1 Corinthians 15:1-5
“On the third day he rose again.”
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:1-5
Notice how the verbs in the first sentence move from past (“proclaimed…received…” ) to present (“stand…being saved…”) to future (“hold firmly…”). What does this show us about the nature of salvation?
Notice Paul’s strong words “I handed on to you as of first importance…” The story of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection are at the center of Christian faith. What are some ways that you regularly remember this story?
PRAYER FOR THIS WEEK
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ! You built your cross as a bridge over death, so that departed souls might pass from the realm of death to the realm of life. Glory to you! You put on the body of a mortal man and made it the source of life for all mortal human beings. You are alive! Your murderers handled your life like farmers: they sowed it like grain deep in the earth, for it to spring up and raise with itself a multitude! Raise us with you, we pray. Amen!