Posted by Joyce on 3/23/2007, 12:14 pm, in reply to "Re: His Appearing and His Coming" I would like to make three points. 1) You say that I Cor. 15:22-23 is not a universal truth because it addresses a problem that the Corinthian church was having. But that problem involved the very basic question of whether or not there is a resurrection. While others may not have had the question, the answer is extremely pertinent for every believer. That is to say, we read in I Cor. 15:13-14, "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching, and your faith is also vain". I would say that this applies to every believer in every dispensation. If Christ be not risen and there is no resurrection then the faith of all believers, not just the Corinthian believers, are in vain. 2) You wrote that the "firstfruits" applies to Israel. I don't think the context will bear that out. We read in verse 20, "But now IS CHRIST risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept". Christ is the firstfruits from the dead, not Israel. It is true that the word "fistfruits" is not used in the prison epistles, but I can't think that you are suggesting that that changes this truth from a universal one to a dispensational one. Also, verses 21-22 speak of those in Adam, not those in Abraham. Please consider again verse 22, "For as IN ADAM all die, even so IN CHRIST shall all be mdae alive". Every human being is "in Adam", that's not a dispensainal truth, it is a universal truth. I don't think you want to say that the first part ("in Adam") is universal but the second ("in Christ") is dispensatitnal. 3)I suggest we look at two more passages that speak of those "in Christ". Rom. 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ.......". We do not read this exact truth in the prison epistles, but it is clear that this applies to all believers in Christ, including, of course believers of the dispensation of the mystery. II Cor. 5:17, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature....". This exact truth is also not mentioned in the prison epistles, but again because it speaks of those "in Christ", we correctly include members of the church which is His body. In other words, as a believer in Christ I am "in Christ" and I belong to Him. Therefore, even though Paul did not have the members of the church which is His body in mind when he wrote I Cor. 15:22-23, I think that passage applies to me as well as to every other believer, i.e. all those who are "in Christ", and belong to Him. In Him,
64.12.116.69
Dear Chris,
