been made concerning its identification, though admittedly this is somewhat irrelevant. The three candidates offered by scholars and tradition are, Mount Tabor, Mount Hermon, and even Mount Sinai, the latter being the most unlikely of the three due to its location.
Thanks again to Terie for her insight, a true Princess of The Lord and The Queen of Grammar. 🙂
My brother you are one of the deep thinkers of the day….Too few think for themseves what the scriptures mean. As you point out we must not have conclusions that the bible does not bring us to.
Too many use the word to back up what they already believe to be true, few use the word to discover error which they themselves believe to be true.
“He was the first to reciieve such a body,”….I love it. May I add. just as God took on a body and we see flesh so we too shall take on spirit that others shall see Jesus…. (just a thought!)
Thanks for a good read today.
Have a fabulous weekend my brother
Paul
Greetings,
Once again, I would like to say what a blessing your encouragement is. I consider it confirmation from the Lord, that my efforts are pleasing to Him. It has taken me years to accept where the Lord has led me, and only now have I started to get over the fear of this. I as of yet, don’t think the Lord has for me a leadership role, but He has revealed to me that I must share what He has taught me, lest I be as the wicked servant who buried his talent, given by the Landowner, in the ground. All our gifts from the Lord should be shared, and refined by those in the body, that we may not be one of those who enter heaven, like they have just been snatched from the fire. But rather, let us strive to walk in comfortably, full in the knowledge that we have pleased the Lord with our lives.
In addition, let me add that I really enjoyed the compare/contrast which you offered in your comment. Its vastly important that when people observe us, they see Christ, and not the sinner which we, speaking for myself here, may have been at a previous time. I find reading your blogs that you aren’t one to bury your talents in the ground, and your entries have been a blessing to me beyond what I can say here. May the Lord continue to develop your ministry and lead people to you.
in His Name,
–Brandon
Brandon,
Once again when I have posed a question in prayer, I find the answers here in your blog! I’m so blessed to have you to glean from. I cannot thank you for following the path that the Lord has set you on, because it has become very beneficial to me as well. Please keep seeking His word, and I will keep reading 🙂
Glory be to God!
Terie
Terie,
Amen. As you know, I didn’t plan it that way, its just how the Lord has led me. That it happens to coincide with your inquiries is, quite simply, a fantastic manifestation of God’s presence in our lives. Thank you for joining me on this journey, for I am immensely blessed in observing and participating in how our Lord is changing your life. In addition, thank you for your patience concerning my addiction to the Word of God. You not only take an interest in it, but encourage it as well, and I can’t thank you enough for that. Thank you for all your input, in both discussion of the points I feel the Lord has led me to, and the grammatical errors that appear far too often within my writings. You are truly a blessing to my life.
In His Name,
–Brandon
Reblogged this on YOU DECIDE and commented:
TY for the follow, great blog 😀
Likewise my friend. Likewise. 🙂 Look forward to some correspondence in the near future.