For as in Adam all
die, so also in Christ
shall all be made
alive.
[1Co 15:22 ESV]
When you read that verse, I would expect that you probably gloss right over it, since you have heard it so many times.
It is a verse commonly used in an evangelistic sense. That is, the emphasis is on the need to be in Christ so that you can be made alive.
I saw it that way for years.
However, when the Lord begins to open one’s eyes to see more clearly, it becomes evident that this verse does not support the emphasis that you need to get yourself into Christ.
This verse is actually a simple statement of fact concerning the resurrection. The entire 15th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is about the resurrection of the body.
Notice his argument in this verse. In Adam, all die.
How many people are “in Adam”? Most all Christians believe that every human being on planet earth are “in Adam”.
How many of them die?
Again, ALL.
In Christ shall all be made alive
Therefore, when Paul moves from his premise to his conclusion, why is it that we change to a different “all”?
We go from “all people of all time” to only those in Christ.
The supposed logic in this quantum leap is based on a paradigm that is brought to the interpretation of scripture. There is a belief that precedes the interpretation.
The belief is that only those who accept Jesus can be made alive.
Looking at the verse on the surface, it is easy to apply that thinking to Paul’s statement. That is how we get the application that “you need to accept Jesus to be made alive.
What if it’s the same “all” in both parts of the sentence? All those in Adam shall be made alive in Christ.
Is it not possible that God is bigger than the limitations we have placed upon Him?
(Thanks to Carl Goodman for sparking the idea for this post)
Practical Bible Teaching 