1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (NIV)
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. 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 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, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 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. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Now that Paul has dealt fully and completely with the use of spiritual gifts, he is moving on to the next topic: the resurrection of the dead. Paul teaches clearly in this section that the hope of eternal life and the general resurrection rests solidly on the historical reality of Jesus own resurrection. That is the core of the gospel, so he starts there.
Paul has already outlined the need for the gospel (Chapters 1-3) and the resulting freedom from the that results from the gospel (Chapters 6-8). Now he is focusing on the historical basis of the gospel, and its implications for eternity. Paul cautions his readers that there is only one historical truth that underlies the one true gospel, and they need to stand firm in that truth, and not let themselves be drawn aside by side issues or by spurious theologies and “other gospels” which were already rising up (Galatians 1: 6-12).
Paul begins his recitation of the historical factors that underlie the true gospel, starting with Jesus’ real death. Jesus didn’t just seem to die but really was crucified and was certified dead by those in charge of the crucifixion, men whose own crucifixion awaited them if they took anyone down from the cross who was not yet dead. The death of Jesus for our sins and his subsequent burial in the tomb were all prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures and were critical to the subsequent events.
The next historical event in the gospel story is Jesus’ bodily resurrection, exactly as both the Old Testament prophecies and Jesus Himself had foretold. Jesus did not rise “spiritually” or rise “in the hearts of his followers”. His was a physical resurrection, just as bodily and genuine as that of all those He had raised from the dead during His ministry. The reality of His physical resurrection is attested to by the sheer number of people to whom He physically appeared after He rose, more than 500 people, all of whom were more than willing to bear witness to its reality if anyone asked. Paul himself was a trustworthy witness to the fact, having seen the resurrected Jesus outside Damascus — an encounter that had completely changed the direction of his own life.
Father, Paul is absolutely correct that any hope we have for the life to come is firmly rooted in Jesus’ physical resurrection. If He didn’t rise, why should we think that there is anything for us after our lives here are done. But, thankfully, and most assuredly, He did rise from the dead, as attested to by so many people that belief in the pure fact of the resurrection is not a matter primarily of faith, as Paul sees it, but of reason, and is thus available to anyone! Lord, thank You for not just the promise of resurrection, but for its reality in us who choose to follow Jesus. Amen.