“The First Fruits of Those Who Have Died”

Read 1 Corinthians 15:20, in light of Deuteronomy 26:1–11. In what

sense did Paul refer to the risen Christ as “the first fruits of those

who have died” (NRSV)?

The offering of “the first fruits” was an ancient Israelite agricultural

practice with deep religious significance. It was a sacred recognition of

God as the gracious Provider, who had entrusted His stewards with the

land where the crops grew and were ready to be harvested (see Exod.

23:19, Exod. 34:26, Lev. 2:11–16, Deut. 26:1–11). The first fruits

indicated that the harvest was not only starting but also revealing the

quality of its products.

According to Wayne Grudem, “in calling Christ ‘the first fruits’ (in

Greek aparchē), Paul uses a metaphor from agriculture to indicate that

we will be like Christ. Just as the ‘first fruits’ or the first taste of the

ripen­ing crop show what the rest of the harvest will be like for that

crop, so Christ as the ‘first fruits’ shows what our resurrection bodies

will be like when, in God’s final ‘harvest,’ he raises us from the dead

and brings us into his presence.”—Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids,

MI: Zondervan, 1994), p. 615.

It is worth remembering that Jesus came out of the grave with a glori-

fied human body, but He was still carrying the marks of His crucifixion

(John 20:20, 27). Does this mean that the risen children of God will

likewise bear the physical marks of their own sufferings? In the case of

the apostle Paul, will he still carry in his glorified body the “thorn in

the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7, NKJV) and “the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal.

6:17, NKJV)?

Until his death, Paul “was ever to carry about with him in the body

the marks of Christ’s glory, in his eyes, which had been blinded by

the heavenly light [see Acts 9:1–9].”—Ellen G. White, The Story of

Redemption, p. 275. But this does not mean that he or any other of the

glorified redeemed will be raised with the marks of their own suffer-

ings (compare with 1 Cor. 15:50–54). In the case of Christ, “the marks

of this cruelty He will ever bear. Every print of the nails will tell the

story of man’s wonderful redemption and the dear price by which it was

purchased.”—Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 179. His marks are

what guarantee us that all of ours will be forever gone.

Christ will forever bear the scars of His crucifixion. What does

that reveal about God’s love for us and what it cost to save us? How

does it show, too, how much the Godhead has invested in saving us?