1 Corinthians 15:1-11: a reflection

1Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, 2by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. 9For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11Whether then it is I or they, so we preach, and so you believed.

Paul reminds the Corinthians of the gospel he preached, the good news by which they are saved, and he lays out its core with striking clarity, calling it of first importance. He delivered to them, he says, what he also received: 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 Peter, to the twelve, to more than five hundred at once, and finally to Paul himself. This is the gospel: Christ died, was buried, rose, and appeared.

Notice how Paul frames these facts: as of first importance, the very heart of the message. The gospel is not a vague spirituality or a set of moral teachings; it is this: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, historical events, attested by many witnesses, on which everything rests. This is the good news by which we are saved, the foundation of the whole faith. And Paul adds his own testimony to the transforming grace of it: by the grace of God I am what I am, the former persecutor made an apostle by grace.

That gospel is of first importance for us, too. It is easy to let the faith become, in our minds, mainly about moral improvement, or vague spirituality, or good works. But Paul insists that the heart of it, of first importance, is the good news of what Christ has done: he died for our sins and rose again. On this everything rests; this is what saves us. Hold fast to the gospel of first importance. Do not let it drift to the margins of your faith or become mainly about your own efforts. Center your faith, as Paul centered his message, on Christ crucified and risen for you, the good news of first importance, by which you are saved. And, like Paul, marvel that by the grace of God you are what you are.

Lord, Paul reminded the Corinthians of the gospel of first importance: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, attested by many witnesses, the good news by which we are saved. Keep that gospel central in my faith. It is easy to let my faith become mainly about moral improvement, or vague spirituality, or my own efforts. But you insist that the heart of it, of first importance, is what Christ has done: he died for my sins and rose again. Help me hold fast to that gospel, not letting it drift to the margins, but centering my faith on Christ crucified and risen for me. And, like Paul, help me marvel that by your grace I am what I am. Thank you for the good news of first importance, by which I am saved.