Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NIV)
The Resurrection of Christ
15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: 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,
Here it is again, the gospel. This quick summary of what God has done for our sake is the core of our faith. This is at the very heart of what we believe. Paul keeps repeating himself because the early church, these young Christians in our history, occasionally tried to add things to the message. Sometimes they attempted to change the entrance requirements, to raise the bar. So, again, here we are, returning to the core of our faith: we know “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day”. (1 Cor 15:3b-4) Today, I invite you to consider that Christ died “for our sins”. Christ died for our sake, was buried and raised. Take a moment to thank God for his selfless act of mercy and grace. Let us pray: Holy God, thank you for loving me so much that you suffered death and thank you for showing me grace that raises me to new life. I am humbled by your love and grace. Thank you, Amen.