1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

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. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain. 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.

– 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Devotion

Now Paul shifts the tone of his letter to a passionate defense of the “Gospel” that he preached and taught. He makes a very strong case for the resurrection. Some scholars claim that this chapter is one of the most important and crucial chapters in the Bible. This chapter is important because it answers one of the first heresies of the church, which was the denial of the bodily resurrection of Christ. In the opening verses of this chapter, we clearly see the prominence of the resurrection in the Gospel that Paul preached. In fact, there is no Gospel if there is no resurrection. What is this Gospel message that Paul declared? Paul simply states it in verses 3-4: “…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.” The reason Paul reiterates the Gospel here is very simple. If Christ did not raise from the dead, then the testimony of the Apostles is false. If their testimony is false, then the doctrines of the forgiveness of sins and the ultimate salvation of mankind are also false. For Paul, this simple Gospel is at the heart of his preaching and teaching. The resurrection is an essential part of this message that cannot be omitted.

The Big Question

Do you believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ? If not, what hope do you really have regarding the afterlife? Why do you believe Paul is so adamant about the resurrection of Jesus? How does the “Good News” of Jesus change your perspective on life and death?

Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.