What is the Good News And Why Is It Important? - 1 Corinthians 15

 

The Resurrection of Christ

15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

In chapter 15, as Paul nears the conclusion of his letter, he turns to what is always most important to him, the gospel.  The word "gospel" means "good news".  Paul wants to begin and end with the gospel, which saved him and also saved the Corinthians.  Paul had received it from a direct revelation from Jesus on the way to Damascus and then he had brought it to the Corinthians. When he preached the gospel they came to believe.  Paul tells them that they have to make their "stand" on the gospel.  If there is one thing that is non-negotiable it is the gospel.  Take out the gospel and there is no Christianity, it is just another religion.

What is the gospel?  The gospel is a historical event.  It is not a myth, romantic story or a fairy tale.  Paul lists the basic tenets of the gospel, which are expressed in our historic creeds.  Jesus died for our sins.  He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might be set free from sin to have a right relationship with God.  Sin separated us from God the Father, but Jesus reconciled us to him on the cross. He was buried, meaning he really literally died.  It was not just a spiritual death it was a physical one.  Jesus literally died, he was "stone cold" dead.  He was in a grave for three days, and then he rose again in accordance with the scriptures from the Old Testaments.  Jesus fulfilled several Old Testament Messianic prophecies such as where he was born, where he grew up, how he died, and how he rose again. 

The ultimate proof of the Good News is that Jesus appeared to the men he lived with for three years.  He appeared first to Peter, and then to the rest of the disciples including 500 at one time.  Later he appeared to Paul in a vision on his way to Damascus.  What is most compelling about Paul's testimony is that Jesus met Paul when he was on the road to Damascus to hunt down and kill Christians.  

Paul says he was "abnormally born" because he wasn't with the original apostles when Jesus appeared to them.  Some even called Paul a "false apostle" to discredit his ministry.  He didn't see Jesus physically risen, and he also persecuted the church, so Paul had to continually fight this misperception.  But rather than arguing he simply says, "By the grace of God I am what I am.  God's grace was not without its effect on me, yet not I but the grace of God was with me."  For Paul it was only and always all about grace.  He was given a free gift and he made the most of it, by sharing it with the whole known world at that time.

Rather than focusing on the gospel, the Corinthians were focusing on the messenger.  It didn't matter what his status was as an "apostle" or "super apostle", he preached Christ crucified and Christ risen from the dead.  The power of the Gospel is that it is true.  It is historical.  People witnessed Jesus alive and died testifying to this fact that he REALLY did rise from the dead.  Paul went from being a persecutor of the church, to one of the greatest evangelists and church planters the world has ever known. Most of the New Testament is devoted to the letters he wrote to all the churches he planted, which is where the church was born and grew to what it is today. But it was the gospel not Paul that changed the hearts and lives of the Corinthians.

How did you come to faith in Jesus?  When did the gospel become real for you?  Who preached it to you, or lived it out for you?  It is just important how we live out the gospel in our lives as how we preach or teach it.  Who do you think God might be calling you to share the gospel with?  Remember it is not about you. It is about a historical event. Jesus crucified, died and buried and on the third dayn He rise from the dead.  He appreared to many people, and you could say in a sense, he appeared to you and me!  Let's pass on what we received which is of first importance to every living soul so that they believe in the gospel! The gospel that brings everlasting life!