“Now I would
remind you, brothers, of the gospel I
preached
to you, which you received, in which you
stand, and by which you are being
saved, if you hold fast to the word I
preached to you—unless you believed in
vain. 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.”
(1Corinthians 15:1-4 ESV)
Definitions
The
Gospel is the
good news that we have forgiveness of sins
through Jesus. Specifically, the gospel is
defined by Paul in 1 Corinthians
15:1-4: “Now I make known to you, brethren,
the gospel which I preached to you,
which also you received, in which also you
stand, by which also you are saved,
if you hold fast the word which I preached
to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received, that Christ
died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that
He was raised on the third day according to
the Scriptures.”
The
gospel comes from God (Galatians 1:10-12),
is the
power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16), is
a mystery (Ephesians 6:19), and is
a source of hope (Colossians 1:23), faith
(Acts 15:7), life (1Corinthians
4:15), and peace (Ephesians 6:15). *
The
Gospel:
The word
gospel literally means “good news” and
occurs
93 times in the Bible, exclusively in the
New Testament. In Greek, it is the
word euaggelion,
from which we get
our English words evangelist, evangel, and
evangelical. The gospel is, broadly
speaking, the whole of Scripture; more
narrowly, the gospel is the good news
concerning Christ and the way of salvation.
**
Synonyms
for Gospel:
Christian
teaching, Christ's teaching, the life of
Christ, the word of God, the good news,
Christian doctrine, the New Testament,
the writings of the evangelists
From
Strong’s
Lexicon:
Gospel
εὐαγγέλιον
(euangelion)
Noun -
Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's
Greek 2098: From the same as euaggelizo,
a good message, i.e. the
gospel.
Commentary
selections on each verse from 1Corinthian
15:1-4:
Consider
the excellent entry on 1Corinthians 15:1
from Barnes' Notes on the Bible:
“Moreover
- But (δὲ
de). In addition to what I have said
or in that which I am now about to
say, I make known the main and leading truth
of the gospel. The particle δὲ de
is “strictly adversative, but
more frequently denotes transition and
conversion, and serves to introduce
something
else, whether opposite to what precedes, or
simply continuative or explanatory”
- Robinson. Here it serves to introduce
another topic that was not properly a
continuation of what he had said, but which
pertained to the same general
subject, and which was deemed of great
importance.
I declare
unto you - (Γνωρίζω Gnōrizō). This word
properly means to make known, to
declare, to reveal Luke 2:15; Romans
9:22-23; then to tell, narrate, inform
Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7, Colossians
4:9; and also to put in mind of, to
impress, to confirm; see the note at
1Corinthians 12:3. Here it does not mean
that he was communicating to them any new
truth, but he wished to remind them
of it, to state the arguments for it, and to
impress it deeply on their memories.
There is an abruptness in our translation,
which does not exist in the
original. Bloomfield.
The
gospel - See the note at Mark 1:1. The word
here
means the “glad announcement,” or the “good
news” about the coming of the
Messiah, his life, and sufferings, and
death, and especially his resurrection.
The main subject to which Paul refers in
this chapter is the resurrection, but
he includes in the word gospel. Here, the
doctrine that he died for sins, and
was buried, as well as the doctrine of his
resurrection; see 1Corinthians
15:3-4.
Which I
preached unto you - Paul founded the church
at
Corinth; Acts 18:1 ff. It was proper that he
should remind them of what he had
taught them at first; of the great
elementary truths on which the church had
been established, but from which their minds
had been diverted by the other
subjects that had been introduced as matters
of debate and strife. It was fair
to presume that they would regard with
respect the doctrines, which the founder
of their church had first proclaimed, if
they were reminded of them; and Paul,
therefore, calls their attention to the
great and vital truths by which they
had been converted, and by which the church
had thus far prospered. It is well,
often, to remind Christians of the truths,
which were preached to them when
they were converted, and which were
instrumental in their conversion. When they
have gone off from these doctrines, when
they had given their minds to
speculation and philosophy, it has a good
effect to “remind” them that they
were converted by the simple truths, that
Christ died, and was buried, and rose
again from the dead. The argument of Paul
here is, that they owed all the piety
and comfort, which they had to these
doctrines; and that, therefore, they
should still adhere to them as the
foundation of all their hopes.
