THE GOSPEL
1 Corinthians 15: 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
The Gospel is the most important message for nonbelievers and believers. This message is the central theme of Christianity. People are saved by hearing and believing it (Romans 10:14). Paul delivers the same message that he has received, that saved him.
Jesus Christ died for our sins. The Christ (or the Messiah) was God’s promised deliverer for His people. The Messiah was to come back, deliver his people and establish God’s new kingdom and reign as King. For some reason they overlooked the OT scriptures that spoke of the messiah suffering and dying for the sins of His people (Ps. 22; Ps. 16:10; Isaiah 53:8-10). Sin is when people act, think, and speak in ways that do not conform to God’s character/nature/will. The Ten Commandments is a summary of God’s moral law and when broken, sins are committed.
In the Old Testament God, being full of grace, gave His people a way for their sins to be covered/forgiven, through animal sacrifice as outlined by God. Priests would perform these sacrifices and people would be forgiven by their faith in God through these sacrifices. There must be the shedding of Blood for the forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). These OT sacrifices were a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, that God would provide man for a completely removal of sin, not just a covering (John 1:29).
Why is Jesus’ death good news?
Jesus’ work on the cross not only was the atonement for our sins, but also satisfied God’s wrath (Romans 3:23-26). On the cross, God the Father poured out His cup of wrath on Jesus. Those who are saved, through faith in Jesus, will not suffer the punishment of eternal damnation for their sins because Christ took our punishment. This is good news because God has provided a way for sinners to be forgiven and saved from their due penalty of sin. We can be saved!
…He was buried and raised on the third day…
Again, this echoes the messiah’s first earthly presence as a humble servant coming. But the grave could not contain him (Isaiah 52:13). He was raised by the power of God in glory to sit at the right hand of the father (Ephesians 1:19-21). His resurrection is not to be overlooked as part of this message. Scripture says that our faith is useless if Christ did not rise from the dead (1 Cor. 15:12-28), and we are still in our sins.
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