a 15:20. Now is Christ risen.

1st Coming

b

15:20. Type Firstfruits.

c

15:21. By man came death.

d

15:21. By man came resurrection.

The Seed

c

15:22. In Adam all die.

d

15:22. In Christ all made alive.

b

15:23. Christ the firstfruits.

2nd Coming

a

They that are Christ's.

The Risen Christ is called `The Firstfruits'.  This fact begins and

ends the section.  Every statement found within these two bounds must be

related to the Scriptural concept of a Firstfruits.  Those who fell asleep,

are said to have fallen asleep `In Christ'.  Is that a Scriptural way of

speaking of the unsaved? Will the unsaved be those who are Christ's at His

coming?  Would a sheaf of early ripened Wheat be a firstfruits of a mixed

harvest of both wheat and tares?  `If the firstfruit be holy, the lump is

also holy'.  That is true when spoken of an elect people as were Israel, but

is it not a contradiction to speak of all men universally as though they were

or could be an `election'?  The harvest of which Christ was the Firstfruits

was to incorruption, to glory, to immortality.  (See Adam1; in Adam2; Seed,

p. 238).

From gospel and faith, the apostle now goes further back to the

connection which Christ's resurrection has with the whole seed as viewed in

Adam, showing that Christ must be raised from the dead for the accomplishment

of the gracious purposes of God.  This is indicated by the firstfruits.

There are eight occurrences of the word aparche `firstfruits', in the New

Testament.  Eight is

the dominical number, the octave, the new start, the resurrection.  The eight

references are as follows:

`Because creation itself shall be delivered from the bondage of

corruption ... ourselves also (groan) which have the firstfruits of the

spirit' (Rom. 8:21-23 author's translation).

`What shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?  For if

the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy' (Rom. 11:15,16).

`Salute my wellbeloved EpAEnetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto

Christ' (Rom. 16:5).

`But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of

them that slept'.  `Christ the firstfruits' (1 Cor. 15:20,23).

`Ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia'

(1 Cor. 16:15).

`That we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures' (Jas. 1:18).

`The firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb' (Rev. 14:4).

It will be seen that the reference in Romans 8 links the type to the

deliverance of creation from the bondage into which it was subjected by

Adam's sin.  James too speaks of a firstfruits, `His creatures'.  Romans 11

uses the word of the remnant of Israel.  Now what common bond is there that