I Corinthians 15:20 · Bible study
1 Corinthians 15:20 Commentary: Firstfruits of Resurrection
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Paul declares Christ's resurrection as the firstfruits of those who sleep, grounding our hope in his victory over death.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Christ's resurrection is the firstfruits, the guarantee and pattern of the resurrection of all believers, as the first sheaf of harvest pledges the whole crop.
- Key words: Νυνὶ (now, emphatic), ἐγήγερται (has been raised, perfect passive, a completed state with ongoing result), ἀπαρχὴ (firstfruits, technical term from the Levitical offering).
- Main debate: Whether 'and become' (ἐγένετο) is original (omitted in early mss; see JFB, Vincent, Lange). The meaning is unaffected: Christ 'became' firstfruits in the sense that his resurrection inaugurated the new creation.
- Theological theme: Resurrection as the central Christian hope, founded on the historical fact of Christ's rising and secured by its representative and sacramental nature as firstfruits.
- Best use: A foundation for hope in grief, a corrective to despair, and a promise that the whole person, body and soul, is redeemed and will be raised.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
WEB World English Bible 2000
But now Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruit of those who are asleep.
KJV King James Version 1769
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And now, Christ hath risen out of the dead--the first-fruits of those sleeping he became,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
(But now Christ is raised from among [the] dead, first-fruits of those fallen asleep.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But now Christ is risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that sleep:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas ahora Cristo ha resucitado de los muertos; primicias de los que durmieron es hecho.
Mas de fato Cristo ressuscitou dos mortos, e foi feito as primícias dos que dormiram.
Mais maintenant, Christ est ressuscité des morts, il est les prémices de ceux qui sont morts.
Nun ist aber Christus auferstanden von den Toten und der Erstling geworden unter denen, die da schlafen.
Maar nu, Christus is opgewekt uit de doden, en is de Eersteling geworden dergenen, die ontslapen zijn.
Ma ora Cristo è risuscitato dai morti, primizia di quelli che dormono.
Lecz teraz Chrystus z martwych wzbudzony jest i stał się pierwiastkiem tych, którzy zasnęli.
Но Христос воскрес из мертвых, первенец из умерших.
但 基督 已經 從 死 裡復活，成為睡了 之人初熟的果子。
But now Christ has truly come back from the dead, the first-fruits of those who are sleeping.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · I Corinthians 15:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse marks the decisive pivot in Paul's argument. After spelling out the devastating consequences if Christ had not risen (vv. 16, 19), he now declares the truth with full conviction. Barnes calls it 'the bursting forth of a full heart and of overpowering conviction.' The word 'now' (Νυνὶ) carries emphatic force, not merely chronological but logical: given the absurdities that follow from denying the resurrection, here is the fact that overturns them all.
On 'firstfruits' (ἀπαρχὴ), the commentators are equally united. Drawing on Leviticus 23:10, 11, they see Christ as the first sheaf of the harvest, offered to God on the day after the Passover Sabbath, the very day he rose (Lightfoot, cited by Clarke and Calvin). As the firstfruits both guarantee the coming harvest and consecrate it, so Christ's resurrection guarantees and consecrates the resurrection of all who belong to him. Wesley calls it 'the earnest, pledge, and insurance of their resurrection.' The metaphor assures not only that believers will rise, but what kind of resurrection it will be: like his, a bodily resurrection to immortal life.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Christ has truly risen from the dead, and his resurrection is the guarantee and pattern of the resurrection of all who belong to him.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'firstfruits' (ἀπαρχὴ) | Christ is the first to rise to immortal life, never to die again, and his resurrection guarantees the resurrection of those who belong to him. | Some stress the temporal priority (Christ as the chronologically first to rise to never-ending life; Lightfoot, Gill), while others stress the representative or consecrating function (as the sheaf sanctifies the whole harvest; Calvin, Cambridge). Both are affirmed across traditions. |
| Who is included in 'those who are asleep'? | The phrase refers to believers who have died. Paul uses 'fallen asleep' consistently for Christians (1 Cor 15:6, 18). | Some see the reference limited to saints who died before Christ's resurrection (Gill: 'chiefly the saints that died before Christ'), while most understand it as all who die in Christ, both before and after his rising. The point is the same: Christ's resurrection is the pledge for all. |
| The nature of believers' resurrection from this verse | Because Christ rose bodily, believers will also rise bodily. The firstfruits metaphor implies that our resurrection will be like his, a transformed, immortal body. | Some traditions (e.g., those influenced by Platonic dualism) emphasize the soul's immortality and are less specific about bodily resurrection, but Paul's argument in the chapter explicitly defends the body. The verse itself does not explore the details of the resurrection body; those come later in the chapter (vv. 35, 49). |
Historical & Cultural Context
First-century Judaism structured its agricultural year around festivals that anticipated God's provision. The Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9, 14) required the priest to wave a single sheaf of barley before the Lord on the day after the Sabbath that followed Passover. That sheaf was not merely a token of gratitude; it sanctified the entire harvest and gave the farmer legal right to begin reaping. The firstfruits were the promise that the rest would follow.
