1 Corinthians 15:1-4
The gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection is the foundation of salvation and faith.
1 Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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,
The gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection is the foundation of salvation and faith.
Paul reminds the Corinthians of the foundational gospel he preached to them, emphasizing Christ’s death for sins and His resurrection according to the Scriptures.
After addressing numerous issues within the Corinthian church, Paul turns in chapter 15 to confront confusion about the resurrection. Some within the church appear to have questioned or denied the future resurrection of believers. Paul begins his argument by returning to the foundational message they first received: the gospel itself. By reminding them of the core proclamation of Christ's death and resurrection, Paul establishes the doctrinal foundation for his extended defense of the resurrection that follows throughout the chapter.
Some members of the Corinthian church appear to have doubted or misunderstood the doctrine of resurrection. Influences from Greek philosophical thought, which often rejected bodily resurrection, may have contributed to this confusion. Paul responds by restating the gospel message he originally delivered when the church was founded.
Christ Is Risen, the Dead Will Be Raised, and Death Will Be Destroyed
Because Christ has been bodily raised from the dead as the firstfruits of his people, believers will also be raised, death itself will be defeated, and therefore Christian faith, holiness, suffering, and labor are meaningful and steadfast in the Lord.