Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
In our world of widely diverse opinions on every conceivable topic, do you find we are nearly suffocated with information, much of which is insignificant when considering the most important issues in life? And I wonder what you would hold up as, let’s say, the 5 most important issues in life in 2023? May I offer these 5 suggestions which I believe are among the most important questions of our day which every person must answer:
1. What determines where and how I will spend my never-ending eternity, which begins at the moment of my earthly death?
2. When does life begin for a human being?
3. Who or what determines the gender of a person and is that gender fundamentally unchangeable regardless of medical or surgical alterations of that person’s body?
4. Is there absolute TRUTH? Who or what is the source of ultimate TRUTH?
5. Is there an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Creator being we call God? Who or what is God? What are God’s essential attributes and characteristics? What is the relationship God has designed for human beings to enjoy with God? What is God’s role with our universe, planet earth and the human species?
No, I’m not going to address those questions in today’s issue of “Walking with Jesus”, rather if you’ve been on this journey with me for any length of time, you’ve heard me repeatedly give you the truthful answers from the Bible, God’s Word. Today I’m inviting you to join me again with the apostle Paul as he’s writing his very important first letter to the first generation of Christians in the great, Greek city of Corinth, almost 2000 years ago. We’ve come to Paul’s 15th chapter, and he claims the topic of this chapter is “of first importance”.
That means that of all the possible topics he could address, Paul will now address what he believes is MOST important! Now that sounds to me like it would be well worth our time to consider what this remarkable and highly intelligent man Paul considers most important, would you agree? So, let’s dig in… got your Bible handy and open to 1 Corinthians 15?
“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. 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 Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.” (1 Cor. 15:1-5)
I love the fact that Paul very often uses the phrase “brothers and sisters”. Why? Because the group of Christians in Corinth could not have been more eclectic, more diverse. Wealthy people and slaves, Jews and Gentiles, educated and illiterate, world travelers and people who’d never been out of Corinth. Yet each of them were united into a spiritual family by the powerful saving work of Jesus Christ and the transformation work the Holy Spirit of God was accomplishing in each and all of them. Are you part of a diverse group of people with whom you feel a very strong family bond and is that unity you are living rooted in your common relationship with Jesus Christ as your Savior?
When Paul commends these Corinthians for ‘taking your stand’ on the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, which Paul introduced to them a few years prior, Paul means they are building every aspect of their lives on this Gospel truth and standing firm in the face of persecution! Are you and I doing that? Do you see Paul declares that it is their “holding firmly to” this Gospel of Jesus which enables them to be “saved”? ‘Saved’ from what and ‘saved’ by what or whom?
‘Saved’ or delivered or rescued from these two things: Sin Condemnation and Sin Bondage! Sin condemnation means every person is condemned to ‘perish’ because of their sin against God. And ‘perish’ means eternally separated from God in a place of never-ending torment. ‘Sin Bondage’ means every person is born with a sin nature which enslaves us and leads us to think, speak, make choices and act in ways that are evil and opposed to God’s holiness. This sin bondage is inescapable. Thus, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the ONLY thing with the power to both rescue and set a person free from sin bondage and from sin condemnation.
It seems to me this Gospel therefore becomes the most important information of all time which is available to the human race! Pause and ponder for a second… do you and I consider the Gospel the most important piece of information of all time? How is this priority seen in our daily lives?
Paul wrote a very short phrase next, but oh so important: “For what I received, I passed on to you…” You’ll recall Paul was among the most intelligent men of his day, yet he had been personally instructed, for an extended period of time, by the Holy Spirit of God! Paul then passed on to both Jews and Gentiles, all over the Roman empire, what He had been taught by Jesus Christ through the Spirit of God. (Gal. 1:11-17)
Did you notice Paul then defines the Gospel in this way: “that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.” When Paul says “that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” what does Paul mean and why is it one of the most fundamental and vital pieces of truth in all human history?
He means the death of Jesus was predicted and explained by God in the Old Testament Scriptures long before it ever happened, (Is. 53) and then Jesus Himself predicted and explained His atonement death right up to the day of His crucifixion! (Luke 18:31-33) For us in 2023 it means the ENTIRE Bible, both Old and New Testament Scriptures, point to, and explain, and are built on the truth and significance of this world changing event: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ!
But Paul also makes it very clear the Gospel is incomplete if it does not also include the BURIAL of Jesus! Now why is the burial of Jesus an essential historical fact my friends? Because the only way the atonement sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross was sufficient to pay for the sins of the whole world, is if Jesus fully and completely died. Death is the penalty for sin! (Romans 6:23) His burial proved He had fully died. Do you remember the extreme to which the Jewish leaders and Pilate the Roman Governor went to be sure Jesus remained dead and buried? A seal on the tomb and a 24-hour guard posted at the tomb! (Matt. 27:62-66)
Finally, of course the Gospel of Jesus Christ is only truly “good news” and complete if it includes the undeniable, verifiable resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That’s why Paul writes: “that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.” I’m sure you notice Paul not only claims the resurrection of Jesus from His death on the third day after He died, but that resurrected Jesus was seen by Cephas, that’s Simon Peter, and the Twelve, which is Paul’s way of saying the Disciples who had walked with Jesus. We have that record in John’s account chapter 20 in which Jesus twice appeared to the disciples when they were gathered together.
But there’s more, for Paul continues in his letter to these Corinthian Christians with these words: “After that, Jesus appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all Jesus appeared to me also…” (1 Corinthians 15:6-8) It’s one thing to hear a report that someone has heard from others about a significant event. But it’s an entirely different story when it is told to you by an eyewitness, isn’t it? Paul, of course, had heard directly from each of the apostles who told him of their several encounters with the resurrected Jesus. But the life changing event for Paul was his personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus, during Paul’s journey toward Damascus where he intended to arrest and prosecute any persons who claimed Jesus was resurrected! (Acts 9)
So, let’s pause right here and ponder what Paul has written to us. He declares the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the single most important piece of information available to the human race. He declares it has the greatest potential power to make the greatest change possible in every and any person. So, I have two closing questions:
1. Do you agree or disagree with Paul and why?
2. Have you experienced the power of the Gospel and if so, how has it changed your life?
Here’s a song to help us reflect on these important thoughts and I’ll meet you right back here tomorrow to continue…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Cor. 15:1-7.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.