What do you think is the most important part of the gospel? Is it living in a godly way? Is it the material blessings we receive? Is it trying to right the social wrongs we see all around us? Is it feeling at peace with God and with other people? Given the way most of us pray most of the time, we might come to any of these conclusions. Instead, in I Corinthians 15, Paul keeps a laser-like focus on Jesus Himself, on the Person and Work of Christ.

Paul begins with the death of Christ “for our sins.” This means that Jesus would lay down His life to pay the penalty that all our sins deserve. But Paul goes on to insist that Jesus didn’t stay in that tomb. No, verse 4 makes it plain that He was raised from the dead on the third day. His resurrection thus proves that He wasn’t just a great teacher of ethics, or a good example of selfless deeds. No, He is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the Ruler Who holds all authority in Heaven and on Earth.

And how do we know He really did rise from the dead? Verses 5 through 8 list an impressive number of witnesses, many of whom spent the rest of their lives travelling throughout the known world, insisting that Jesus was indeed alive. Given the number of these people, and given how they had absolutely no motive to make all this up, we have to admit that if we can establish the truth of any event in ancient history, it would be the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

But Jesus’ appearance to all of these people after His resurrection also proves His grace. Paul is of course overwhelmed that Jesus would appear to him – after all, Paul had been a fierce opponent of the Church, putting Christians in prison and consenting to their execution (Acts 7:58-8:3; 9:1-2). But if you think about it, all of the people to whom Jesus appeared had been unfaithful to Him in one way or another. The Cephas mentioned in verse 5 is another name for Peter, the disciple who denied Jesus three times on the night He was arrested (Mark 14:66-72). But the rest of the twelve had no room for pride on that score, because they had all abandoned Jesus in His hour of greatest need (Mark 14:50) – none of them had been willing to die with Him.

But in spite of all their sins, God chose each of these men to experience the resurrection of Christ. And because of their testimony we can also be sure of the same thing: that if we believe on the risen Christ, if we trust in Him as our Savior and bow the knee to Him as our Lord, He will graciously forgive us too.

I Corinthians 15:1-11 (NASB)

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.