1 Corinthians 15:3

For I delivered unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once... and last of all He was seen of me as one born out of due time... But now Christ is risen from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus is the crux of all human history—if it is not true, nothing else in the faith stands.

The Gospel Paul Preached

In verse 3 of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul outlines very simply the message of the gospel that he preached—and not only he, but all the followers, disciples, and apostles of Christ preached this same gospel. In Galatians chapter 1 he makes clear that he did not receive it from men, but by revelation of God. Here he says again that he received it. And so he declares this clear message: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

That Jesus died on a cross 2,000 years ago is fairly incontestable. A very small group denies the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth, but most agree there was an individual who lived, served, and ministered in Galilee and Judea in the first century, and that he was crucified in Jerusalem around 30 A.D. on a Roman cross. The stumbling point is that he died for our sins. Many people don't even want to confess that they are sinners. Yet the Bible declares from Genesis to Revelation the sinfulness of man and the need of redemption and atonement.

A Suffering Servant Foretold

Pastor Richard pointed out that great passage in Isaiah chapter 53, where 700 years before Jesus came we are told prophetically that a suffering servant would die in our place. Why? Because verse six says, "All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." He was oppressed and afflicted, brought as a lamb before the slaughter, opening not his mouth. "Who shall declare his generation?" Ever since his death, burial, and resurrection, multitudes have gone about the whole world declaring his wonderful work.

"He died for our sins" is a profound statement. Anyone might claim, "I'll die for your sins"—but how could you validate it? Paul continues in verse 4: the dead Christ was buried as proof of his death, and then rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, a clear declaration that God the Father accepted the sacrifice offered on the cross. "He who knew no sin became sin for us," Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21—the just Jesus for the unjust us, that we might receive his righteousness.

Prophecy and Prediction Fulfilled

His lifeless body was placed in a tomb, sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers, and on the Sunday following his death he rose in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. David spoke in Psalm 16 of the just one not seeing corruption. Jesus also predicted it himself. In John chapter 2 he said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." His hearers thought he meant the physical temple, but John tells us he spoke of his body.

He told his disciples plainly in Matthew 16:21, again in Matthew 17:23, and a third time in Matthew 20:19—just in case they didn't get it—that the Son of Man would be betrayed, killed, and rise again the third day. The resurrection is proof that his death is the acceptable, propitiating sacrifice for our sins. It is sufficient. That is why Jesus could say on the cross, "It is finished."

The Crux of All History

The resurrection of Jesus becomes the pivotal issue for the Christian faith, and I would go further: the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the crux of all human history. It is therefore the most important issue for Christians to know and understand. If the resurrection is invalid, the rest of the faith is a complete waste of time, because Christianity is built upon this foundational statement: Jesus is alive. If he merely died and never rose, none of the things he said are true, and none of our faith in him is real.

This fact was announced by angels in Matthew 28:5–7, Mark 16:6, and Luke 24:6–7. The disciples who came to finish preparing his body for burial were met with an open, empty tomb, and angels said, "He is not here, He is risen."

The Cover-Up That Failed

The religious leaders in Jerusalem knew Jesus had proclaimed he would rise, so after he was buried they set Roman soldiers to guard the tomb, fearful his disciples might steal the body. The problem was that a few days later he actually rose, and the soldiers knew the tomb was empty without any theft. So the leaders bribed them to say his disciples came and stole the body.

It's a good story—that the disciples, who all fled when he was arrested and were hiding in despair, amassed an assault against trained Roman soldiers, beat them, and stole the body. It didn't work. The tomb was empty, and the people of Jerusalem knew it, though the leaders sought to cover it up.

Witnessed by the Disciples

The early disciples saw the risen Lord. He was witnessed by a group of women at the tomb (Matthew 28:9–10) and seen by his disciples as he gave the Great Commission. In Luke 24 he walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus with two disciples, who recognized him only when he broke bread. They ran back to find Peter had also seen him.

In John 20 he met the disciples in the upper room that Sunday evening, inviting them to touch the nail prints in his hands. Thomas was absent and doubted, so eight days later Jesus appeared again, and Thomas bowed and said, "My Lord and my God." In Acts 1:3 the risen Lord appeared to his disciples on the Mount of Olives and called them to proclaim what they had seen.

Proclaimed Throughout Acts

This is what the early disciples went forth preaching. In Acts 2, Peter stands before a multitude in Jerusalem fifty days after the resurrection, backed by 120 disciples, and declares, "Him being delivered... you have taken by wicked hands and crucified and slain, whom God has raised up." Citing David's prophecy in Psalm 16, he says, "This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses."

In Acts 3 he proclaims, "You killed the Prince of life, whom God has raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses." In Acts 4 the ruling council is grieved that the apostles preach the resurrection, yet Peter declares the lame man stands whole by the name of the crucified Jesus whom God raised. In Acts 5 Peter answers, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Peter preached the resurrection to Gentiles in Cornelius's house (Acts 10), and Paul referenced it five times at Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13).

Whether to Jews in Jerusalem, Gentiles in Caesarea, Romans in Antioch, or the intellectuals at Athens (Acts 17), the message was the same. The intelligentsia mocked Paul because they did not believe in a resurrection. And know for certain that in 21st-century America, just as in first-century Athens, you will likely be mocked when you say, "I believe Jesus of Nazareth died for our sins and rose again the third day." It is foolishness to those who are perishing, a stumbling block to the Jews.

