1 Corinthians 15:3-8 - First Importance

The word importance refers to the state or fact of being of great significance or value. Today’s Scripture starts off mentioning the Gospel as of first importance. As we go through what this message of first importance is today, I pray that you take some time and reflect on your own life.

What is of first importance in my life?

How do I even discern what is of first importance in my life?

What do I want to be of first importance in my life?

We all have something that takes the prime location, or first place, in our thoughts and actions. We all have something that is of first importance. What is yours?

Join me as we read God’s Word:

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Let us pray.

Prayer

As we discuss the reasons that the Gospel is of first importance, I pray that it becomes more and more clear why you should trust the truth of the Gospel. The first reason is:

I. You Should Believe the Gospel Because… The Testimony of the Cross (3)

1 Corinthians 15:3 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

Paul delivered this message to the church in Corinth. This highlights the fact that the Gospel must be shared. People believed because they heard. We see that people must hear the Gospel in order to be saved by it. That is our job as believers. Share the Gospel with others.

What message did he deliver? We will get to that in a minute. But first we need to understand that there are a lot of messages people can deliver. The weather, the news, governmental mandates, etc. But the message that he delivered was of first importance. This phrase is actually one Greek word that means first or before or of most importance. He wanted them to know that there is nothing more important than the message of the Gospel that he delivered to them.

This message that he delivered. He also received. He received it from Christ Himself as he alludes to in Galatians 1:12!

Galatians 1:12 ESV

For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Today we are going to break down this message that Paul delivered to them and why it is a trustworthy message to believe. Verse 3 gives the first part of this message.

Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.

There is so much truth packed into this short sentence. Christ died for our sins.

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You see, God is a perfect God. Sin cannot be in His presence. God is also a righteous judge. Just like a good judge wouldn’t let a guilty criminal off without justice, God is a good judge and will not leave the guilty unpunished.

So in order to still be a righteous judge but extend mercy to us, God sent His son, as the Person of Jesus Christ to die for our sins.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

And this was done in accordance with the Scriptures. What does that mean? This means in accordance with the Old Testament. In order to go through the entire Old Testament foreshadowing of Christ, we would have to be here for a long time! But the Old Testament points to Christ throughout its pages. Here are just three of the many examples:

Genesis 22:8 ESV

Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

As Abraham was going to make a sacrifice to the Lord, his son Isaac asked where the lamb was. God had actually commanded Abraham to go and sacrifice his son Isaac as a test and as a foreshadowing of our Heavenly Father in heaven who would sacrifice His son for our sins. Abraham asserted that God would provide the lamb. And God did provide the burnt offering at that time - a ram in the thicket was given as a substitute for Abraham’s son Isaac and this foreshadowed the Lamb that was to come who would be the substitutionary atonement for our sins - Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Next we see the Passover that we mentioned a few weeks ago is another foreshadowing. Found in Exodus 12 we see the death of all of the firstborn of Egypt as a final plague on Pharoah and his people. These plagues came because Egypt refused to let God’s people go. God commanded the people of Israel to sacrifice a lamb and place its blood above the doorposts of their homes. This blood would cause the Angel of Death to pass over their house and God’s people would be safe from harm. Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb. His blood covers our sins so that eternal death passes over us and we are given eternal life.

Finally we come to Isaiah 53:4-5:

Isaiah 53:4–5 ESV

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Christ took on our sin and died in our place. His punishment brought us peace and by His wounds we are healed. This means that through His sacrificial death we can have eternal life.

The testimony of the cross screams loud and clear. No greater love has been shown throughout the history of all creation than what Christ did for us on the cross. While we were still sinners Christ died for us. While we were enemies of Christ, He died for us.

I pray that His great kindness leads you to repentance. I pray that His great kindness and sacrifice on the cross helps you see the love that He has for you. That He would suffer such a gruesome death on that cross. He was whipped 40-1 lashings that took Him to the point of death even after already being beaten by many other people. And then He took the nails in His hands and feet and suffered a terrible death on the cross for the sins of the world. And He did this so that all those who would repent, or turn way from their sins, and place their trust in Him, would have eternal life. And He did this to glorify His Father.

My friends, you should believe because of the cross.

You should also believe....

Scripture References: Galatians 1:12, Romans 6:23, John 3:16, Genesis 22:8, Exodus 12, Isaiah 53:4-5.

