1 Corinthians 15:1-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the
gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which
you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you
hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first
of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that
He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by [a]Cephas, then by the
twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five
hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but
some have [b]fallen asleep. 11 Therefore,
whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
The essential message of the Gospel is:
1)
Christ died for our sins
2)
Christ was buried
3)
Christ resurrected bodily from the dead
4)
Christ appeared to many witnesses after his resurrection
Verse Exposition…
15 Moreover,
brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also
you received and in which you stand,
The apostle Paul had preached the Gospel of the crucified and resurrected
Lord Jesus Christ to the Corinthians for the forgiveness of sins and the
Corinthians had believed and thus been made spiritually alive; after turning
away from the deadness of Judaism and Paganism. Their receiving of the Gospel
message made them Paul’s spiritual children but also his brethren in the faith.
The fact that a Corinthian church had been established by the apostle Paul was
evidence of their genuine receiving and standing upon the Gospel message.
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I
preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
Receiving the Gospel message grants salvation but there must
me a genuine faith and not a superficial faith. Genuine faith is characterized
as a persevering faith that holds fast unto Jesus Christ and his teaching. A
professing Christian who abandons the faith later on demonstrates that his/her
faith was not genuine and thus non-saving.
Mathew 7:22-23, Mathew 25:11-12, 1 John 2:19
On the other hand: a follower of Jesus Christ who receives
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, stands in him, and holds fast the word demonstrate
that their faith is genuine and thus saving.
John 8:31, 2 Cor 13:5, 2 John 9, Hebrews 10:38
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also
received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
Paul was a well versed Pharisee prior to his conversion and
thus had a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament and how they related and
predicted the Gospel message. (The death and resurrection of the messiah) He
preached Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected as a fulfillment off the Old
Testament Jewish scriptures.
Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, Mathew 12:39-40, Psalm
16:8-11, Genesis 22:8, 14, Psalm 22, Hosea 6:2
An apostolic requirement was to have seen the risen Lord.
(Acts 1:22) After Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other woman at the
tomb; Jesus first appeared to Peter who had previously denounced Him. After
meeting the two on the road to Emmaus, (Luke 24:34) Jesus met with the twelve
on Easter evening. (John 20:19, Luke 24:36) It was necessary for the founders
of the early church (Ephesians 2:20) to have witnessed the risen Lord to
testify to the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
6 after that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom
the greater part remain to the present, but some have [b]fallen asleep.
500 people of that day saw the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ
on one occasion in one place!
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due
time.9 For I
am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy 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; but I labored more abundantly than they
all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Paul was also chosen for apostleship by the Lord Jesus
Christ but it was to be later than the original 12. Paul started as a violent persecutor
of the early church until Jesus revealed himself to “Saul” on the road to Damascus.
(Acts 9:1-8) Paul witnessed the resurrected Jesus post ascension years after
the 40 day period when Jesus stayed on earth after his resurrection. (Acts 1:3)
Paul continued to be in awe of the awesome grace that the Lord had shown Him
and continued to work out his calling within that awesome grace.
11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and
so you believed.
The fact remains that it was the Gospel message of a
crucified, risen savior for the forgiveness of sins that would be preached by
the apostles, prophets, and pastors of the early church. The message was
uniform and consistent. The early church
preached and taught Jesus Christ crucified, died and resurrected and people
believed the message because it was credible.
We must believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ
to be a Christian.
Romans 10:9 New King James Version (NKJV)
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
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