1 Corinthians 15:4 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

NASB: and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

CSB: that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

NLT: He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

KJV: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

NKJV: and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

Paul has made clear to the Corinthians that faith in the gospel is essential for their salvation. If they don't hold firmly to faith in the entire gospel message, they will have believed what he taught them in vain. The "good news" of salvation through Christ is not a pick-and-choose message. Each of the components is critical.

He is now spelling out exactly what is contained in the gospel as he presented it to them. First, Christ died on the cross to pay for the penalty of our sins, just as the Old Testament Scriptures predicted. Now he hurries on to show that is not the end of the gospel message. It continues: Christ was buried and was raised back to life on the third day, which is also what the Scriptures predicted (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:8–10).

In short, the resurrection is as much a part of the gospel they believed as the crucifixion is. Believing one without the other is a meaningless faith; it accomplishes nothing.

First Corinthians 15:1–11 describes the gospel as it was delivered to Paul and as he delivered it to the Corinthians. It begins with the death of Christ on the cross for our sins, but it continues to His burial and, significantly, His resurrection. The alive-again Christ appeared to many people still alive at the time Paul wrote his letter. Paul establishes that the Corinthians believed the gospel, including faith in the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Paul will connect that faith to belief in the resurrection of all believers from the dead.

Paul provides thorough teaching about the resurrection of Christians from the dead. This is a direct counter to some group of Corinthians who did not believe in such a resurrection. He shows that natural death is not the end of life for Christians; it is the last step before receiving a glorified, resurrected body like that of the risen Christ. That ''spiritual'' body will be as different from our current bodies as a star is from a fish. In that moment, for all who have believed in Christ, living and dead, death will be defeated for good.

In chapters 12, 13, and 14, Scripture focused on the concept of spiritual gifts and how best to use them. This follows several other ideas where Paul corrected errors in the Corinthians' thinking. Chapter 15 contains extensive teaching on one last issue about which some Corinthians were confused or misled. Apparently, they harbored some doubts about the physical resurrection of Christians from the dead. After clearing up these confusions, Paul will address various other items, of a less doctrinal nature, and close out his letter.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.

Accessed 5/6/2024 4:11:26 AM