The Resurrection
But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. 1 Corinthians 15:23 · Berean Standard Bible
There's an order to the resurrection—Christ rose first, and when He returns, everyone who belongs to Him will follow. It's not all happening at once; there's a sequence.
People in Corinth were confused about timing. Some thought the resurrection had already happened spiritually, so there was nothing left to look for. Paul clarifies: Christ's resurrection is the down payment, the guarantee that ours follows.
Paul
This connects to Jesus's promise that He would be 'the firstfruits' of those who had fallen asleep. In Jewish harvest imagery, the firstfruits meant the beginning of the full harvest to come.
Resurrection happens in an ordered sequence: Christ rose first as the guarantee; then believers will rise when He returns.
The Corinthians' skepticism may have included confusion about timing and order. Paul provides an eschatological taxonomy — Christ is aparkhē (firstfruits), the initial and best portion of the harvest that guarantees the full harvest follows. This agricultural metaphor would resonate with Corinthian recipients who understood that the firstfruits offering (Leviticus 23:10-11) sanctified the entire harvest. His parousia (coming/arrival) marks the moment when 'those who belong to Him' — hoi tou Christou, literally those of Christ's possession — enter their resurrection.
Paul, employing typology from the Jewish calendar and temple practice
This is apocalyptic realism — Paul insists that resurrection isn't simultaneous and undifferentiated but ordered, sequential, marked by Christ's primacy. The narrative moves from Adam's death through Christ's resurrection as the pivotal hinge toward the final consummation.
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 at His coming, those who belong to Him.
24Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power.
25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
Read all of 1 Corinthians 15 — If Christ has not been raised, Paul says, everything falls apart. But He has — and that changes everything.
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