“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Corinthians 15:20 Mean?
1 Corinthians 15:20 is the hinge of the entire New Testament: "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." After seventeen verses demolishing the consequences of denying the resurrection — no risen Christ means no gospel, no forgiveness, no hope, the apostles are liars, and the dead are perished (15:12-19) — Paul pivots with two of the most decisive words in Scripture: but now.
The Greek nyni de — "but now" — snaps the argument from hypothesis back to reality. Paul wasn't exploring a theoretical possibility. He was showing the absurdity of denying what actually happened. But now — the hypothesis collapses. Christ is risen. It's done. It's real.
"Firstfruits" — aparchē — is agricultural and sacrificial language. The firstfruits were the initial portion of the harvest, offered to God as a guarantee that the rest was coming. When Paul calls Christ the firstfruits of those who have died, he's saying: the resurrection isn't an isolated event. It's the beginning of a harvest. Christ's rising guarantees yours. If the first sheaf is in, the full field is next. His resurrection isn't just about Him. It's the down payment on everyone who has ever died in faith.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you live as though the resurrection is a historical fact that changes everything, or a theological idea you affirm on Easter?
- 2.Christ as 'firstfruits' means His resurrection guarantees yours. How does that change how you grieve the people you've lost?
- 3.Paul's 'but now' snaps from hopelessness to hope. Is there a 'but now' moment you need in your current season?
- 4.If Christ's resurrection is the down payment on your own, how should that affect your fear of death?
Devotional
But now. Two words that reverse everything.
Paul has just walked through the darkest possible scenario: what if Christ didn't rise? Then preaching is empty. Faith is useless. The apostles are frauds. The dead are gone forever. And Christians are the most pitiable people alive. That's the world without resurrection. And then: but now.
Christ is risen. Actually, historically, bodily risen. Not symbolically. Not in the hearts of His followers. From the dead. The stone rolled. The tomb empty. The body alive. And because He's alive, everything Paul just described as hopeless is inverted. The preaching is powerful. Faith is valid. The dead in Christ are alive. And Christians are the most enviable people on earth.
"Firstfruits" is the word that makes this personal. If Christ were the only person who ever rose from the dead, it would be a miraculous anomaly — impressive but irrelevant to your future. But firstfruits means He's the first of many. The initial harvest that promises the rest is coming. When Christ walked out of that tomb, He wasn't just proving He was God. He was previewing what will happen to everyone who belongs to Him.
Your death — and the death of everyone you've loved and lost — is not the end. It's a sleep that will be interrupted. The firstfruits guarantee the harvest. Christ's resurrection is the receipt for yours. If you've buried someone you love, this verse says: the first sheaf is in. The field is next.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For since by man came death,.... The first man, by sin, was the cause of death; of its coming into the world, and upon…
But now is Christ risen ... - This language is the bursting forth of a full heart and of overpowering conviction. It…
But now is Christ risen - On the contrary, Christ is raised from the dead, and is become the first fruits of them that…
In this passage the apostle establishes the truth of the resurrection of the dead, the holy dead, the dead in Christ,
I.…
But now is Christ risen from the dead St Paul considers it needless to argue the point further. He appeals not so much…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture