Note 3 at 1Co 15:21: There is a subtle truth here that is profound. There was no other way for mankind to be redeemed but by a man. It would be accurate to say that since death came by man, the resurrection had to come by a man also.

This is because God relinquished direct control of the earth and its inhabitants to man. It was a man, misusing this God-given authority, who caused the human race to be in this mess, and it had to be a man who redeemed the situation. This is why Jesus had to become flesh, so that He could have that authority (see note 11 at Joh 5:27).

However, we needed more than just a payment for our past sins; we needed deliverance from the present-tense power of sin. Without that, we would have voided, in a very short period of time, any forgiveness given us. The resurrection of Jesus provided us with that power (see note 3 at 1Co 15:13). The resurrection of Jesus went beyond the forgiveness of sins. Through Christ's resurrection, we have now received new spirits with new life that is not corrupted when we sin (see notes 7-8 at Ro 6:6). Christ, in all His power and purity, is now living in us (1Co 3:16; Ga 2:20; Col 1:27, 3:11; and 1Jo 4:4).