DISPENSATIONAL TRUTH

Firstfruits

Firstfruits. This word is used doctrinally in connexion with the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20,23) and of the believer who has the firstfruits of the spirit (Rom. 8:23), into which most wonderful aspect of truth we are not able at the moment to enter. But see RESURRECTION. All that we can say of these two references is that the term "firstfruits" here is used in the sense of something anticipatory, and in the nature of a pledge. So James speaks of the believer as "a kind of firstfruits of His creatures" (Jas. 1:18) and Paul speaks of the believing remnant of Israel as a firstfruit, pledging the character of, and the salvation of, all Israel at the end. For an expansion of this thought see the article REMNANT, also the structure of Romans 9-11 given both under the heading ELECTION and ROMANS. (See also IN ADAM.)

An Alphabetical Analysis