THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
1 Corinthians 15:1–11
Key Verses: 15:3–4
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.,
Today’s message makes a sudden leap forward in time from Luke’s Gospel that we’ve been studying. According to one idea I saw on the internet, Paul’s letter might be written 20 years later. The same chart thinks Luke’s Gospel was written several years after this. If the chart is correct, maybe Luke spent time while Paul was in Cesarean prison collecting facts for his gospel because many incorrect stories about Jesus and other news of tainted ways of salvation were gaining ground. Paul saw many controversies over those things and felt it was necessary to bring up the basic facts of the true story and way of salvation in this letter. Let’s try to put ourselves in Corinthians’ shoes for a while and see if we can hear Paul’s gospel like the original, like the first time we heard it and take our stand on it anew.
Many topics in the preceding chapters leave a gloomy feeling about the Corinthians. Many problems and sins are discussed: Divisions and factions forming among them, carnal thinking and immature, judgmental attitudes; they tolerate a sinful relationship in one family; they were suing each other according to the worldly justice system, many were distressed about their marriage problems, some wanted to end their marriages, they were all mixed up about what they could eat or not, and their worship services were getting somewhat unruly as folks were over eating everything selfishly at dinner. Paul counseled them to love one another to overcome interpersonal problems and desire good gifts from God to build up their fellowship. All that goes on from chapter 1-14.
Now lets read chapter 15:1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. Considering all their problems and spiritual immaturity, Corinthians might be feeling beaten up by Paul’s letter.
It really is the right time to help them remember the Gospel, which literally means “a good message,” that Paul shared with them in the past. The gospel is good news of God’s amazing grace and hope for them when they trust Christ, following Paul’s advice. Verse 1 says the Corinthians received, and took their stand on the gospel. According to the publishing timeline, there may only be one book of the New Testament the Corinthians ever saw until now, which is the letter we are studying. There may be a very slim chance that Corinthians read the gospel of Matthew. But most likely, the gospel was only a word of mouth message, somehow based on the Jewish holy book. Even seeing a Greek translation of the Jewish holy book must have been difficult.
So the precious letter Paul sent was only a reminder of the early days when they heard from apostolic evangelists about a new and living way to eternal life. They were impressed that the creator God would care for them and desire to bring them to heaven with him forever so they took a stand on the way of salvation in Christ.
Taking a stand on the gospel in their day meant abandoning the ancient Greek religious theories of many gods to follow the creator God described in the Bible. That leads to community and family ostracizing the believers. They may be counted heretics and threatened or arrested or killed by random mobs of zealots.
Adding to the turmoil was the influence of those known as Judaizers. They caused a lot of controversy by teaching that gentile believers needed to observe Jewish customs, rituals and laws in order for their faith in Christ to have any effect on their destiny. Judaizing can be very pleasing because it establishes some requirements that help someone feel secure in their faith. It manifests wherever it is implied that Christians are not believing in Jesus correctly if they are not observing some statues handed down from Moses’ books. The end result of such requirements are known as salvation by works and Paul disagreed, as did Peter who also witnessed the Holy Spirit pouring out on the gentiles early on in his travels.
On top of those troubles, there were lots of fringe theories being shared by very loud preachers. 2 Timothy 2:16-18 warns about them. It mentions some leading people away with their “irreverent babble, … into more and more ungodliness …” that ” … will spread like gangrene. Among them were Hymenaeus and Philetus, who swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection had already happened. They were upsetting the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:16–18). Such theories also pop up often, like one famous fellow in the picture who crashed a big radio ministry over a false prophecy of Jesus coming in 2011.
Then and now, taking a stand on the gospel means trusting only Jesus to atone for our sins without assuming or adding any personal righteousness. Paul said they will be saved if they hold firmly to his message. That means their sins will be forgiven and Jesus will speak up for them on judgment day saying come to the kingdom prepared by my father before the foundation of the world. Because of so many influences tugging and pushing on congregations, Paul took time to declare the gospel plain and simple to them again, in writing. In verse 2 he reminds them it was a matter of first importance and may be the most important thing in this letter.