Eyewitness Testimony

This is not a made-up story; it is based on eyewitness testimony (verses 5–8). The risen Jesus was seen by Peter, then by "the twelve." Since Judas had died, this likely references Matthias, appointed in Acts 1. Then he was seen by above 500 brethren at once—500 men, not counting women and children—at one event during the 40 days between his resurrection and ascension. That is more than there are in this room right now.

Paul wrote this letter around 55 A.D., roughly 25 years after the resurrection, and says "the greater part remain" alive. So if you lived in Corinth in 55 A.D., you could have gone to interview a dozen, two dozen, three dozen eyewitnesses and found they all gave the same testimony: same place, same time, the risen Lord. You could corroborate that he is alive.

He was also seen by James, the brother of the Lord—yes, Mary had children after Jesus. James was not a believer before Jesus's death, but something changed afterward. He grew up with Jesus, knew him well, watched their mother see him crucified, and now saw him alive. That profoundly affected James, who became the leader of the Jerusalem church and a martyr. As N.T. Wright says, he cannot explain the rise of early Christianity as a historian unless Jesus rose again, leaving an empty tomb. Luke Johnson adds that some powerful, transformative experience is required to generate such a movement.

"By the Grace of God I Am What I Am"

Verses 9 and 10 seem awkwardly placed at first reading: "For I am the least of the apostles, that am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am." Yet consider the context of Saul of Tarsus's conversion.

Saul was a Jewish Pharisee, almost exactly Jesus's age, very likely studying in Jerusalem under Gamaliel—who sat on the Sanhedrin—at the very time Jesus was crucified. After the resurrection, when followers began proclaiming that their crucified Galilean rabbi had risen and was God, that posed a problem for a zealous young Pharisee. So Saul, against the counsel of his own teacher, became passionately zealous to destroy this sect. He oversaw the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, and Acts 8:1 marks him as a persecutor of Christians.

The Light on the Damascus Road

It was under the banner of persecutor that Saul had a personal encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus.

As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

If a light brighter than the sun knocks you down and a voice speaks from it, you'd give respect: "Who are you, Lord?" And the Lord said, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." Imagine what went through this persecutor's mind—drunk with hatred, immediately sobered. He thought he was doing the work of God passionately, more than his brothers in Jerusalem. And now: "Saul, why are you persecuting me?... I am Jesus." Note that Jesus takes it personally when his children are messed with. Mess with them, you mess with him.

Saul realized he had been persecuting and killing the followers of God himself, while God spoke from the center of a light brighter than the noonday sun. What would you expect a just God to do to a wicked-hearted persecutor? Strike him down. What a wonder must have filled Saul's mind when he was not justly punished, and instead God commissioned him three days later to be a minister of the very gospel he sought to destroy.

Grace That Was Not in Vain

God sent him to Damascus blind—like sending a child to his room to wait. For three days Saul sat in trouble. Then Ananias came, prayed for him, the scales fell from his eyes, and he learned God would send him to the Gentiles, who he as a staunch Pharisee had hated, and that he would suffer for Jesus's name.

Now it makes perfect sense. As the J.B. Phillips translation puts it: "I am the least of the messengers, and indeed I don't deserve the title of messenger at all, because I persecuted the church of God, and I am what I am only because of God's grace." There is not one of us in this room who ought not say that. The recollection of his former conduct stirred Paul to spend every ounce of his strength on the salvation of others: "I labored more abundantly than they all."

What does it mean that grace could be bestowed in vain? It is a sobering reality. If you receive God's grace only to spend it on yourself and not to bring glory to God, then it could be said you took his grace in vain. Picture being given a brand-new $86,000 BMW M5 as a free gift, then flooring it down the street and slamming it into a brick wall just to test the airbags. People would say he shouldn't have given that gift to that guy. Paul says, "I never want that to be my testimony." So he labored, saying in 2 Corinthians 12:15, "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you." It remains a frightening reality that some in the church today have taken God's grace for granted and used it foolishly.

One Cohesive Message

Verse 11: "Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed." Whether the multitude of witnesses or Paul, they all had the same unwavering faith and the same message: Jesus is alive from the dead.

In verse 12, Paul addresses some in Corinth who did not believe in the resurrection—Jewish Sadducees and many Greeks denied it, and some who became Christians carried that disbelief in. He poses the problem: if there is no resurrection from the dead, then Christ is not risen (verse 13). That is perfectly logical—but it cannot stand, because you cannot be a Christian and deny the resurrection.

Ten Things True If There Is No Resurrection

If the resurrection is not true:

1. Our preaching is empty. 2. Your faith is empty, having nothing to rest upon. 3. Preachers are, knowingly or unknowingly, deceivers. 4. All of us are still dead in our sins. 5. Death is final. 6. Our hope of resurrection after this life is completely empty. 7. The claims of Jesus are untrue. 8. Jesus is not Lord. 9. Jesus will not be returning, because he is dead. 10. And the ultimate fact of atheism—life has no ultimate goal, purpose, or meaning, and humanity has no destiny. It is going nowhere. The existential realities of that breed insanity, a nihilism that takes one to the destruction of their own mind.

Those ten things are sobering, and they bring us back to the thesis: the resurrection is the crux issue for all history. If it is not true, there is no point. It is hard to level with that, but it's true. Verse 20 then says, "But now is Christ risen from the dead." What does that mean? You'll have to come back next week to find out—that's called a hook.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You that because You live, we can live also. We thank You that You came to us and came to give life, and that more abundantly. Lord, reveal that life in us as we go from this place, that those of our friends, family members, and co-workers who still don't know You, who are still dead in trespasses and sins, would see that life of Christ in us. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.