Godly Social Order - Corinthians

Total Victory

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Sociology

Lesson: 42-49

Genre: Lecture

Track: 42

Dictation Name: RR274M24a

Location/Venue:

Year:

[Man speaking] Grace be to You and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God and our Father to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen. Let us pray.

Our most good and gracious God and heavenly Father we thank Thee for Your so great salvation that brings us together to worship You and to study Your word. We thank You that You’ve given us hope and purpose in our life, we pray that You would give us the joy of Your salvation that we might communicate this to others so that they might know that the only meaning and purpose in life is through knowing Your son. We pray for Your church everywhere this day, we pray especially for those who are persecuted because of the name of Jesus Christ. We pray that You would encourage them and encourage those who are giving them comfort and assistance. We pray that You would encourage us this morning in our duty to You, we would pray that You would encourage us in the work that lies ahead of us this coming week. We thank You that we can rest from our labors secure that You care for us. We pray that Your grace would work in our lives this day and this week and that we might further subject ourselves to Your spirit and Your word. We ask this in Christ our Savior’s name, Amen.

[Rushdoony] Our scripture is First Corinthians 15:20-26 and our subject is: Total Victory. First Corinthians 15:20-26.

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”

In verse twenty Paul sets forth the triumph and proclamation of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Modern man has cheapened the power of language by his loose views of the meaning of resurrection. In the Greco-Roman world beliefs in immortality were commonplace, that is a belief that the soul survives the body’s death to live on as a spirit. The major exception to this was the Egyptian view of life after death but this was an anemic view when compared to the doctrine of the resurrection of the body and it was tied to a works religion. Not only did Jesus Christ rise again physically from the dead in a glorified body but He became the first fruits of them that slept. The departed saints waited for their bodily resurrection at the end of time and history but Jesus Christ by his bodily resurrection was the first fruits and advance witness to the great and general resurrection. That great final event of history would signal the total triumph of the triumphed God over all his enemies. It would openly display the end of history as the triumph of life over the powers of sin and death.

These two are the marks of the fall and they would be corrected, replaced, by Christ’s atonement and its power. Christ would be the one to replace the work of the enemy and the lawbreaker by His perfect law keeping and by His atonement. There would be life instead of death in the portion of Christ’s new human race as the last Adam and righteousness or law keeping would replace sin. The history of man culminates in the triumph of God. God however triumphs in and through His creature man. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. Man in his history are the battle ground, the battle will end where it began, in man and his obedience to God and only the last Adam is the God-man, Jesus Christ. God and Jesus know and experiences without sin the full extent of man’s life with victory over sin and death. Where in Adam all die so in Christ all shall be made alive. As in Christ this incarnation is triumphant over sin and death so too shall we His new human race show the same triumph over sin and death. The resurrection is therefore an important event in human history. Because it sets forth the destiny of all men in Christ, the resurrection therefore is not a doctrine limited to Christ and his physical body but applies to us all. There is however a time gap in this great event but every man in his own order, Christ the first-fruits, afterwards they that are Christ’s at his coming. Between Christ’s resurrection and the general resurrection there is a great time lapse. The redeemed, the people of the resurrection must first perform a great task. The conquest of all men, nations and things for Jesus Christ. Bringing them under His law and into His kingdom.

Christ’s victory is indeed also over sin and death. But His battle is our battle, His victory our victory. With our triumph in Christ or sometime in history when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ then comes the end of history and the endless and eternal reign of Jesus Christ. Then cometh the end, Paul says when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He shall put down all rule and all authority and power. The conquest of earth is now complete, the new and regenerate humanity of Christ has triumphed over the old and fallen humanity of Adam. Christ does not surrender the kingdom but rather delivers to God as an accomplished conquest. All alien or enemy rule, authority and power, are put down, they are firmly defeated so that all things are again totally under God and His authority. Christ’s present reign is as the warrior king over an army raised up to wage war against all the enemies of God. For He must reign till he put all enemies under His feet. The battle field is history, the created realm and there is the area in all of history for re-conquest and victory. Some views of millennialism see the victory as God’s supernatural work and this denies the meaning of the resurrection and the incarnation.

It says in effect that Christ’s new human race has no part in the victory. This Paul sees as wrong, he does not allow it. Christ’s resurrection means ours, Christ’s victory means that we then apply the victory to every area of life and thought. Christ’s reign as battle king continues until all His enemies are put under His feet. This is the churches battle; the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Death is described not only as the enemy of man but as the final, the last enemy, death is an enemy, man’s enemy, not God’s although it works to negate God’s great gift: life. It is by the gift of life that man most clearly must always resemble God. And by his ability to pass on life to his progeny but this gift is now negated, denied by the fall. Very early in Genesis3:3 we see that both man the creature and also his tempter recognize that any departure from God is a departure from life. Although the tempter implies that this is not a certain departure from life but a problematical one. Thou shalt not surely die, he says. Now a problematical word means as yet as problematical and untested power. Can we claim sovereignty and total power belongs to God and yet allow it to be problematical as the tempter implies? Paul allows no such question, the self-revelation of God from His word is total and complete and therefore so too is the victory. In the destruction of death Paul makes clear that every last enemy of man and God is destroyed by the Lord. This final destruction occurs in two events, Christ’s resurrection and our general resurrection. Total victory thus prevails over sin and death, it is a new creation, and Christ’s total victory becomes ours also. Let us pray.

Our Lord and our God we give thanks unto Thee for the total victory which Jesus Christ our lord and savior has accomplished for us. Make us mindful that we are not merely bystanders but active soldiers of Christ in this great battle. Make us effectual in Thy service and grant oh Lord that we know that the resurrection is our victory also. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Are there any questions now on our lesson?

As you can see, Paul does not allow any qualification on the totality of Christ’s victory. And as a result step by step he shows the Corinthians that it is not enough to belief that Christ rose from the dead but that we shall also. That Chris’s victory in every area must become ours, that we must make the kingdoms of this world the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Our Lord and our God we give thanks for this Thy word. We thank Thee that Paul summons us to a total victory. Will not allow us to rest until we have brought unto submission to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ all the kingdoms of this world and every area of life and thought. Make us zealous in that battle. And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, Amen.