Which
also ye have received - Which you embraced;
which you all admitted as true; which were
the means of your conversion. I
would remind you, that, however that truth
may now be denied by you, it was
once received by you, and you professed to
believe in the fact that Christ rose
from the dead, and that the saints would
rise.
And
wherein ye stand - By which your church was
founded, and by which all your piety and
hope has been produced, and which is
at the foundation of all your religion. You
were built up by this, and by this
only can you stand as a Christian church.
This doctrine was vital and
fundamental. This demonstrates that the
doctrines that Christ died “for sins,”
and rose from the dead, are fundamental
truths of Christianity. They enter into
its very nature; and without them there can
be no true religion.” (1)
Matthew
Poole's Commentary
captures the apostle thought nicely from
1Corinthinas 15:2:
“By which
also ye are saved; by the believing,
receiving, of which doctrine, you are
already in the way to salvation (as it is
said, John 3:18: He that believeth on him is
not condemned; and John 3:36: He
hath everlasting life, and shall be
eternally saved): but not unless ye
persevere (for that is meant by keeping in
memory the doctrine which I have
preached unto you); and this you must do, or
your believing will signify
nothing, but be in vain to your souls.” (2)
The
Pulpit Commentary
summarizes 1Corinthians 15:3 well:
“Verse 3.
- First of all; literally, among the first
things; but this idiom means "first of all."
It does not occur
elsewhere in the New Testament, but is found
in Genesis 33:2, 2Samuel 5:8
(LXX.). This testimony to the Resurrection
is very remarkable, because:
1. It is
the completest summary.
2. It
refers to some incidents, which are not
mentioned in the Gospels.
3. It
declares that the death and resurrection of
Christ were a subject of ancient prophecy.
4. It
shows the force of the evidence on which the
apostles relied and the number of living eye
witnesses to whom they could
appeal.
5. It is
the earliest written testimony to the
Resurrection; for it was penned within
twenty-five years of the event itself.
6. It
shows that the evidence for the Resurrection
as
a literal, historical, objective fact was
sufficient to convince the powerful
intellect of a hostile contemporary
observer.
7. It
probably embodies, and became the model for,
a
part of the earliest Creed of the Church.
For our sins, literally, on behalf
of. The passage is remarkable as the only
one in which “on behalf of” is used with
“sins” in St. Paul. In 1Corinthians 1:13 we
are told that he died" on
behalf of us" (Romans 5:8; see 2Corinthians
5:21; 1Peter 2:24). The
expressions involve the image of Christ as a
Sin Offering for the forgiveness
of sins. According to the Scriptures. The
chief passages alluded to are
doubtless Isaiah 53:5, 8; Daniel 9:26; Psalm
22; Zechariah 12:10; together with
such types as the offering of Isaac (Genesis
22.) and the Paschal lamb, etc.