Paul writes to a church in Corinth whose members, surrounded by Greco-Roman culture, found the idea of bodily resurrection hard to accept. Some among them (likely influenced by Platonic dualism) taught that only the soul survives, that the body is too corrupt to be raised. Paul has spent the first part of 1 Corinthians 15 demolishing that position by showing its logical end: if the dead are not raised, Christ is not raised, faith is futile, and the dead have perished (v. 18).
Now he turns the corner. The word 'now' (Νυνὶ) is the hinge. Barnes explains that Paul grows 'weary of meeting objections' and appeals directly to the known fact that Christ is risen. And he ties that fact to Israel's liturgical calendar: the very day Christ rose from the tomb was the day the priest waved the firstfruits sheaf. Lightfoot (cited by Clarke and Calvin) notes the harmony: 'Christ, our passover, was crucified: the day following his crucifixion was the Sabbath, and the day following that, he, the firstfruits of them that slept, rose again.' Every Jewish reader would grasp the implication, the resurrection is not an isolated miracle but the beginning of a harvest that includes all who sleep in Christ.
Textual Notes
The phrase 'and become' (καὶ ἐγένετο) is absent from the earliest manuscripts (P⁴6, Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) and is omitted by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Vincent, and Lange. Later manuscripts insert it, perhaps to smooth the reading. Without it, Paul writes: 'Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep.' The metaphor stands either way; the omission simply makes the apposition tighter. The consulted sources note no other significant variants.
Reception History
This verse has been a cornerstone of Christian hope from the earliest centuries. It forms part of the burial liturgy in nearly every Christian tradition (as Lange notes), read at gravesides to comfort the grieving with the certainty of resurrection. In the patristic period, Irenaeus and Tertullian used it to argue against Gnostic denial of bodily resurrection, insisting that Christ's rising as firstfruits shows the flesh itself is redeemed. Augustine wove it into his theology of the two Adams, contrasting the firstfruits of death from Adam with the firstfruits of life from Christ. The verse appears in countless hymns of resurrection hope, most directly in Charles Wesley's 'Christ the Lord Is Risen Today' and in the Eastern Orthodox paschal troparion. Its agricultural metaphor made it immediately accessible to every culture that knows planting and harvest, and its theological weight has anchored the church's confession that because he lives, we shall live also.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The 'now' of certainty. Paul leaves the hypothetical behind and rests on the fact of Christ's resurrection. ('The language is the bursting forth of a full heart', Barnes.)
- The nature of the firstfruits. Like the sheaf waved on the day after Passover, Christ rises as the beginning of a harvest that includes every believer. His resurrection guarantees ours (Calvin, Gill, Matthew Henry).
- The harvest that follows. Because he lives, we will live also. The firstfruits sanctify the whole crop; Christ's resurrection sets the pattern and secures the outcome for all who belong to him.
Five-point outline
- A sharp turn. Paul has shown the despair that would follow no resurrection. Now he states the reality: 'But now Christ has been raised.'
- A known fact. He appeals to what the Corinthians already know, the risen Christ appeared to Peter, the twelve, and over five hundred brothers (v. 6).
- A Jewish image. The firstfruits offering (Lev 23) involved the first sheaf, waved before God, pledging the harvest. Paul uses this to show that Christ's resurrection is the pledge of ours.
- A specific timing. Christ rose on the very day the firstfruits were offered, the day after the Sabbath after Passover (Lightfoot). The calendar itself proclaimed the meaning.
- A guaranteed future. As the firstfruits sanctify the harvest, Christ's resurrection consecrates and ensures the resurrection of those who belong to him. 'Because he lives, they shall live also' (Gill).
