The Firstfruits of Redemption
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Jesus, in His body, appeared to the disciples, didn’t He? He ate fish and bread. He ate. That’s a
good word for a lot of folks. “Do you mean I’m going to be able to eat later?” Yes! Jesus did,
and He could move quickly from one place to another. They were closed up in there with locked
doors, and He came through the wall some way or another. Yet they could feel His body just like
you can feel your own. It’s going to be different, though. It’s going to be changed.
“Your body is a member of Christ.” How did you become a member of Christ? You believed on
Jesus, and you were born again. In 1 Corinthians 12, it says, “The Spirit of God has baptized
you,” which means “placed into” or “immersed,” not in water, “into the body of Christ.” You’ve
been placed into the body of Christ. Water baptism is a type of this. Just like your body was put
into the element and world of water, you have been put into Christ when you believed in Him.
It’s not just for your spirit. Jesus didn’t just go to the Cross in spirit. His body was there. He
offered His spirit for your spirit. He offered His soul for your soul. He offered His body for your
body. He bought you and me, spirit, soul, and body. We are redeemed spirit, soul, and body.
He goes on to say that because they had huge problems with fornication and adultery in this
church of Corinth, they were used to having orgies as part of their worship. Now they have heard
the Gospel and got saved, but that stuff was still going on in and around their communities, and
different ones were sliding back into it. Some were coming along and saying, “Well, it’s just the
body.” But the Holy Spirit through Paul is telling them, “Hey! What? Don’t you know your body
is a part of Christ? Are you going to take part of Christ and join it with harlots and idolatry?”
He finishes in verse 19 by saying, “What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a
price.” He specifies and qualifies it. “Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit…”
He didn’t have to say both, but he did. Why? Because this body is important to Him, the one you
have right now. He cares about it, and redemption has been made for this body.
In 1 Corinthians 15:1, he said, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I
preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are
saved…” You’re saved by hearing and receiving and believing this, and by standing in this
Gospel. “If ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he
was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this
present, but some are fallen asleep.” That is, some have physically died.
When did all of these people see Jesus? Peter saw Him, the rest of the 12 saw Him, and 500
people at one time saw Him, but when? They saw Him after He was crucified and died and was
buried. Everyone knew He was dead. Of course it fulfills Scripture, but I imagine one reason that
the soldier took his spear and jammed it up in His side, to go up through His ribs to get to His
heart and organs, was to make sure He was dead.
