Victory over Death

KEY VERSE: “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” —I Corinthians 15:57

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: I Corinthians 15:12-58

THE SCRIPTURE LESSON for our study includes the earlier part of Paul’s famous treatise on the resurrection of Jesus and the blessings to accrue therefrom. He mentions, in particular, two kinds of glory; namely, that which was possessed by Adam at the time of his creation—an earthly glory—and that which was given to Jesus at the time of his resurrection, and is eventually to be given to his church—a spiritual, or heavenly glory.

The earthly glory Paul described as terrestrial, and the heavenly glory as celestial. The thought of these two general classes is carried through the entire chapter. It is introduced first in the 23rd verse, where, in outlining the order of the resurrection, the sequence is stated as being, “Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

In the latter part of the chapter, which we have for today’s lesson, it is the nature of these two classes that is emphasized. The firstfruits class is made up of those who, in the resurrection, will partake of the celestial or heavenly glory, while those of the “afterward” class are the ones who will partake of the terrestrial, or earthly glory. In closing the lesson, the apostle ties the two thoughts together, saying that when “this mortal shall have put on immortality”—that is, when the last member of the heavenly class has been exalted to celestial glory—“then”—that will be the time when God will fulfill his promise to deliver up death in victory. This promise is recorded in Isaiah 25:8, and upon examining the prophecy of which it is a part, it is found to be definitely a reference to the work of restitution to be carried out during the Messianic kingdom reign.

Paul was not the first to speak of terrestrial, or earthly, glory. David, in writing of man’s creation, said, “Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.” (Ps. 8:5) David’s reference to the original glory of man was in connection with his inquiry as to why God was interested in the human race—so interested that he proposed to send his Son to visit the earth. While David does not state the purpose of this proposed visit, it is evidently connected with the fact that man had fallen and his glory had faded.

Paul commented on David’s prophecy, saying, “We see not yet all things put under him [man].” “But, adds the apostle, “we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:8,9) From this we see that Jesus at his First Advent partook of the terrestrial glory as possessed by Adam before his fall into sin. It was given to Jesus that he might, in turn, lay it down as a sacrifice for sin—a substitute for the forfeited life of the first man, who was of the earth, earthy.

There was no other way for the lost glory of the human race to be restored, except by the way of the cross, the way of sacrifice. And when Jesus laid down the earthly glory he parted with it forever. When he was raised from the dead, he was no longer an earthly, but a spiritual being. It is in this way that he becomes the “last Adam.”—I Cor. 15:45

By speaking of the resurrected and glorified Jesus as the ‘last Adam’, Paul reminds us that he is to be the restorer of the race. Thus it is made plain that the Adamic race is to be regenerated. Jesus spoke of the time of “regeneration,” which is the same time as that mentioned by Paul—the period during which Jesus reigns to destroy all enemies of God and of righteousness.—Matt. 19:28; I Cor. 15:25

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