For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4

The Apostle Paul calls the Corinthian church to hold fast to the message of Christ that he preached to them. These truths serve as the foundation of the Christian faith and the entry point into communion with Christ. Paul will go on to correct the Corinthian’s wrong beliefs about the resurrection of the body, rooting the doctrine of the resurrection in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is this resurrection and the good news of the gospel that we celebrate every Sunday.

Christ died for our sins. The Scriptures show us plainly that we are all guilty sinners and that that we cannot save ourselves. Only the Messiah could bear our sin as he was bruised and crushed for our iniquities. By his death, God’s righteous Servant, Jesus, would make sinners righteous.

He was buried. After Jesus died, his body was removed from the cross, embalmed, and sealed in a tomb.

Jesus was raised on the third day to fulfill what was written in the Scriptures. Just as the ancient prophets testified, the Messiah would be raised from the dead. The Father was satisfied with his sacrifice and raised Jesus from the dead. Death could not conquer him—we trust in a living Savior!

This is the hope that binds us together as believers. We anticipate that we will one day also be raised like him. On that day, we will gather around the throne of Christ, who has given us peace with God and eternal life.