Communion and Love: A Believer’s LifestyleSample

Our central message

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is our message to a lost world. Martin Luther once remarked that the gospel is “the principal article of all Christian doctrine… Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.” Strong language: “beat it into their heads.”

But his point is well taken: The gospel is our central message. In 1 Corinthians 15, the great chapter on the resurrection, Paul mentions the gospel in verse 1. In verse 3, he says that the gospel is of first importance, then he summarizes the gospel. It has four basic points, four historical events:

1. Christ died for our sins.

2. Christ was buried.

3. Christ was raised.

4. Christ appeared to people.

That’s the essence of the gospel, the good news. Christ died, Christ was buried, Christ arose, and Christ appeared to people. Twice Paul adds the phrase “in accordance with the Scriptures.” This good news is not altogether new. It was foretold long ago in the Old Testament.

It is noteworthy that “in accordance with the Scriptures” is added twice, not four times. It is added to the two key elements: that Christ was buried and Christ arose. That Christ was buried underscores the reality of His death—He really died. That Christ appeared to people underscores the reality of His resurrection—He really rose. This is the essence of the gospel: Christ died for our sins and was raised on the third day. God came to this earth and died on a cross for my sin, and then rose from the dead in triumph to win my salvation.

Friend, that is not just good news. It’s the best news ever.