City Life Starter

I. The Word: 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain.”

By Ji Yun

“Christ died, buried, and rose again.” is the message of 1 Corinthians 15. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are paramount, essential, and necessity in the Christian Doctrine. Without this important doctrine, there is simply no Christianity. Those who do not believe in the death and resurrection of our Lord, openly question the resurrection as if it did not occur, or say it is not necessary for the Christian faith, cannot be considered Christians.

There are those who profess that Christ’s resurrection is not necessary for our faith. Mainly, intellectuals from various universities and in seminary settings within the last two centuries have made such claims and have distorted the minds of many. In the early church, they also faced similar issues, as Paul was addressing the Corinth Church. All throughout church history, Christ’s resurrection has been questioned and challenged.

Those who question the resurrection, are ultimately questioning Christ’s divinity because that is what is at stake here. If an individual questions Christ’s death and resurrection, they are consciously or unconsciously questioning the divinity of Christ. Was Jesus Son of God or just another man, miracle worker, great Rabbi from Galilee?

They argue that Jesus did not have to rise from the dead and one can still claim themselves as Christians with this belief. I would strongly argue that this is a non-negotiable doctrine of the Christian faith, those who profess to be Christians must believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, have died for our sins, and rose on the third day as it is beautifully articulated in the Westminister Confession of Faith:

“This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake; which that He may discharge, He was made under the law, and did perfectly fulfill it; endured most grievous torments immediately in His soul, and most painful sufferings in His body; was crucified, and died; was buried, and remained under the power of death, yet saw no corruption. On the third day, He arose from the dead, with which also He ascended into heaven, and there sitteth at the right hand of His Father, making intercession, and shall return to judge men and angels, at the end of the world.” (The Westminister Confession of Fath, Chap. 8, Sec. 4)

The Apostle Paul begins the chapter with the definition of the Gospel before taking on this important doctrinal issue. For Paul, there is only one Gospel, that is set apart, stands as the orthodoxy, and is accepted as the universal doctrine of Christianity. This is what Paul preached to the Corinthians, that produced many salvations and became the doctrine that served as the foundation for the Corinth Church. He reminds them that they have received, now stand, and are saved by the Gospel, the universal doctrine of faith.

In verse 2, Paul uses conditional clauses of “If,” that each person who received the Gospel must live by. The Corinthians are called to stand by the teachings that have been given by Paul as the foundation for their faith. By hold fast the Gospel, you are saved while you have believed in “vain” if you did not hold fast the Gospel.

Application

As Christians, we are responsible for holding fast to the Gospel and doctrines that have been passed down to us. For two millennium, the church has experienced various challenges, including heresies and false teachings that have led many astray. The doctrine of death and resurrection of Jesus and His divinity will continue to be a controversial issue to those who do not believe. How about you? Do you believe in Christ’s divinity? Do you believe Jesus was the Son of God? Do you believe He has died for your sins? Do you believe He rose on the third day? What you believe matters.