Saturday
Saturday
Paul’s Summary of the Resurrection Appearances
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.
1 Corinthians 15:3–5
Paul here identifies the gospel that was preached by the apostles and received by the Corinthians, on which they had taken their stand and by which they were being saved. It concerned the truths of the death and resurrection of Christ. (1) These truths are central truths. Of course, other truths are important, such as Christ’s virgin birth, sinless life, mighty works, glorious ascension, continuing reign, and future return, but the death and resurrection of Jesus are “of first importance.” (2) These truths are historical truths. They are not myths but verifiable historical events, which can be pinpointed on the calendar, as indicated by the telltale phrase “on the third day.”
(3) These truths are physical truths. That is, Christ died, and to demonstrate the physical reality of his death, he was buried. Then he rose, and to demonstrate the physical reality of his resurrection, he was seen, and Paul lists his appearances to three individuals and three groups. Moreover, all four events (death, burial, resurrection, and appearances) must have been equally physical. That is, the Jesus who was raised and seen was the same Jesus who had died and was buried. Some say that Paul did not believe in the empty tomb. But if it was Jesus’s buried body that was raised and seen, then the tomb must have been empty. So resurrection is not a synonym for life after death. The resurrected and transformed body of Jesus was the first bit of the material universe to be redeemed, and it is a pledge that the whole will one day be transformed.
(4) These truths are biblical truths, for both took place “according to the Scriptures,” witnessed to by the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New. An encounter with the risen Lord was an essential qualification for the apostolate (9:1; 15:8). (5) These truths are theological truths—events of huge significance. We deserved to die for our own sins, but he died our death instead of us. How great is his love! The death and resurrection of Christ (central, historical, physical, biblical, and theological truths) constitute the gospel. If this foundation is lost, the whole superstructure will collapse.
For further reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1–11