Bible Studies

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Paul begins 1 Corinthians 15 by stating in no uncertain terms that the gospel that he has been preaching and teaching to them is the true gospel. He reminds them that he had preached it, that they received it and had been standing in it (or because of it), that it was the source of their salvation, that there is a condition to it -- that they must "hold fast" (1 Corinthians 15:2) to it, and that it may be possible for them to believe in vain, to believe falsely or to believe without substance.

Paul said these things precisely because he was confronting them about differing versions of the gospel of Jesus Christ, one of which was true, and many of which were not. He was differentiating the true version from the counterfeit versions. This is exactly what Paul had been doing from the very beginning of this letter to the Corinthians. From the beginning Paul had been talking about the differences between the wisdom of Christ and the foolishness of the world. Paul was suggesting that the foolishness of the world had infected the church and was the source of the different versions of the gospel.

Note that verse 2 teaches that salvation, while it begins in a moment, is a process that unfolds over time. Those who are saved persevere in faithfulness over time, and because their faith is sustained over time it is not empty, not fruitless, not in vain. It was important to keep the gospel that Paul taught in mind. Why? Because some of the Corinthians had slid into either a false understanding of the gospel or a vain and empty kind of belief. All of this means that it is possible to believe rightly, at least intellectually correctly, but vainly. It is possible to believe the right gospel correctly, but to believe it in such a way that no gospel fruit comes of it, to believe without substance, to believe in vain. This surely is the bane of those who are too often spoken of as the frozen chosen (Presbyterians). In other words, having the correct intellectual content of the faith is not a guarantee of salvation. There is more to salvation than understanding the gospel correctly, more than an intellectual understanding, more than words.

It was Augustine who said that understanding the gospel correctly is a consequence of belief. Augustine said this in opposition to those who thought that understanding the gospel correctly would produce belief. The difference between these two statements is huge. One says that belief produces understanding, the other says that understanding produces belief. If belief results from a correct understanding of the gospel or a correct understanding of Scripture, then all we need to do is to teach it correctly and people will believe. In contrast, Augustine's view is that belief is necessary in order to acquire a correct understanding of the gospel or of Scripture.

The difference involves regeneration by the Holy Spirit versus enlightenment through education. Augustine was saying that regeneration is different than a correct understanding. He said that the one leads to the other, but the other doesn't necessarily lead to the one. It's a one way deal. He said this because he knew from personal experience that his own regeneration allowed him to see things that he had previously known in a different light. He still knew the same things, but he knew them differently after his regeneration than he had known them before it. There was more involved than information.

One's belief or faith provides a different perspective on things. It allows faithful Christians to see things from the perspective of the Holy Spirit, not completely, not perfectly, not infallibly, but adequately.

1 Corinthians 15:3 tells us that preachers are to pass on what they have received. That is what Paul did, and by example, that is what all Christians, all who share the gospel with others, should do. No aspect of the gospel should be left out, and none added. Paul then lays out the essential elements of the gospel: "that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared" (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) to others after His death.

The two essential elements are Christ's death and resurrection. It should be noted that Christ did not simply die for our sins, but died "in accordance with the Scriptures." It is essential to understand that Christ's death is the capstone of the Old Testament. It is essential to understand how Christ's death relates to the Old Testament, how it fulfills the Old Testament prophecies. And it is essential to understand that Jesus appeared in the flesh after He died and was buried. It is not necessary to understand how this was possible, only that it actually happened. If it was necessary for us to understand how resurrection is possible, Scripture would have told us. But it doesn't. So, we must conclude that such knowledge is not necessary.

Jesus appeared to many people, more than five hundred, and many of them were still alive when Paul wrote these words. He mentioned that Jesus appeared to James, "and then to all the apostles" (1 Corinthians 15:7). This is probably a reference to Jesus' ascension at the Mount of Olives. A common understanding is that the Twelve Apostles are defined as apostles because they saw Jesus in His resurrection flesh, as if that is an important difference between the Twelve Apostles and the rest of the saints, as if that is why they are Apostles and we are not.

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