II. You Should Believe the Gospel Because… The Testimony of the Christ (4)

1 Corinthians 15:4 ESV

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

The word Christ means anointed one and is another word that refers to the Messiah. The Messiah was the promised deliverer for Israel. Many Scriptures pointed to this deliverer that would come out of Israel and rule over the world in righteousness. Yet, there were also many Scriptures that described this deliverer like we saw in the first point. Little did Israel know, their Christ would come as a servant the first time. Jesus didn’t seem like the Messiah they were looking for. And because of that we see the first four words in our English translation of verse 4.

That he was buried.

The Christ they were expecting would deliver them from the hands of their enemies. His first coming did not do what they wanted and so they crucified Him.

Yet, Christ offers deliverance to us and to all. We might not get deliverance from our enemies on earth immediately - but we are delivered from the greatest of enemies - eternal death.

You see, the rest of verse 4 lets us know why Jesus came the first time.

His earthly body was killed. He died and was buried. He was placed in a tomb for three days. As an aside - to clarify for those who may struggle with understanding these three days - Jewish culture counted each day as 1. So this would count both the day of death, day in between, and day of resurrection.

Although some have tried to refute the fact that Christ died - none can do so with any integrity. He had undergone the 40-1 lashings that took him to the point of death before He even was crucified. After He died a spear jabbed into His side in which blood and water ran out and He didn’t respond. Professional executors then took His body off of the cross. These men were experts at death. They would surely have recognized a fake death. Jesus Christ’s body was most certainly dead.

And it was at this point that the disciples and all of Christ’s followers were stunned. Their Savior was dead. He really did die and they really were hopeless at this point. They had been blinded to all of the prophesies that talked about His resurrection. And so there everyone was - shocked and dismayed. But praise God that isn’t the end of the account...

Three days later…my friends three days later - He was raised! Death was defeated. The grave couldn’t maintain a hold on him. Hell suffered defeat and death lost its sting. My friends, we no longer have to fear death! Yes this body will die - but it will be raised unto new life! We may get arthritis, heart disease, and have strokes on this side of heaven - but this body isn’t where the story ends. We have the promise of a new body in heaven. We do not have to fear COVID or cancer because we have victory in Christ! This body may die but our spirit will live eternally with Christ on high. Praise God for His amazing love.

And again this was in accordance with the Scriptures. Jesus had even referenced Scriptures like the sign of Jonah. Jonah who was in the belly of a great fish for three days and spit out on land was a foreshadowing of Christ who was in the belly of the earth for three days later and walked out of the grave. The Christ was crucified - and it wasn’t a surprise to Him or the Father. It was the plan from the beginning. His victory was sure.

There is no greater act of power in all of the world brothers and sisters. Christ rose from the dead and defeated death. Later in this chapter that we are studying we see the power of the sacrificial death and resurrection of our Savior.

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 ESV

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus obeyed the law that we could not obey. We can’t be perfect. But He was and is. And then He took the death that we deserved. He died in our place so that we might have victory through Him. Praise be to God for His mercy and grace for us.

You should believe the Gospel because of the testimony of the the cross and the Christ. And you should also believe the Gospel because...

Scripture References: Jonah 1-4, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

III. You Should Believe the Gospel Because… The Testimony of the Community (5-8)

1 Corinthians 15:5–8 ESV

and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

The first two points are the most important. However, we would not know about the first two without this last. The community of believers who witnessed the resurrected Christ is of utmost importance in understanding the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well.

Let’s break down these verses to understand them a little better before applying them.

First we see Jesus appear to Cephas. Cephas is Peter in Aramaic. This was the disciple who was in the inner circle of Christ’s disciples. He is the one who was quick to step up and quick to act. Yet he was also the one who went from being ready to fight for Jesus to denying Him three times in a matter of hours.

Jesus, in His great mercy, appears to Peter first. Then He appears to the Twelve. We understand this to mean the Twelve minus one as Judas the betrayer is absent from this group.

Moving forward we see that Jesus appeared to more than 500 believers at one time!

Take that in for a second. More than 500 at one time. That is quite the testimony of many witnesses. I can’t imagine a jury trial with 500+ eyewitnesses. I don’t think it would take long to come to a verdict on that one!

