Christ Was Raised to Life 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, Paul had delivered to the Corinthians the message which he had also received by divine revelation. The first cardinal doctrine of that message was that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. This emphasizes the substitutionary character of the death of Christ. He did not die for His own sins, or as a martyr; He died for our sins. He died to pay the penalty that our sins deserved. This was all according to the Scriptures. The Scriptures here refer to the OT Scriptures, since the NT was not yet in written form. Did the OT Scriptures actually predict that Christ would die for the sins of the people? The answer is an emphatic “Yes!” Isaiah 53, verses 5 and 6, are sufficient proof of this. 1 Corinthians 15:4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, The burial of Christ was prophesied in Isaiah 53:9, and His resurrection in Psalm 16:9, 10. It is important to notice how Paul emphasizes the testimony of the Scriptures. This should always be the test in all matters relating to our faith: “What do the Scriptures say?” 1 Corinthians 15:5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. In verses 5–7, we have a list of those who were eyewitnesses of the resurrection. First of all, the Lord appeared to Cephas (Peter). This is very touching indeed. The same faithless disciple who had denied his Lord three times is graciously privileged to have a private appearance of that same Lord in resurrection. Truly, how great is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ! Then the Lord also appeared to the twelve disciples. Actually the twelve were not all together at this time, but the expression the twelve was used to denote the body of disciples, even though not complete at any one particular moment. It should be stated that not all the appearances which are recorded in the Gospels are mentioned in this list. The Spirit of God selects those resurrection appearances of Christ which are most pertinent for His use. 1 Corinthians 15:6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. The Lord’s appearance to over five hundred brethren is commonly believed to have taken place in Galilee. At the time Paul wrote, most of these brethren were still living, although some had gone home to be with the Lord. In other words, should anyone wish to contest the truthfulness of what Paul was saying, the witnesses were still alive and could be questioned. 1 Corinthians 15:7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. There is no way of knowing which James is referred to here, although most commentators assume him to be the Lord’s half-brother. Verse 7 also tells us that the Lord appeared to all the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. Paul next speaks of his own personal acquaintance with the risen Christ. This took place on the road to Damascus, when he saw a great light from heaven and met the glorified Christ face to face. One born out of due time means an abortion or an untimely birth. Vine explains it as meaning that in point of time, Paul speaks of himself as inferior to the rest of the apostles, just as an immature birth comes short of a mature one. He uses it as a term of self-reproach in view of his past life as a persecutor of the church. 1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. As the apostle thinks of the privilege he had of meeting the Savior face to face, he is filled with a spirit of unworthiness. He thinks of how he persecuted the church of God and how, in spite of that, the Lord called him to be an apostle. Therefore he bows himself in the dust as the least of the apostles, and not worthy to be called an apostle. 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. He hastens to acknowledge that whatever he now is, he is by the grace of God. And he did not accept this grace as a matter of fact. Rather it put him under the deepest obligation, and he labored tirelessly to serve the Christ who saved him. Yet in a very real sense it was not Paul himself, but the grace of God which was working with him. 1 Corinthians 15:11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. Now Paul joins himself with the other apostles and states that no matter which of them it was who preached, they were all united in their testimony as to the gospel, and particularly as to the resurrection of Christ. God’s People Will Be Raised to Life