Illustration hooks
- First breath of spring. The first crocus pushing through snow is not the whole display, but it proves winter is ending. One small flower guarantees the season to come.
- A deposit on a house. A down payment is a small fraction of the full price, but it commits the buyer and seller to complete the deal. The resurrection of Christ is God's deposit on the full harvest of his people.
- The starter in sourdough. A small portion of fermented dough is saved and added to the next batch; it carries life to the whole loaf. Christ, the firstfruits, passes his risen life to the whole harvest.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I be certain that I will be raised? Doesn't the fact feel remote from my daily struggles?
- If death is so final and terrible, how does Christ's resurrection really change things for me right now?
- What about believers who died long before Christ, are they included in this 'firstfruits' promise, or is it only for those who come after?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is the hinge of Paul's entire argument about the resurrection. The first part of the chapter shows that if the dead are not raised, then Christ is not raised, and our faith is useless. Here he turns the corner and declares the fact that changes everything. As you read and discuss, pay close attention to the word 'now' and the image of 'firstfruits', both are packed with meaning.
Discussion questions
- What is the emotional effect of Paul's shift at verse 20? Why does Barnes say it sounds like 'the bursting forth of a full heart'?
- What does the timing of Christ's resurrection (the day firstfruits were offered) add to the meaning of the metaphor? (See Leviticus 23:10, 11.)
- How does calling Christ 'the firstfruits' guarantee both the certainty and the nature of our resurrection? What does it tell us about what our resurrection will be like?
- In what ways does Christ's resurrection 'consecrate' or 'sanctify' the resurrection of believers? (Refer to Calvin's and Gill's comments.)
- Why might the Corinthians have struggled to believe in bodily resurrection, and how does Paul's argument address their doubts?
- If Christ's resurrection is a fact, how should that reshape the way we face death, our own death and the deaths of loved ones?
- How does this verse give you personal assurance as you look toward the future?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Acts 26:23 | how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles.” |
| Romans 8:11 | But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. |
| I Corinthians 15:6 | Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. |
| I Corinthians 15:23 | But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s at his coming. |
| Colossians 1:18 | He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. |
| I Peter 1:3 | Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, |
| Revelation of John 1:5 | and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by his blood— |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws on the Jewish offering of the firstfruits sheaf to show that Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of ours. Just as that sheaf was offered the day after the Sabbath following Passover, so Christ rose the day after the Sabbath following His crucifixion. Unlike earlier resurrections, He is the firstfruits of those who will rise to die no more.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes the emotional shift in Paul's argument: after showing the terrible consequences if Christ had not risen, Paul bursts out with full conviction that Christ is indeed risen. This is not a theory but a proven fact. Christ is the firstfruits of resurrection not merely as the first in time, but as the pledge and essential part of the whole harvest of believers who will rise to die no more.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that Paul's "firstfruits" image comes directly from the Old Testament ritual, where the first sheaf consecrated the entire harvest. Christ's resurrection is not an isolated event but the guarantee that all believers will follow, just as the full harvest follows the firstfruits offered to God.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the harvest imagery of "firstfruits" from the Old Testament. Just as the first ripe sheaf signalled the entire crop to come, Christ's resurrection is the guarantee that all who sleep in death will also rise. His resurrection is not an isolated event but the beginning of the general resurrection.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that Christ is the first to rise from the dead to immortal life by his own power, unlike others who were raised earlier but only to mortal life. The firstfruits offering sanctified the whole harvest; so Christ's resurrection represents and secures the resurrection of all believers, who rise in and with him.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that Christ's resurrection is not an isolated miracle but the firstfruits of the harvest, meaning his rising guarantees and patterns the resurrection of all who belong to him. Because death came through one man, Adam, life also comes through one man, Christ, and believers will be raised in their proper order at his coming.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights the Greek term for first-fruits and notes that the word "become" should be omitted from the translation. He directs readers to compare other passages where the same imagery appears, reinforcing the idea of Christ as the first-fruits of the resurrection.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that Paul's proof of the resurrection rests entirely on Christ's resurrection, which not only shows it is possible but also confirms Christ as God's messenger. He also insists that "the firstfruit of them that slept" refers only to the righteous, as Paul in this chapter speaks solely of the resurrection of believers, not all people.