The Gospel Chain
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
This text contains Paul’s classic statement on the resurrection which leads into his longer explanation of the resurrection of the dead. It begins with what I would call a gospel chain. This gospel chain shows the pattern by which the gospel of Christ is passed from one person to another, from one generation to the next. It is quite instructive.
First, the gospel is preached. I don’t think Paul is limiting preaching to a formal sermon in a church context. He is talking about gospel proclamation. That can and should happen from church pulpits, but it can also happen over a cup of coffee, in a casual conversation, or while sitting on a park bench. The content of that gospel is what Paul summarizes in verse three: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve…
Next, the gospel is received. While Paul doesn’t go into the details of what he means by receiving or how the gospel is received, one only has to read the rest of the New Testament to see that the gospel of Jesus Christ is received by faith. In Romans 10:9 Paul states it this way: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Then, Paul says that the Corinthians not only received the gospel but they were standing in the gospel. That is to say that their faith continued steadfast. They were firmly fixed on the truth of the gospel. They hadn’t believed it and then believed something different or contrary. Their perseverance in gospel faith was evidence that they had saving faith. That is what is conveyed when he writes, “if you hold fast to the word I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.”
Paul repeats, in a different way, this chain of the gospel in verse three: For I delivered to you…what I also received… Here Paul says what he was preaching was what he had himself received. In the preceding verses, the Corinthians were the recipients of the gospel. Here Paul is the recipient.
The gospel received needs to be the gospel proclaimed. Once received it needs to be passed on. Paul received it. Paul preached it. The Corinthians received it. The Corinthians proclaimed it to others. May we not be a weak link in the chain.
