What Old Testament connections support the message in 1 Corinthians 15:21? \Key Verse\ “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.” (1 Corinthians 15:21) \Death Entered Through Adam\ • Genesis 2:17 — “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” • Genesis 3:19 — “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” • Romans 5:12 echoes the same history: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin…” (Paul’s argument is rooted in a literal Adam recorded in Genesis.) \Promise of a Human Deliverer\ • Genesis 3:15 — “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” – A “seed” who is fully human (born of the woman) is prophesied to undo the serpent’s work. – This is the earliest announcement that the reversal of Adam’s death-trail would also come through a person, not an angel or abstract force. \Foreshadows of Resurrection Life\ • Isaac on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22) – Hebrews 11:19 notes that Abraham “reasoned that God could raise the dead,” making Isaac a type of life restored after near-death. • Joseph (Genesis 37–50) – Cast into a pit and presumed dead, yet later exalted to save many lives (Genesis 50:20). • Jonah (Jonah 1–2) – Three days in the fish, then brought up alive, prefiguring resurrection (Matthew 12:40 links it directly to Jesus). \Old Testament Declarations of Bodily Resurrection\ • Job 19:25–26 — “I know that my Redeemer lives… And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” • Psalm 16:10 — “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” Peter cites this in Acts 2:27 as prophecy of Messiah’s resurrection. • Isaiah 26:19 — “Your dead will live; their bodies will rise.” These texts anticipate a future conquest of death, grounding Paul’s statement that resurrection “comes… through a man.” \Kinsman-Redeemer Pattern\ • Leviticus 25:47-49 and Ruth 3–4 present the kinsman-redeemer: a close relative must pay the price to set family members free. – Only a human “kinsman” could redeem. – Jesus, the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), fulfills this by taking on flesh (John 1:14) to rescue His family from death. \Prophetic Portrait of the Victorious Man\ • Daniel 7:13–14 — “One like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven… His dominion is an everlasting dominion.” – The title “Son of Man” emphasizes true humanity, aligning with Paul’s language that resurrection comes “through a man.” \Putting It All Together\ • The Old Testament records a literal Fall, introducing physical and spiritual death. • It immediately promises a human Deliverer. • Throughout Israel’s history, God paints living parables—Isaac, Joseph, Jonah—showing life emerging where death reigned. • Prophets and poets explicitly foresee bodily resurrection. • The kinsman-redeemer law insists the victor over death must be a blood relative of Adam. Paul sums up the entire sweep: Adam brought death; the promised, prophesied, and prefigured Man brings resurrection. |
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