Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. 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 Corinthians 15:1-4
What is this Good News Paul preached? The message that saves us? That which is of the utmost importance?
- Christ died for our sins
- Just as the Scripture says.
- He was buried.
- He was raised on the third day.
- Just as the Scripture says.
There it is in its stark simplicity. That is the Gospel; the Good News. There is no other. Anything else is false and not the Gospel of the Christ.
So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
1 Corinthians 1:23
But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:24
It is easy to be put off telling the essence of the gospel. Some may be offended. Other may consider us foolish to be believe “such nonsense”. But it doesn’t alter the truth. The truth is still the truth.
Much and all as it can be debated the truth remains the same.
- Christ was crucified and died
- for our sins
- He was buried, entombed.
- Raise to life on the third day – Resurrected from the dead.
- In fulfilment of the Scripture.
There are reasons as to why the early church fathers chose to state the essential elements of the Christian faith in its earliest compiled and redacted (edited) form. We will look at that tomorrow, briefly, in the context of what Paul says.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; By whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth]; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost.
Before much editing and group discussion and debate yielding multiple versions.
[First Council of Nicea 325 AD]
Do you believe it? If not Paul says you believe something that was never true in the first place.
Ian Vail
Your behaviour is what you believe; all the rest is just talk.
Anon
Jesus died for people, not principles.
Anon
I know you have no righteousness of your own…here, have mine.
God