First Things
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 Paul passes on to the church in Corinth what he received from Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:11-12): the gospel. Like a mail person, Paul delivers God’s good news address to the church. God’s gospel, the only one that is truly so, is based upon certain facts. Those facts are that “Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day” (15:3-4). These facts are in “accordance with the Scriptures.” Jesus’s death and resurrection, therefore, is the pinnacle of God’s saving activity to which all of Scripture points (Luke 24). Further, the Scriptures interpret and reveal the significance of these historical facts. In light of its origin and contents, Paul evaluates rightly that the gospel is the most significant reality bearing upon all creation and to which all people owe a response.
Paul’s succinct definition of the gospel contains two claims: 1) Christ died for our sins and was buried, and 2) Christ was raised from the dead. The Scriptures reveal the incredible and life altering significance of these events.
That Christ died for our sins and was buried means that:
Our sin can be forgiven (Col. 1:14).
The just punishment for our sin has been met (Rom. 5:9).
We can be declared right in God’s sight (Rom. 3:22-26).
Sin and death no longer has a strong hold on us or creation (Rom. 5:18-19).
However, these things are only so if Christ has been raised. If Jesus is not alive then we are all still dead in our sin (15:17). Yet, Christ has been raised which means that:
Everyone will be raised to everlasting judgment or life (Acts 24:15).
Sin and death are defeated (15:54-57).
We can faithfully live for Him (15:58).
All of creation will be made new (Rom. 8:20-21).
Christ presently rules over all things (Eph. 1:15-23).
“Breaking News” sometimes announces the good news that snow is coming. We respond by canceling school, buying a sled, and waiting excitedly for the precipitation. The Gospel calls for a similar response. The proper reply to God’s gospel address in Christ is a faith that takes God at his Word. To do so is to, by God’s grace, receive Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again, as our greatest treasure and most important reality.