Let’s read verses 3&4. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” This is a very simple message. The emphasis appears to be on three facts about things that happened to Jesus and the interesting observation that they happened according to scriptures. Let’s briefly remind ourselves what each aspect reveals about God’s plan for Christ and sinners like us from every generation.
First fact, Christ died for our sins. It is surely a matter of first importance. It means God provided once for all atonement for sin that can rescue anyone in history. It is mysterious to think about, but from the fall of Adam until the end of time everyone sinned, bringing the curse of death on themselves with only one exception. The only one found in the Bible without sin turns out to be Jesus, the Son of God. Being found righteous, uniquely qualified Jesus to offer himself as a ransom for many, becoming a curse on behalf of all God’s people, setting them free from the power of death. His atonement works for everyone who followed God since the creation of the world, including before and after the flood, anyone who may have trusted God before Abraham, all who had faith like Abraham until Christ and everyone after that who believes. Praise God! Jesus’ atonement saves the immature, carnal Corinthians, all the mixed up, sin-sick members of our fellowship and all the lost sheep Jesus will gather around the world up to the end of time.
ONE SIDE note to recognize, in case it is not obvious, Christ died “for” our sins implies that sinners are the reason he had to die. So, in a very big picture, Christ dying is our fault, and we should own up to the fact, as well as recognize that he is very gracious to obey God who loved us so much that he sent his one and only son to die, so that we may live.
Another fact of first importance in Paul’s gospel says Christ was buried. In the context of being executed, it seems obvious that an innocent person’s body would be buried. According to the gospels it happened when Joseph of Aramathea put Jesus’ body in his own tomb. It could be overlooked as part of the good news, since it sounds depressing. Maybe this is a matter of first importance because anti-christian liars will easily make up a story claiming something else happened to discredit Jesus and his followers. Immediately after Jesus died some spread the rumor his disciples stole his body. I’ve heard a few times over the years that some religious leaders claim Jesus did not even die, but he sent a body-double to die in his place. Paul states a fact, that Jesus was buried. He definitely experienced death, even a spear was stabbed in his side and there was no reaction. Sending his body into the earth means there was no chance for him to wake up as if in some kind of coma. Everyone agreed his life on earth was over.
There are some theories wondering if Jesus did anything else in other dimensions while his body was in the tomb, but Paul did not include any of them in his Gospel. We would like to think Jesus was free of trouble, but some legends wonder if his soul endured any sort of horrors and others propose he evangelized among some previously departed souls. One hint could be Jesus’ promise to the criminal next to him who testified of Jesus’ innocence. Jesus said to him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” It does seem a little hopeful that Jesus’ soul was not suffering in any way while his body was lifeless and it is nice to think his soul found some rest. At the end of the day, these are all legendary theories. What we really need to believe is that Jesus was surely, absolutely dead and put in the tomb according to the scripture.
The next important fact of the good news is that Jesus rose from the dead. This fact is the most hopeful and awe inspiring part of the good news Paul preached. It means death is not the end of our life that we assume it to be. It is a fact that sets Christian faith apart from every other religious idea or theory about death because it leaves no doubt that God can raise the dead. The fact of Jesus rising from the dead made his own words come true. He told his disciples several times he would rise and he alluded to this fact in conversation with critics who complained when he chased the merchants out of the temple. Paul will share more details about the timing, cause and effects of Jesus’ resurrection in upcoming studies, so today we just want to be reminded of it and realize the resurrection of the dead is of first importance among the facts in the gospel. Run away from any Bible teacher who tries to say Jesus did not come back to life in his own body. In verses 5-7, Paul even mentioned many witnesses who saw Jeus alive whom Corinthians could seek out and interview if they had any doubts. Just over 500 in all saw Christ alive during the days leading up to the Holy Spirit coming to his disciples at Pentecost.