Our Lord had taught the apostles confidently
to refer to the Messianic
interpretation of the Old Testament
prophecies (Luke 24:25, 46: Acts 8:35; Acts
17:3; Acts 26:22, 23; John 2:22; John 20:9;
1 Peter 1:11).” (3)
Contemplate
Gill's
Exposition of the Entire Bible
on 1Corinthians 15:4:
“And that
he was buried,.... That is, according to the
Scriptures; for as he died and rose again
according to the Scriptures, he was
buried according to them; which speak of his
being in hell, in “sheol”, in the
grave, and of his making his grave with the
wicked, and with the rich in his
death, Psalm 16:10 and which had their
accomplishment through Joseph of
Arimathea, a rich man, who begged the body
of Jesus, wrapped in linen, and laid
it in his own new tomb. And besides these
Scripture prophecies of his burial,
Jonah's being three days and three nights in
the whale's belly was a type of
it, and according to which our Lord himself
foretold it, Matthew 12:40. Now
since this was prophesied of, and typified,
and had its actual accomplishment,
it was very proper for the apostle to take
notice of it, both to confirm the
certainty of Christ's death, and the truth
of his resurrection, which his death
and burial are mentioned, in order to lead
on to, and next follows:
And that
he rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures: that he should rise again from
the dead was very plainly hinted or
expressed in several prophecies which speak
of the rising of his dead body, of
its not being left in the grave so long as
to see corruption; and which
therefore could not be in it more than three
days; and of his lifting up his
head after he had drank of the brook by the
way; of his ascension to heaven,
and session at the right hand of God, which
suppose his resurrection, Isaiah
26:19. And that he should rise again the
third day, is not only suggested in
Hosea 6:2 but was prefigured by the
deliverance of Isaac on the third day after
Abraham had given him up for dead, from
whence he received him, in a figure of
Christ's resurrection; and by Jonah's
deliverance out of the whale's belly,
after he had been in it three days. The Jews
take a particular notice of the
third day as remarkable for many things they
observe (e), as
“Of the
third day Abraham lift up his eyes, Genesis
22:4 of the third day of the tribes, Genesis
42:18 of the third day of the
spies, Joshua 2:16 of the third day of the
giving of the law, Exodus 19:16 of
the third day of Jonah, Jonah 1:17 of the
third day of them that came out of
the captivity, Ezra 8:15 of the third day of
the resurrection of the dead, as
it is written, Hosea 6:2 “after two days
will he revive us, in the third day he
will raise us up, and we shall live in his
sight”.”
From
which passage, it is clear, that they under
stood
the prophecy in Hosea of the resurrection of
the dead; and it is observable,
that among the remarkable third days they
take notice of, are the two instances
of Isaac's and Jonah's deliverances, which
were Scripture types of Christ's
resurrection. From which observations they
establish this as a maxim (f), that
“God does
not leave the righteous in distress more
than three days.”'
That
Christ did rise again from the dead, in
pursuance
of those prophecies and types, the apostle
afterwards proves by an induction of
particular instances of persons who were
eyewitnesses of it.” (4)
What
does a man need to do in light of the
gospel message?
Paul
declares the following concerning man's
condition,
“As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one...that every mouth may
be stopped, and the entire world may become
guilty before God” Romans 3:10, 19.
This is a sinner’s condition. This condition
of sin must be acknowledged in
humility. Paul goes on to say, “For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord” Romans 6:23. All humanity has
earned the wages of death. God in his mercy
gives the gift of eternal life
based upon the work of Christ. The only
thing that humankind has earned and
deserved is death. Eternal life comes as a
gift. If the confession sin and the
accepting the work of Christ on one’s behalf
is real, this confession will
agree that there was and is absolutely
nothing in a man that caused God to give
this gift. Jesus Christ gets all the glory
and praise.
Gospel
presentation for sinners:
The
basics of the gospel message might be
presented like this:
God is
perfect and holy and He requires nothing
less
than His own perfection. But, we are not
able to attain His holiness. He
doesn't lie, cheat, or steal, but we do
these things. Therefore, there's a
judgment upon us because we have broken the
Law of God, we have sinned by lying
and cheating and stealing. This judgment is
eternal damnation. However, God the
Father loves us so much that He sent God the
Son, Jesus, who died on the cross
as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our
sins. He died on the cross and
physically rose from the dead three days
later. This proves that His sacrifice
was acceptable to the Father. Therefore, if
you want to receive what Jesus has
done to remove the wrath of God the Father,
then you must receive Him and His
sacrifice by faith. Would you like to pray
and ask Jesus to forgive your sins
against God? * From CARM
The
results of gospel conversion:
The
converted sinner will attempt to do as the
writer
of Hebrews sets forth: “Looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of our
faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The repentant sinner
will look to Jesus by giving him
the glory in all things. God is the one that
gives the gift of faith. The sinner
is saved by grace and even the faith is a
gift. Ephesians 2:8 says, “And that
not of yourselves.” What is not of
yourselves? Faith! Did the sinner choose
Christ and exercise faith on his own apart
from God and His divine working? Who
gets the glory? Christ or the sinner? Why
does a sinner choose to believe?
