1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11
1
(15:1-2) Gospel: the importance of the gospel. Paul says that he declares the gospel to the Corinthian church, the very
same gospel which he had already preached to them. This is significant. In fact, the word “declare” (gnorizo) means to
make known. Paul is not reminding the Corinthians of the gospel, he is again...
• declaring it as though they had never heard it.
• proclaiming it as though they had never sat before it.
• making it known as though they had never known it.
Some in the church were in danger of not continuing in the faith; they were denying the very hope of personally living in
the presence of God (v.12). They desperately needed the importance of the gospel proclaimed again. Note what Paul says
about the believers in the church.
1. They had received the gospel, that is, actually embraced it as true believers.
2. They stood in the gospel. The idea is that they firmly adhered to it, professing and standing for the truths of the gos-
pel. This indicates that some were still faithful to the truth of the resurrection despite the error being taught by others (v.12).
3. They were saved by the gospel. The word “saved” is present or continuous action, “you are being saved.” Scripture
teaches three tenses or stages to salvation: the past, present, and future. In this verse Scripture is referring to the present or
progressive stage of salvation. Salvation is a continuous experience that is here said to be conditional.
⇒ They must keep the gospel in “memory.” The Greek words (ei katechete) mean if you hold fast. In order to
be saved, of course, a person must hold fast to the gospel. No man could ever deny the gospel and expect to
be saved.
⇒ They must not believe in vain. The idea is that some might believe, but believe in the wrong thing—believe
in something that is vain, empty, worthless, useless.

Thought 1. A person must hold fast, continue to believe to be saved.

“...he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Mt.10:22).
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that
promised)” (Heb.10:23).
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the
crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (Jas.1:12).
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with
meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (Jas.1:21).
“Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and
have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (Jas.5:11).

2
(15:3) Jesus Christ, Death: the first fact of the gospel is that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
Note four points.
1. The words “first of all” mean that the very first thing Paul ever preached to the Corinthians was the death of Jesus
Christ. The death of Christ is so important that it must be the first thing preached. It is the very foundation of a person’s sal-
vation. Apart from the death of Jesus Christ there is no salvation; therefore, the fact of Christ’s death must be the first subject
proclaimed.
2. The first fact Paul himself received was the death of Christ. As Leon Morris says, Paul is not interrupting the mes-
sage he had received; he is giving us the exact message he had received (The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. “Tyn-
dale Bible Commentaries,” p.205). This is a crucial fact, for Paul had been convicted by a direct appearance from Christ
Himself. This means that the first words Christ spoke to Paul dealt with the Lord’s death. This fact alone stresses the great
importance of the Lord’s death (Gal.1:11-12; cp. 1 Cor.11:23).
3. “Christ died for our sins.” The word “for” (huper) means for our benefit, for our sake, in our behalf, in our stead, as
our substitute. This means at least three things.
a. Christ died as our sacrifice.

“Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor.5:7).
“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto them-
selves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor.5:15).
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor.5:21).
“Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to
God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Eph.5:2).
“For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sin-
ners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to of-
fer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he
offered up himself” (Heb.7:26-27).
“For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb.9:13-14).
“Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place
every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of
the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sa-
crifice of himself” (Heb.9:25-26).
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all” (Heb.10:10).
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