Paul is daring his readers to check his facts. We live in a world full of fake news. There was still some fake news back then too. Obviously it didn’t spread nearly as quickly since the internet wasn’t a thing then! But he is writing to people who had the ability to fact check him and was daring them to. He wanted them to know that what he was writing was the exact truth.

One must see what a bold statement that this was at this time. Most of these eyewitnesses are still alive as he writes. And Paul asserts with complete confidence that his account will be corroborated by theirs.

Then we see that he appeared to James. This is not one of the two James that were disciples of Jesus. They would have been included in the Twelve that was already mentioned. This is James the half brother of Jesus who wrote the book of James in the Bible.

This James would go from being a doubter of Jesus during his earthly ministry as seen in Mark 3:21 and John 7:5:

Mark 3:21 ESV

And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”

And we see this in the book of John as well:

John 7:5 ESV

For not even his brothers believed in him.

To a pivotal leader in the church in Jerusalem. He would go on to be martyred for the cause of Christ.

What changed in James’ life that took him from doubting Jesus to dying for Jesus? Nothing makes rational sense other than he was an eye witness of the resurrected Christ.

In fact, 10 of the 11 disciples died a gruesome death on behalf of Christ. The same men who ran when Jesus was arrested, stood firm to the point of death. The only one who didn’t die, John, was banished to an island called Patmos and wrote the book of Revelation, the Gospel of John, and the Epistles 1,2,3 John and most historical accounts actually say that they tried to kill John but he wouldn’t die and so they banished him!

1 Corinthians 15:7 ESV

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Then he appeared to all the apostles. There are some debates upon who all this includes. It seems likely that it certainly includes the Twelve and may be a reference to Thomas who was absent during the first appearance of Jesus but present during the second appearance of Jesus to the Twelve. It could include others but any further ideas are speculation at best.

Finally we come to 1 Corinthians 15:8

1 Corinthians 15:8 ESV

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Paul lets his readers know that he has also encountered the resurrected Christ. He refers to himself as one untimely born. This is the only place in Scripture this Greek word occurs.

This word is a difficult word to translate. In Greek literature of Paul’s day this word referred to a miscarriage or premature birth. It referred to a life unable to sustain itself.

This likely doesn’t refer to his day of physical birth as Paul was likely born within 5-10 years of Jesus per most scholars.

Instead, it likely refers to his untimely conversion. He was born again much later than he would have liked to have been born again. He ravaged the church and killed and persecuted Christians for years before his conversion on the road to Damascus. He was like a premature infant who was struggling to survive. He had no hope of making it on it own. Yet Christ reached down and saved him. He went from death to life through salvation in Christ.

I know we blew through those eye witnesses quickly. However, there is no doubt that these men believed that they saw the Risen Christ. These men recieved power and boldness that was far beyond their original abilities. No one can deny that they were changed.

My friends, you can believe the Gospel because of the testimony of the cross, of the Christ, and of the community.

Scripture References: Mark 3:21, John 7:5

Conclusion:

As we come to a close I think we need to understand one more concept that is present in this Scripture we have been studying today.

Interestingly, the church of Corinth did not struggle with believing in the resurrection of Jesus. From what we covered today, one might think that they did. Paul actually started off this chapter of 1 Corinthians to remind them of Christ’s resurrection and moved forward to prove to them that they would face life after death as well.

See 1 Corinthians 15:12

1 Corinthians 15:12 ESV

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

Paul was combating false teaching that didn’t actually doubt the resurrection of Christ - it instead doubted the future resurrection of believers!

Brothers and sisters, as Paul was teaching the church of Corinth, he is teaching us as well. There is life after death. We will be raised unto eternal life or raised unto eternal death. The only determining factor on which one we are raised unto hinges on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Have you repented, or turned away from your sins, admitted that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior, and believed in Jesus Christ alone for salvation - that He is the Son of God who lived a sinless life, died on the cross and rose three days later - that by faith in Him, you might have eternal life? And have you confessed Him as Lord of your own life?

If you have not, I pray that you do that today. There is no more important decision in your life than this one. Your eternity hinges upon this one thing. The Gospel changes everything.

I would invite you to speak with me or one of our other leaders after the service about what it means to be a true follower and believer in Jesus Christ.

Let us pray.

Prayer

If you would like to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ or want to obey Jesus by obeying the first commandment of a believer in going through the waters of baptism - please let me know.