Ephesians 1:4, 5 supplies the answer:
“According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame
before him in love: Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the
good pleasure of his will.” Was this
salvation in the sinner’s hands to choose or
reject? If this were the case, could
not the sinner glory in himself? How can
that be so? Because the sinner would
have done something, others had not done.
The following verse tells us that it
is, “according to the good pleasure of his
will.” “So then it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy” (Romans
9:16). Salvation is by Grace and not of
works!
Hymns
about Grace:
When I stand before the
throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee With unsinning heart Robert Murray McCheyne
1 Rock
of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.
2 Not
the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.
3
Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.
4 While
I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee. Augustus
Toplady
Quotes
on Grace:
“Even if
we have thousands of acts of great virtue to
our credit, our confidence in being heard
must be based on God's mercy and His
love for men. Even if we stand at the very
summit of virtue, it is by mercy
that we shall be saved.” - St. John
Chrysostom
“The
nature of the Divine goodness is not only to
open
to those who knock. But also to cause them
to knock and ask.” – Augustine
“We ought
always to beware of making the smallest
claim for ourselves.” - John Calvin
“Grace
alone makes the elect gracious; grace alone
keeps them gracious; and the same grace
alone will render them everlastingly
glorious in the heaven of heavens.” -
Augustus Toplady
“You may
be quite certain that if you love God it is
a
fruit, not a root.” - C.H. Spurgeon
“We are
not born again by repentance or faith or
conversion: we repent and believe because we
have been born again.” - John
Murray
“As grace
led me to faith in the first-place, so grace
will keep me believing to the end. Faith,
both in its origin and continuance,
is a gift of grace.” - J.I. Packer
“Regeneration,
however it is described, is a divine
activity in us, in which we are not the
actors but the recipients.” - Sinclair
Ferguson
“Without
the Holy Spirit there would be no new birth,
no illumination, no understanding or
affection for the gospel, and thus no
faith -- in other words, no Christians.” -
J.W. Hendryx
“To make
human action the cause of divine blessing is
to overturn the whole nature of salvation.”
- Iain Murray
In
closing, the Word of God:
“To
God, only
wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.
Amen.” (Romans 16:27) and “heirs
according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28,
29)
Notes:
1.Albert
Barnes, THE AGES DIGITAL LIBRARYCOMMENTARY,
Barnes’
Notes
on the Bible, 1Corinthians, Vol. 3 p.
2770.
2.Matthew Poole's
Commentary on the
Holy Bible,
(Peabody, Massachusetts, Hendrickson
Publishers,
1985) p. 592.
3.H.
D. M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell, The
Pulpit Commentary, 1Corinthians,
Vol.19., (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Eerdmans
Publishing Company reprint 1978), p. 484.
4.John
Gill, Exposition
of the Old and New
Testaments, 1Corinthians, 9 Volumes,
(Grace Works, Multi-Media Labs), 2011,
p. 351-352.
Mr.
Kettler has previously published articles in
the
Chalcedon Report and Contra Mundum. He and
his wife Marea attend the Westminster,
CO, RPCNA Church. Mr. Kettler is the author
of the book defending the Reformed
Faith against attacks, titled: The Religion
That Started in a Hat. Available
at: http://www.TheReligionThatStartedInAHat.com