Ladies, today I want to start getting into our study of Christ’s resurrection by taking you through 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Those of you who have been through my Bible Studies on Ephesians 2:1-10, Jude and Titus know that I always emphasize context when studying Scripture, and therefore I insist on looking at the entire first section of 1 Corinthians 15 before we discuss today’s verses:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. ~~1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (ESV)

In verses 1-2, Paul brings attention back to the Gospel, which he had personally preached to the Corinthians when he first established their church. Notice that he tells them that they stand in the Gospel they have received as a result of his preaching. Only the Gospel enables us to stand before God. In verse 2 he elaborates that, by standing in the Gospel, they are being saved.

I don’t want to spend much time analyzing these two verses, but I believe it’s important to think just a little about standing in the Gospel. Salvation comes only through placing our trust completely in the Gospel message, so any failure to cling to that message would indicate a false conversion.

From there, Paul reiterates the basic Gospel, clarifying that it has primary importance over everything else. He has just written 14 chapters dealing with serious issues within the church in Corinth that caused injurious division, and now he seeks to unify them under the primary tenets of the Gospel.

The first point he makes (in verse 3) is that Christ died as a substitute for us, bearing the full penalty for our sins. Implicit in this statement is that we no longer bear responsibility to atone for our sins through sacraments, purgatory or good works. According to Scripture, specifically Isaiah 53:4-6, Jesus took the punishment for our rebellion against God.

Next (in verse 4), Paul recounts that Christ was buried (Isaiah 53:9), and that He rose again (Isaiah 53:11; Psalm 16:10). As in verse 3, he ties the events to Scripture. Although he proceeds, in the verses we’ll examine next week, to enumerate eyewitnesses who could verify the Lord’s resurrection, it’s important to note that he appeals to Scripture as his foremost authority. Certainly, he sets an example that we must follow.

Christ’s burial proves His resurrection because only the truly dead  require burial. Paul deliberately builds his case, even in reminding his readers of the the basic Gospel, for the resurrection. Verses 3-4 demonstrate that the doctrine of Christ’s resurrection is just as essential to the Gospel as His atoning death on the cross. As we progress through 1 Corinthians 15, we’ll learn why this doctrine is so vital to believe in order to stand firmly in the Gospel.

Please use the Comments Section below or The Outspoken TULIP  Facebook page to ask questions and/or share insights about the passage we’ve studied today. I’d appreciate hearing how this study has ministered to you, or how I might approach the text more effectively. Feel free to bring in other Scriptures that apply to this passage, and to interact with each other in the comments. Next week we’ll talk about Paul’s eyewitnesses.

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