Firstfruits
"But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;
afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming..."
1 Corinthians 15:23
- Name of God the Son
- Jesus is referred to as "firstfruits" twice in the KJV.
- The firstfruits were traditionally the part of a crop, or the part of an increase, which was offered to God as a sacrifice.
- Paul told the church at Corinth that Christ had conquered death and through His victory would come ever lasting life for His people.
Throughout the Old Testament, people were directed to offer God their firstfruits- or, the best they had to offer. If they offered wheat, it had to be the freshest, their offerings of bread had to be leavened, and only animals without defect could be sacrificed. It might seem a lot to ask of something that was...well, basically going to be destroyed by fire on the alter.
But then God made a sacrifice for us. He didn't say, "I am God, so I don't owe anybody anything"- although He could have, how could we have argued? He didn't offer us a few years of better harvests or generations of peace, although both were well within His power, and people would have been grateful.
No. Instead of divine gimmicks, He offered the very best He had to give, His only begotten son, His own Firstfruits, to be destroyed upon a rough wooden cross. He didn't do it because He had no other choice. He did it because He loves us and wanted to guarantee our eternal salvation. Surrounded as we are by that kind of love, how could we possible offer anything but our very best in return?
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Next week we will look at "Plant of Renown"
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