Much of the resurrection’s in-depth meaning can be found in Paul’s letters — particularly in 1 Corinthians, Colossians, and Romans. In addition, because Paul, a former Pharisee, is apparently well versed in Hebrew Scripture, his teachings on the resurrection reframe the Jewish interpretation of redemption, atonement, creation, and divine kingship.
Beginning with atonement, the Jewish interpretation is rooted in the Mosaic covenant that God first formed with the Hebrew/Israelite people. Having been freed from the bondage of slavery, through God’s redemptive power, entering into covenant with God meant not only forming a spiritually binding, deeply committed relationship, but also keeping laws and worship practices to maintain God’ favor. This included atoning for sins, which, per Levitical law, were carried out on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16.2) (Schwartz 156, 194).
Paul, having come to believe that Jesus instituted a new covenant through his death and resurrection (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25), connects the Exodus, which Jews believe is the central example of God redeeming his chosen people from bondage, with Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and resurrection. Just as the Hebrews were rescued from physical slavery and corrupt spirituality, all humankind is now invited to be rescued under the new exodus (1 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:27-35), through Christ’s eternal act of salvation. In turn, this means that Christ has also eternally fulfilled the Day of Atonement.
And while Jews participate in the Day of Atonement (‘Yom Kippur’) as a yearly means to offer up their sins, Jesus, whom Paul refers to as the ‘last Adam,’ delivers humankind from the first sin in the Garden (O’Collins 110, 111). Therefore, Jesus is the Son of God and Savior “who died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).
Yet, when comparing the Exodus story to Christ’s resurrection, Adam’s sin is not a focal point for the Hebrew’s redemption from bondage. Therefore, how does Paul weave Adam’s role in creation and sin with Jesus’ death and resurrection?
As Lunn points out, Paul clearly frames his teaching on the resurrection around the Genesis creation story. Adam becomes the archetype for physical and spiritual creation that turns corrupt: humankind chooses its own physical body over God’s will (532, 533; Rom. 5:12-14; 1 Cor. 15:21-22). Paul then explains that Jesus is the ‘firstborn of all creation’ (Col. 1:15) who has eternally existed; Jesus is both God, as an agent of creation, and the promised Messiah: “He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word” (Heb. 1:3; Lee 328).
Jesus, then, consubstantial with the Godhead source of all creation, of the entire universe, of all existence (Lee 328), reigns from a divine kingdom: a kingdom that Jesus preaches in his ministry; a divine sovereignty that humankind can enter into by accepting Christ as the king who laid down his own life, and was then raised from the dead, for humankind’s redemption, for the forgiveness of sins (Col:14; Lee 326). And from this kingdom, Jesus is king of Jewish law, the forgiveness of sins, of human salvation, and of final judgement (O’Collins 104).
Moreover, Jesus’ ministry and words pronounce God’s kingdom (Mark 1:14, 14:25) — both as what Jesus will make available to humankind through his resurrection, and what will be fully realized and ushered in when Jesus returns and completes the end-time resurrection (1 Cor. 15:42-44; 1 Thess. 4:13-16). As such, Jesus is both the firstborn of the living and also the firstborn of the dead: all together for the “redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23) and to be “conformed to the body of his glory” (Phil 3:21). “In short, the resurrection fully and finally revealed the meaning and truth of Christ’s life, person, work, and death. It set a divine seal on Jesus and his ministry (O’Collins 104).
Works Cited
Lee, Maurice. “Colossians, Resurrection, and New Creation.” Word & World, vol. 41, no. 4, Fall 2021, pp. 325–33.
Lunn, Nicholas P. “‘Raised on the Third Day According to the Scriptures’: Resurrection Typology in the Genesis Creation Narrative.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, vol. 57, no. 3, Sept. 2014, pp. 523–35.
O’Collins, Gerald. Christology: A Biblical, Historical and Systematic Study of Jesus. 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Schawartz, Baruch J. Berlin, Adele, and Brettler, Marc Zvi, editors. The Jewish Study Bible, Featuring the Jewish Publication Society Tanakh Translation. Second Edition. Oxford and New York, Oxford University Press USA, 2014.