The Linchpin of History   1 Corinthians 15.1-8

His bravado was impressive, but since I’m not on the street or part of ‘Quick’s’ world, he didn’t scare me.  He bragged about how tough he was, and I knew he could back it up; in fact, I saw a black handle sticking out of the top of his jeans pocket, and asked him if it was a gun—‘No, I only bring my gun when I’m gonna use it.  It’s a tool.’  I had no doubt about his ability to handle himself quite well with his ‘tool’. 

  After we went back and forth, and he had even gotten a little emotional, he said, ‘I gotta admit—I do have a hole inside.’    Hmmm . . .

  ‘Now we’re talkin’, I thought. 

  ‘Believe it or not, that is a hole only Jesus Christ can fill . . .’

Good Morning, Friends~ 

He needs the God who loves him—the God who died for him, and he needs someone who has his ear to tell him that.  As we turn the page to 1 Corinthians 15, Paul lays out the facts simply.  The Greek word for gospel is actually a compound word that means “good news”.  My new friend, Quick, needs good news; without it, he doesn’t have much hope for a new life . . . with it, he will be a new creature.

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that

->Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, Some modern artists have depicted crucifixion with someone’s hands just being tied to the cross; not so, the weight of the crucified’s body was supported by nails akin to railroad spikes driven through the wrists, and spikes driven through the feet.  Death was by asphyxiation—a slow, agonizing form of torture.  And though it was a common form of Roman execution, crucifixion was wretched and shameful.

 ->and that He was buried, Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea~There was a slanted groove that led down to a low entrance, and a large disk-shaped stone was rolled down this groove and lodged into place across the door.  A smaller stone was then used to secure the disk.  Although it would be easy to roll this big disk down the groove, it would take several men to roll the stone back up in order to reopen the tomb.  Besides that, there were disciplined Roman  guards standing watch.  Yes, Jesus was there, and the place was secure.1

->and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  This, my friends, the resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, only Son of God is the center of the Christian faith.  Christ’s death and his resurrection are inseparable.  Paul’s reference here in this chapter is the earliest oral or written testimony to the resurrection.  Without the resurrection, Christianity would never have been.  If Jesus’ bones would have been found, that would have been the end of the matter. 

->and that He appeared to Cephas, [Peter] then to the twelve. Hallelujah!  Jesus showed himself to Peter, and then to the rest of his men.  He who had been dead had defeated the grave; it simply could not hold him.

->After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; Do not miss the import of the parenthetical phrase here—many of those who were said to have seen Jesus alive were still alive themselves!  They surely would have refuted any untruths that were being circulated.

->then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; ‘And for James, this changed everything. The brother of Jesus had not believed in him he in fact rose from the dead.  Seeing Jesus alive after the crucifixion is what changed the lives of the early followers, including James, who then became one of the leaders of the early church.  He even referred to himself as the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.2

->and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.  You remember, don’t you, when Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus? Why, only that meeting could account for the radical change from Paul, persecutor of the followers of the Way, to chief spokesman for the Lord Corinthians 15.1-8,NASB-arrows and underlining mine

Christ was born to die as the Old Testament Scriptures had said he would3. Only one thing would have caused him to endure execution, Roman style—love.  But even that wouldn’t have mattered if Jesus had not overcome the grave, which is why the resurrection is the linchpin of history for you and me.

Thanks be to God.

Christine