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The Resurrection of Christ

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Good News Translation (GNT)

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  1  And now I want to remind you, my friends,
   of the Good News which I preached to you,
   which you received, and on which your faith
   stands firm.
  2  That is the gospel, the message that I
   preached to you. You are saved by the gospel
   if you hold firmly to it - unless it was for
   nothing that you believed.
  3  I passed on to you what I received, which is of
   the greatest importance: that Christ died for
   our sins, as written in the Scriptures;
  4  that he was buried and that he was raised to
   life three days later, as written in the
   Scriptures;
  5  that he appeared to Peter and then to all
   twelve apostles.
  6  Then he appeared to more than five hundred
   of his followers at once, most of whom are
   still alive, although some have died.
  7  Then he appeared to James, and afterward to
   all the apostles.
  8  Last of all he appeared also to me - even
   though I am like someone whose birth was
   abnormal. (a)
  9  For I am the least of all the apostles - I do not
   even deserve to be called an apostle,
   because I persecuted God's church.
10  But by God's grace I am what I am, and the
   grace that he gave me was not without effect.
   On the contrary, I have worked harder than
   any of the other apostles, although it was not
   really my own doing, but God's grace
   working with me.
11  So then, whether it came from me or from
   them, this is what we all preach, and this is
   what you believe.

   Footnotes
   1 Corinthians 15:8
    whose birth was abnormal;
    or who was born at the wrong time.

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Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary'
(Kingsway)

The Resurrection of Christ

    1 Corinthians Chapter 15:1-11

To believe means to hold firmly to Jesus. If we do not believe in this way, then we have believed in vain.

If we do not, there will be no spiritual fruit in our lives. That means our faith is dead. Man cannot be saved by a faith that is dead!

True faith is a very deep thing. How easily we say: "I believe," but have no real faith. According to the Scriptures, Jesus died for our sins. He bore our punishment; and through His death - we receive forgiveness for our sins.

His body remained in a tomb for three days, and then He rose from the dead. The tomb in which He had been buried was found empty! This is a fact of history. We know that He has the power to raise us from the dead also.

How do we know for sure that Jesus rose from the dead?

The greatest proof is the fact that after His death, He appeared to Peter (Cephas), His chief disciple. Then Jesus appeared to all of His disciples together. He appeared in His own body - His risen transformed body.

Five hundred people who saw the risen Jesus with their own eyes could not have been lying. That many people could never have agreed on what to say if their story had been false.

And twenty years later, when Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians, most of those five hundred witnesses were still alive. Paul would never have dared to lie in this way - even if he had wanted to.

Notice that when believers in Jesus die, they just "go to sleep." And after they have "slept" for a while, they will be awakened
(see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Jesus also appeared to James, His own brother, who later became the main leader of the church in Jerusalem. James also wrote the New Testament letter called "James." At first he had not believed in Jesus, but after the resurrection, James and Jesus' other younger brothers believed in Him.

Jesus also appeared to all the apostles, other leaders of the Jerusalem church who became known as apostles. Only after Jesus ascended did He appear to Paul.

Paul actually writes here that he was like one born suddenly "before" the proper time; that's the meaning of the Greek expression Paul uses. That is, he was born "prematurely."

And the main reason Paul does not deserve to be called an apostle is because he first persecuted the church of God.

There is also a third proof, and this proof comes from the lives of Jesus' twelve disciples (apostles). Recall, at Jesus' arrest, His disciples all fled and hid They were filled with fear. Their leader had died. Now they were afraid that the Roman soldiers would come looking for them and put them to death too. Therefore, they hid in a house and locked the door.

Somehow their lives were dramatically changed. One moment they were filled with fear; the next moment they were fearless. One moment, they were hiding; the next moment they were out witnessing to Jesus!

What happened to these men to change their lives so amazingly? There is only one answer possible. The risen Christ had appeared to them.

After Jesus had ascended to heaven, He sent them the Holy Spirit, from whom they received the power to be His witnesses throughout the whole world.

For almost two thousand years, millions of Christians have themselves experienced, through the Holy Spirit, the presence and power of the risen Christ.

Paul could never forget how he persecuted Christ's church in the beginning. That is why he says he doesn't deserve to be called an apostle.

Paul also says that it was solely by God's grace and mercy that he became an apostle. God's grace was continuing to work in Paul's life. He had worked harder than all the other apostles.

However, says Paul, no matter who does the preaching, the Gospel is one. And for all who believe this Gospel, it is the power of God for salvation.

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