Post by foxjj on Jul 22, 2023 11:44:15 GMT
The Gospel Paul Preached 1 Corinthians 15:1-7
“1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,” - 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 (NIV)
In verse’s 3 & 4, Paul stresses the essential part of the Gospel: “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,” These facts are not hearsay. On the contrary they are recorded historic happenings. Spurgeon put it this way: “Our religion is not based upon opinions, but upon facts. We hear persons sometimes saying, ‘Those are your views, and these are ours.’ Whatever your ‘views’ may be, is a small matter; what are the facts of the case?”
Where Paul wrote: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” he was referring to the Old Testament Scriptures, because the New Testament was still being written and not yet recognized as Scripture. As an example, when Jesus was dying on the cross He quoted the Messianic Psalm 22: “And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). - Mark 15:34. In verse’s 16 to 18 of Psalm 22 there is a description of crucifixion long before the Romans used it as their mode of execution:
“16 Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
In the writings of Isaiah the prophet we can read a description of Messiah’s agonizing death:
“3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.” - Isaiah 53:3-6.
All four Gospels record the historic fact that Jesus the Messiah died by Crucifixion, and that His body was laid in a tomb:
“50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.” - Luke 23:50-55 (NIV)
The resurrection of Jesus as Messiah was in fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures such as Psalm 16:10 where it states: “You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy one see decay.” In Matthew 12:39-40, Jesus Himself made reference to Jonah as a foreshadow of His own resurrection after three days in the tomb: “39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
In verse 6 of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul references further evidence that Jesus rose from the dead by pointing out that there were many eyewitness: “After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
This is the heart of The Gospel proclaimed by Paul as he shared The Good News how Jesus Christ came to atone for our transgressions while showing the love of God and offering peace and hope to all who accept His sacrifice on their behalf.
Today, let us give thanks to Our Heavenly Father for the Gospel.
John Joseph Fox.
“1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,” - 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 (NIV)
In verse’s 3 & 4, Paul stresses the essential part of the Gospel: “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,” These facts are not hearsay. On the contrary they are recorded historic happenings. Spurgeon put it this way: “Our religion is not based upon opinions, but upon facts. We hear persons sometimes saying, ‘Those are your views, and these are ours.’ Whatever your ‘views’ may be, is a small matter; what are the facts of the case?”
Where Paul wrote: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” he was referring to the Old Testament Scriptures, because the New Testament was still being written and not yet recognized as Scripture. As an example, when Jesus was dying on the cross He quoted the Messianic Psalm 22: “And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). - Mark 15:34. In verse’s 16 to 18 of Psalm 22 there is a description of crucifixion long before the Romans used it as their mode of execution:
“16 Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
In the writings of Isaiah the prophet we can read a description of Messiah’s agonizing death:
“3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.” - Isaiah 53:3-6.
All four Gospels record the historic fact that Jesus the Messiah died by Crucifixion, and that His body was laid in a tomb:
“50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.” - Luke 23:50-55 (NIV)
The resurrection of Jesus as Messiah was in fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures such as Psalm 16:10 where it states: “You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your holy one see decay.” In Matthew 12:39-40, Jesus Himself made reference to Jonah as a foreshadow of His own resurrection after three days in the tomb: “39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
In verse 6 of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul references further evidence that Jesus rose from the dead by pointing out that there were many eyewitness: “After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
This is the heart of The Gospel proclaimed by Paul as he shared The Good News how Jesus Christ came to atone for our transgressions while showing the love of God and offering peace and hope to all who accept His sacrifice on their behalf.
Today, let us give thanks to Our Heavenly Father for the Gospel.
John Joseph Fox.
