Today’s sermon audio can be found on Castbox at 157 “The Gospel Paul Preached” 1 Corinthians 15:1-13.

Our primary text for April 5 was 1 Corinthians 15:1-13. For our first reading we read Galatians 1:11-17. We began by considering why Paul wrote the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians (per vv12-13). Some of the Corinthians were saying that there was no such thing as a resurrection from the dead. We considered what those folks might have been thinking. We don’t know what they were thinking. But many modern objections to the Gospel could quite possibly be handled just as Paul, in chapter 15, handled this particular error.

We next looked at vv1-2 where Paul provides four characteristics of his Gospel and then makes a potentially disturbing assertion about salvation. Paul’s Gospel (1) was preached to the Corinthians, (2) was received by the Corinthians, (3) was the theological foundation upon which the Corinthians stood, and (4) was the means by which they continued to be saved. Paul was not negating his concept of justification by the fourth assertion; he was simply stating that the Gospel is of ongoing significance in the Christian life. The potentially disturbing assertion is a warning. But we believe that true believers will persevere (hold fast to the word). Paul is mainly concerned about the error of the Corinthians who said that there was no resurrection of the dead. If the errant position were true (which it is NOT) then we would have believed in vain. In v14 Paul mentions that “if Christ had not been raised, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”

We then looked at vv3-5. Paul here makes two preliminary assertions in the first part of v3 about the Gospel that he preached and then he makes four defining assertions about the substance of the core of his Gospel. Paul asserted (1) that the Gospel is of the utmost importance and (2) that the Gospel was given to him. We cross-referenced Paul’s use of this verb “to receive”. At 1 Corinthians 11:23 Paul wrote that he “received from the Lord what …“ he also delivered to the Corinthians. At Galatians 1:11-12 Paul very clearly uses the verb “to receive” to indicate that he had received the Gospel from the Lord by “a revelation of Jesus Christ”.

Then Paul lists four crucial, substantive assertions about the core of his Gospel: (1) “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures”, (2) Christ “was buried”, (3) Christ “was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”, and (4) Christ “appeared” to numerous witnesses including last of all Paul himself. The core of Paul’s Gospel is historical, theological, and Scriptural.

We concluded with a brief reminder about what saving faith is per the old, Protestant thinking. True saving faith is a gift from God of a personal nature that includes three and only three aspects: (1) Knowledge, (2) Assent or Agreement, and (3) Trust. We use the mnemonic KAT to help us remember what true faith is. We strive to remember the Gospel by meditating on 1 Corinthians 15:1ff.

"The Gospel Paul Preached" 1 Corinthians 15:1-13

  1. Why Paul Wrote Chapter 15 (15:12-13)
  2. You Are Being Saved (15:1-2)
  3. As of First Importance (15:3-10)
  4. So You Believed (15:11)

Scripture References: Galatians 1:11-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-13; 1 Corinthians 11:23; Isaiah 53:1-12; Acts 13:13-52; Matthew 12:38-42;