The earliest recorded proclamation of the resurrection and one place to turn in the Bible.
As I've researched the resurrection over the past two decades, sometimes I was overwhelmed by the volume of information. In addition, sometimes I felt like I was engaged in a purely academic debate rather than presenting a message from the Bible.
But the next time you have a conversation with a friend about the resurrection, I want to give you one place to turn in the Bible. This passage will connect you and your friends to the earliest recorded proclamation of the resurrection. And it will help you remember all the evidence that we are going to study together.
Our key passage is 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 58.
In the passage, Jesus died, was buried, was raised, and he appeared. Then, we skip down to verse 58, where Paul talks about the ongoing reality of the Lord's work. Because Jesus is alive, he is still at work, transforming his people as they participate in his resurrection mission.
Here's the outline: 1. Dead 2. Buried 3. Raised 4. Appeared 5. The Lord's Work
But out of all the passages on the resurrection, why choose this one? Here are three key points:
**First, Paul is communicating the gospel.** The gospel is not just another idea — it's a message that Paul and his audience have experienced, together, as good news. Before Paul powerfully proclaimed the gospel to the recipients of this letter, they were not Christians! But then he went to them and he told them that Christ died for their sins, was buried, rose from the dead, and appeared to many — and they received and believed this message!
**Second, Paul is reminding them of the earliest Christian creed.** As Merriam-Webster clarifies, a creed is "a brief authoritative formula of religious belief." It amazes me that we have just read a statement that was formulated, by the first followers of Jesus, within a few years of his resurrection.
**Third, Paul is encouraging them to participate in the Lord's work.** He is urging them to be steadfast about the gospel. He reminds them of his own example - working very hard, by the grace of God, as a participant in what God is doing!
The philosopher Dallas Willard once said, "Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning." Paul is clear that he didn't deserve to be called an apostle. He confesses his sins. He's not pretending to be better than the Corinthians or anyone else. He's a work in progress. There's a joyful honesty about his life.
For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. ... Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord's work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
What do you learn from studying this passage?
Close your Bible and write out, as best you can remember, what Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15. Then, compare what you wrote with what the text says.
What would it look like to be 'always excelling in the Lord's work'?
Commit to memory: Dead, Buried, Raised, Appeared, The Lord's Work. Practice reciting this outline until it becomes second nature.
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