Mark Taylor told Sam Konstas to ditch the ramp shot and go back to basics to force his way back into the (Australian) Test team. The basics are the foundation of whatever you are talking about. Builders know that if the foundation isn’t right, the whole structure will fail.

When Paul changed the topic from “spiritual gifts” to “the Lord’s resurrection” in 1 Corinthians 15, he went back to the foundation of Christianity. He wrote: “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said” (1 Cor. 15:3-4NLT).

He is saying, “Here’s the news that matters most: Christ died for our sins. He was buried. He rose again on the third day. And this was predicted in the Old Testament”.

The three aspects of the gospel (good news about Jesus) are: Jesus died for our sins, then Jesus was buried, and then Jesus rose back to life.

Looking at each of these in turn.

First, Jesus died for our sins. He substituted for us; He took the punishment that we deserve. Second, His burial confirmed His death. And third, His resurrection showed His victory over death and that God had accepted the price Christ paid on the cross. God was pleased with Christ’s sacrifice for sin.

Paul says that all this was predicted in the Old Testament (it was “just as the Scriptures said”). First, His death was like that of the suffering servant (Isa. 53:5-6, 11-12). “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all” (Isa. 53:5-6).

Second, He was buried in a grave – “He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave” (Isa. 53:9).

Third, Peter and John said that He rose from the dead as predicted in Psalm 16 (Ps. 16:8-11; Acts 2:24-28; 13:34-35). “No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave” (Ps. 16:9-10). God would not allow His physical body to decompose.

The gospel message is that Christ died for our sins. He was buried. And He rose again on the third day. And that’s the foundation for Christian living.

If Christ did not rise from the dead, then the Bible is a hoax and fake news. And our Christian faith is futile and useless (1 Cor. 15:14-19), and we are deluded and our sins have not been forgiven.

But Paul asserts, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead” (1 Cor. 15:20NIV).

Prayer

Father God, we thank you for your plan of salvation that was not understood in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament.

Paul was reminded of this good news about Jesus when he addressed the fact that some people in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of the body – they valued the spirit/soul more than the body. So, he told them of the importance of the Lord’s resurrection.

We give thanks for Jesus offering up His life as a sacrifice for our sins. He was a substitute who took our place. And Father, we see this illustrated by the Jewish animal sacrifices and the suffering servant in Isaiah 53.

As those who have trusted in the good news about Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, we offer thanks and praise for all that you have done through Jesus. In Christ’s name, Amen.

G Hawke