Do You Belong to the Firstfruits?

© 2017 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton) 

When Kathy and I had an apple orchard, we eagerly awaited the first apples of the season.  All winter, the trees were bare.  But in early spring, we’d walk in the orchard looking for the first sweet-smelling, pink blossoms to appear.  When they did, it was a beautiful sight.  Some of the blossoms would begin showing little tiny apples growing at their bases.  Finally, the day would come when we would pick the first apple from the trees.  This was always exciting, because it was the evidence that more apples would soon be harvested.  The first apple was the “firstfruits” of our orchard.

The Bible speaks of an even greater harvest.  It’s a vibrant spiritual harvest of those that have physically died in Christ.  Scripture points out that the very foundation of this harvest is Christ’s resurrection from the dead.  By shedding His blood, He paid to save His people from their sins.  By rising from the dead, He became the “firstfruits of them that slept.”

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:19-23)

Notice that only those who are Christ’s shall be resurrected to eternal life when He returns.  All descendents of Adam died spiritually as a result of Adam’s fall.  But those redeemed from this fall, by Christ’s sin payment, will once again be restored to spiritual life.  Though they die physically, they shall be joyfully resurrected to eternal life even as Christ was resurrected.

Just as our first apple of the season was a wonderful promise of more fruit to come, Christ’s resurrection from physical death was a wonderful promise of the final resurrection of His people from death.

Has Christ changed your heart?  Has He given you life and faith?  Are you alive with anticipation of His coming, or still dead from the fall?

Did Christ’s resurrection foreshadow yours, or are you still in unbelief?

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