UASV’s Daily Devotional All Things Bible, Saturday, May 24, 2025

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Each in His Own Order: A Devotional on 1 Corinthians 15:23

The Resurrection Sequence and the Priority of Christ’s Victory

Few chapters in the New Testament contain as detailed a treatment of the resurrection as 1 Corinthians 15. In this chapter, written by the apostle Paul around 55 C.E. to the church in Corinth, the subject of bodily resurrection is not discussed in abstract philosophical terms but in the concrete framework of redemptive history. Paul is not merely defending resurrection as a concept—he is asserting it as an essential doctrine of the gospel. Central to this framework is 1 Corinthians 15:23, which reads:
“But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who belong to the Christ during his presence.”

This verse builds upon the previous declaration in verse 22: “For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.” The question naturally arises—when? In what manner? How will this resurrection unfold? Paul answers: “each in his own order.” The resurrection of the dead is not instantaneous or universal in a single moment, but unfolds according to a divinely appointed sequence.

The Word “Order”: A Military and Sequential Term

The Greek word for “order” here is τάγμα (tagma), a term used in military contexts to refer to a division, rank, or arranged group. It implies structured procession, not random occurrence. The use of this term emphasizes that God has decreed an intentional pattern in the resurrection program. This does not refer to rank of importance, but chronological phases within a singular resurrection framework.

This dismantles the idea that all people—righteous and unrighteous—are raised at the same time or in the same resurrection. As this chapter will show (vss. 24–28), Paul teaches a resurrection program centered around Christ’s authority and culminating in the final subjection of all things to God.

“Christ the Firstfruits”: The Pledge and Pattern

Paul’s first assertion is that Christ is the firstfruits. The concept of “firstfruits” (ἀπαρχή, aparchē) comes from the Old Testament harvest laws (e.g., Leviticus 23:10–14), in which the first portion of the harvest was offered to God. This portion not only sanctified the rest of the harvest but guaranteed that more was to come. It was a pledge and a preview.

By calling Christ the firstfruits, Paul affirms that:

Christ has already been raised bodily, as a historical and physical event.
His resurrection is not isolated—it prefigures the resurrection of others.
It assures the future resurrection of those who are “in Christ” because his victory over death was not for himself alone, but for those united with him.

Paul had already emphasized the reality of Christ’s resurrection earlier in the chapter (vss. 3–8), listing eyewitnesses to confirm that Jesus rose in bodily form, not symbolically or spiritually, but physically and permanently. This resurrection is the first installment of a broader harvest that will come in due time.

“Afterward, Those Who Belong to the Christ”

The second group in this resurrection order is defined as “those who belong to the Christ” (οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, hoi tou Christou)—that is, true Christians. This phrase does not include all of humanity, nor does it include professing believers who live in unfaithfulness. It refers to the faithful, those who are truly his, having obeyed the gospel in baptism and continuing in the faith (Romans 6:3–5; Colossians 1:22–23).

Paul makes clear that their resurrection will occur “during his presence”—the Greek phrase is ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ (en tē parousia autou). The word parousia refers to a visible arrival, presence, or coming, often used to describe a royal or divine visitation. In the New Testament, parousia consistently refers to the second coming of Christ, when he returns in power to judge the world and raise the dead.

This harmonizes with passages like:

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call… and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
John 5:28–29: “The hour is coming when all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.”

The faithful will be raised when Christ returns—not before, not at death, and not during an intermediate spiritual state. The hope of resurrection is future, bodily, and conditioned on union with Christ.

The Implications of “Each in His Own Order”

This verse underscores the certainty and the structure of the resurrection hope. It is not vague or open-ended. Jehovah has declared an orderly plan:

Christ was raised first—proof that death can be conquered.
At Christ’s future arrival (parousia), those who are his will be raised in bodily form to share in his glory.
Then (as verse 24 will explain), comes the end—the final stage of God’s redemptive work when all authority, including death itself, is abolished.

Importantly, this verse does not teach a universal resurrection to life for all people. Only those “who belong to Christ” share in this phase of resurrection. The rest of humanity will be raised at a different time and to a different destiny (Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; Revelation 20:11–15). The general resurrection includes both just and unjust, but the resurrection to eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον, zōēn aiōnion) is only for the faithful.

Furthermore, this verse denies any doctrine that teaches immediate resurrection at death or the existence of an immortal soul that departs to heaven or hell at the moment of physical death. As taught consistently throughout Scripture, man is a soul, not a body with a soul (Genesis 2:7). Death is the cessation of life, not a transition to a disembodied state of consciousness. Resurrection is the re-creation of life, not the reunification of soul and body.

Thus, Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:23 affirms the future bodily resurrection as the true hope of the believer—not heaven at death, not a mystical afterlife, but a literal, physical resurrection at the return of Christ. This doctrine is not speculative—it is foundational. Without resurrection, Paul declares, faith is vain and believers are still in their sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Obedient Faith and the Resurrection Hope

It is important to note that resurrection unto life is reserved for those who belong to Christ. Salvation is not automatic, and this passage provides no support for universalism or unconditional eternal security. The one who belongs to Christ is:

Baptized into his death (Romans 6:3–4),
Walking in newness of life (Romans 6:4),
Continuing in faith, grounded and steadfast (Colossians 1:23),
Enduring to the end (Matthew 24:13).

Those who turn away or persist in disobedience will not be raised to life but to judgment (Hebrews 10:26–27).

This verse, therefore, calls the reader not merely to hope in the resurrection but to prepare for it through faithful obedience and perseverance.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).