What Are FirstFruits And Why Should I Care?

FirstFruits, What Are FirstFruits And Why Should I Care

The other day while I was talking with a friend of mine the subject of FirstFruits came up. No, firstfruits are not kin to picking a peach over a plum and considering it first. So what exactly are firstfruits and what does this term mean within the realms of Christendom?

Let's start gaining an understanding for this term by first turning to Webster.

1 : the earliest gathered fruits offered to the Deity in acknowledgment of the gift of fruitfulness
2 : the earliest products or results of an endeavor
Definitions provided by Webster.com

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Here firstfruits are seen as those who are the first of the souls to be harvested for eternal salvation. While I can tell you that I did challenge my friend's positions on this point, isn't it more important to turn to God's Word and find out what it has to say about the subject of firstfruits?

A quick search of the term firstfruits from BibleGateway.com revealed 31 entries for firstfruits. While are project appears to have just become a small Bible Study, many of the firstfruits verses can be cut away as they deal with how crops were to be handled rather than looking directly at what this term should mean to each one of us.

Romans 8:23
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Here we find that we have received the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit. Considering that this was a clear promise Christ gave when He ascended back to Heaven I find that this makes sense.

John 16:7
But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

Next we find that Christ Himself was seen as a type of firstfruits.

1 Corinthians 15:20
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

When Christ rose from the grave He became the firstfruits of all who had ever died? Why? Simple, no one had previously been able to defeat one of our greatest foes, death itself. Not only does this set Christ apart as God, but it also clearly demonstrates that He was more than just a man as well as being Holy clear thru.

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