“That God May Be All in All”: 1 Corinthians 15:20–28 – Part 2

Last week, we were introduced to 1 Cor 15:20–28. This week, we will study the first few verses of this passage and explore the solidary of believers with Christ in his resurrection. Looking, then, at the beginning of our passage, we see first of all that Paul teaches that Christ was raised from the dead, and, therefore, believers will be, too (1 Cor 15:20–22).

We remember that Paul began 1 Corinthians 15 by reminding his readers of an essential gospel truth that Christ was raised from the dead (1 Cor 15:4; cf. 15:1–11). Paul then argued that if there was no resurrection from the dead, as some claimed,  Christ Himself could not have been raised from the dead either (1 Cor 15:10–19). Paul  emphatically declared that “in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” (15:20) and then uses this truth further to argue for the resurrection of the believing dead in 1 Cor 15:20–22.

Paul first connects Christ’s resurrection to the resurrection of believers by describing Christ’s resurrection as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:20). The firstfruits in Lev 23:9–24 referred to the first produce of the harvest, the first of more to come. By calling Jesus the firstfruits, Paul implied that more people would yet be “raised from the dead,” namely, those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20), an obvious contrast to the claim that “there is no resurrection of the dead” (1 Cor 15:12).

Paul then explains (note the For, gar) Christ as the life-giving means by whom the resurrection of the dead is possible—“as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead” (1 Cor 15:21). Just as death came to all men through a man (i.e., by sinning and thus bringing about death as the penalty for sin; cf. Gen 2:17; 3:1–7; Rom 5:12–21), so also has the resurrection of the dead come about through a Man as well. The solidarity of man with Christ (by faith) includes sharing in His resurrection.

But who exactly shares in this solidarity is a matter of debate, and the debate is between amillennialists and premillennialists, and even among premillennialists as well. It is clear that “all” men universally “die” by being “in Adam,” for sin is the universal reality of all men (1 Cor 15:22a; cf. Rom 3:23). But when it is said that “in Christ shall all be made alive,” does Paul refer to “all” who have been savingly placed “in Christ” and thus refer to the resurrection of believers alone? Or does he refer to “all” mankind in general, and thus “in Christ” believers and unbelievers are alike are brought to physical life? Let’s explore the options.

Only Believers?

The evidence for limiting the second “all” in 1 Cor 15:22 to only believers is impressive. In Rom 5:12–21, Paul likewise points out the universality of sin and death for all men (Rom 5:12, 18–19). But, when the text speaks of “justification for all men” (Rom 5:18), those who are justified must mean only those who exercise faith, not all men universally (cf. Rom 3:28; 2 Thess 2:2). So, if Paul parallels a universal “all” (i.e., all sinners) with a limited “all” (i.e., all who are justified) in one passage, he could do the same here in 1 Cor 15:21–22. “All” who are “in Christ… made alive” are all believers.

Additionally, the descriptions of the second “all” in 1 Cor 15:22 exclude unbelievers. The “all” are “made alive” by being “in Christ,” a phrase used by Paul approximately 150 times almost exclusively to describe something related to the benefits of salvation. Second, they are “made alive” (zōopoieō), a verb that, when referring to the resurrection elsewhere, refers to what takes place for believers alone (Rom 8:11). Moreover, this verb is used two more times in 1 Cor 15 for a believer’s body that will “come to life” again, thanks to our “life-giving” Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:36, 45).

All Mankind?

Some worthy points of consideration are offered for 1 Cor 15:22 to refer to “all” as all mankind as well. First, some point out that the context of 1 Cor 15:21–22 is different from Rom 5:12–21 (resurrection and not justification), allowing for a broader use of “made alive” (zōopoieō).

Second, the third of the three orders of resurrection in 1 Cor 15:23–24a demands that “all” include all mankind within its scope, i.e., both believers and unbelievers. “The end” in 1 Cor 15:24a refers to the resurrection of unbelievers. 1 Cor 15:23–24a teaches that Christ is the first to be resurrected, then believers (“those who belong to Christ”), and finally, unbelievers (those at “the end”). The second “all” in 1 Cor 15:22 is therefore exhaustive, and “all” who fall within its scope are all who are listed in 1 Cor 15:23–24a, which includes believers and unbelievers.

Third, since the term resurrection (anastasis) is used to describe what will take place for both the righteous and unrighteous dead (John 5:28–29; Acts 24:15), “the resurrection of the dead” in 1 Cor 15:21 could also refer to the resurrection of all mankind. 1 Cor 15:22 thus speaks to the resurrection of all mankind by highlighting the agency of their resurrection. “All” are “made alive” in a purely physical sense “in Christ” (1 Cor 15:22).

Only Believers or All Mankind?

Both sides of the debate tend to narrow or expand the scope of the second “all” in 1 Cor 15:22 for the sake of narrowing or expanding the scope of who is resurrected in 1 Cor 15:23–24a. If only believers are made alive in 1 Cor 15:22, then only the resurrections of Christ and believers are mentioned in 1 Cor 15:23. The resurrection of unbelievers is assumed but not explicitly stated, and “the end” in 1 Cor 15:24 thus refers to a mere event (and not a resurrection) that is detailed in the verses to follow.

If all mankind is in view in the second “all” of 1 Cor 15:22, then one would have three resurrections in 1 Cor 15:23–24a—Christ, believers, and unbelievers. Incidentally, we have a proof-text besides Rev 20:1–15 to argue for a gap of time between the resurrections of believers and unbelievers.

Though the absence of a verb in 1 Cor 15:23a assumes recalling the most recent verb from 1 Cor 15:22 (“made alive” and thus “But each is made alive in his own order”), the specific Agent of life is not necessarily recalled along with the verb. If it is “in Christ” that “all” are “made alive” in 1 Cor 15:22, then the “all” in this phrase does not include Christ Himself. He is the one to make others alive. But in 1 Cor 15:23, Christ Himself is mentioned as one the orders to be “made alive,” indicating that Paul no longer has agency in view and simply gives the orders for who is made alive, however it is that each comes alive. Scripture typically states that it is the Father who raised Christ from the dead (e.g., Acts 2:24) or that the Father raised Him through the Spirit (cf. Rom 8:11). This being the case, “made alive” can be properly assumed as the verb for 1 Cor 15:23a without also assuming the soteriological implications of being made alive “in Christ.”

It does not follow, then, that one’s decision for how to understand the second “all” in 1 Cor 15:22 inevitably shapes how one understands Paul’s resurrection orders in 1 Cor 15:23–24a. One can agree with both amillennialists and millennialists who feel the weight of the soteriological language of 1 Cor 15:21–22.

The Corinthians would be encouraged to know from 1 Cor 15:22 that, in Christ, all of them would be made alive. Then, immediately afterward in 1 Cor 15:23, the idea of agency is dropped (i.e., who is doing the resurrecting) in order for Paul to detail who has been (Christ) and will be made alive (believers and unbelievers).

We’ll dig further into this passage next week.

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David Huffstutler is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Troy, MI. He blogs here, where this article first appeared. It is republished here by permission.

Photo by Dominik Schröder on Unsplash