Another fact mentioned in the gospel is that Christ rose “on the third day.” It seems coincidental to us, and we wonder if it matters much whether Jesus rose on the third, fourth or fifth day. Some scholars propose that fact was relevant in existential ways to the Jews of the time, since some other significant things in the Bible had a three day time frame. For instance, the Israelites consecrated themselves three days before God spoke to them at Mount Sinai. And Abraham traveled three days with Isaac to offer him according to God’s instructions. SLIDE (on third day jonah) But Jonah’s experience is the most relevant since Jesus brought it up as an example when some skeptics asked him to prove he was somebody by showing them a miraculous sign. He also foretold his resurrection on the third day several times to his disciples as the day of his execution drew closer.
The last fact Paul mentioned twice about his gospel is that the important events mentioned occurred according to the scriptures. It has many theologically significant implications. It means the Jews who claimed scriptural authority must acknowledge Jesus is their Lord and savior. It means God, who gave Jews the scriptures, had a reason and plan for sending Christ and alluded to Jesus’ death and resurrection in many ways throughout the Old Testament. It means the specific events Paul considered of first importance were not coincidental experiences, but necessary effectual actions that God sent Jesus through for a supernatural purpose. “According to scripture” means the Old Testament scriptures are relevant for Gentiles to read and understand, even though they are not required to implement the laws Moses recorded. They help everyone understand God’s love for the world and his desire to save people from every land through Christ. These are all very large concepts and perhaps each one could be a chapter in a book, but I don’t know how to write that. Probably we want to see some examples of the scriptures that the good news was according to. So, let’s take a look at a short list for each fact Paul shared.
Christ died for our sins.
Most famous scripture related to this good news is Isaiah chapter 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
SLIDE (isaia 53 & Peters letter) Especially “… by his wounds we are healed” was found in Peter’s letter describing Jesus bearing our sins in his body on the tree.
Christ was buried
The most famous description of this may also be found in Isaiah 53. Verse 9 says, “9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” Dying the same day as the criminals and being placed in the rich man, Joseph’s tomb, as described in the evangelist’s records seems to match the facts of Paul’s gospel very well with the Hebrew scriptures in Isaiah.
Christ was raised from the dead.
Peter quoted a Psalm in his message to the crowd at Pentecost that might be the most famous verse describing God’s plan for Jesus’ resurrection. In acts Acts 2:30-32 he mentions King David saying, “… he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”
That he was raised on the third day.
Along with the illustrative example of Jonah mentioned earlier, there is just one verse in the Bible that seems to mention something like this in Hosea 6 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.” It seems to be the call of a prophet asking the Israelites to repent in general terms. But it may be one of the hidden notes that were misunderstood for centuries, because Jesus is the one who restores all who are found in him, making them acceptable in the sight of God. If you can accept it, they were and we are reckoned to be “in Christ” and were chosen in him before the foundation of the world, so the word in Hosea is speaking to all of us. If so, it is an instance of the “the Word that became flesh” speaking to his people about something that will happen far off in the future but which is mildly disguised in contemporary literature. SLIDE (Hebrews 2)
There are some more examples of “the word” speaking before it “became flesh” described in Hebrews where Jesus’ voice speaks through Psalms and prophets to the faithful people who long for his kingdom. One reveals Jesus speaking to his people as family in Psalms and Isaiah’s words:
In Hebrews 2:12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.” Seems like Jesus speaking in a Psalm that has many other words that appear in the evangelists Gospels, even Jesus words from the cross. And Hebrews 2:13 reveals Jesus speaking to God in Isaiah about the people he will save. “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” Those children were those faithful to God including Isaiah, King David, the apostle and everyone who stands firm on the gospel Paul shared.
Those are the sort of scriptures that set the Hebrew disciples heart on fire as they understood them, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Of such principles and promises Jesus said many kings and prophets longed to see them fulfilled but were unable. Yet his disciples were greatly blessed to see them come to pass in their lives.
This has been a long reminder of the very short Gospel facts Paul shared with the Corinthians. Why did he want us to think about it again, and so close to Easter when we will study the gospel he preached in depth? Let’s remember verse 2. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. Let’s take our stand on the good news that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. If we hold firmly to the Gospel Paul preached Christ will share his kingdom with us now and forever. Let’s pray.