Paul W. Manuel: What is of first importance?

EASTER
What Is Most Important?
1 Corinthians 15
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2013

A minister may face many challenges, both in and out of the pulpit. While prevailing in one of those challenges can be gratifying, even that experience may remind him of others he has yet to overcome.

Three men went hunting: a lawyer, a doctor, and a minister. While they were in the woods together, all three spotted a deer and fired at the same time. The deer went down, at which point the lawyer immediately claimed responsibility: "It was my shot that got it." The doctor said, "Since I have medical training, I'll examine the deer and determine which bullet made the kill." He traipsed off, while, the lawyer continued to make his case to the minister. After a short time, the doctor returned with his diagnosis: "The minister got the deer" he said. "How could you tell it was the minister's bullet?" the lawyer asked. "Because," the doctor replied... "it went in one ear and out the other."

I am under no illusions that everything I say finds a reception in the minds of a congregation. Much probably does go in one ear and out the other. I only hope that some of it, preferably the most important of it, lingers a bit before passing out of people's consciousness.

As you look back over your experiences, you can probably recall many 'firsts' in your life.

Your first teacher
Your first date
Your first car
Your first job

There were others—other teachers, dates, cars, jobs—but these marked your initial experience or encounter in such areas and, as such, stand out in your mind. It is in that sense they are first, but they were not necessarily your most important encounters in these areas. That list might be quite different.

Your best teacher
Your best date
Your best car
Your best job

There were probably other memorable teachers, dates, cars, jobs, etc., but these are most important because, in some way, they had a significant influence on your life, and someone who knows you well, who has seen their influence, might be able to identify them even if you never actually formulated such a list.

Suppose you made a similar list about your essential beliefs, not just the ones you think are important but those that determine your eternal destiny. What would be on that list? Would it include...¹

Being part of a Seventh Day Baptist church
Belief in baptism by immersion
Keeping the Sabbath

There are other important matters, but these are essential because they determine your eternal destiny.... Right?

Before Linda and I graduated from Columbia Bible College, we had to write a paper summarizing our beliefs. The assignment included questions about a wide range of topics, from theology (about God) to eschatology (about future things). Its purpose was to ensure that we had actually learned something in our four years and to help crystallize our thinking, so that we would be able to express it to others.²

The final question we had to answer was, perhaps, the most revealing because, after having expressed our beliefs over several pages, we then had to state what we considered most important—not what was worth arguing about but what was worth dividing over (perhaps even dying for). Stated positively, the assignment asked what marked us as Christians and united us with others in the family of God. The answer we both gave—belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus— agreed with what Paul wrote in 1 Cor 15 which, being able to agree with an apostle, put us in pretty good company.

As we approach Easter, it is good to review the answer he gives to the question—What Is Most Important?—because that is also what you should consider most important.³ Please turn to 1 Cor 15, where Paul reviews a familiar topic....

I. The Good News Conveyed

1 Cor 15:1 Now, brothers, 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.

The word "gospel",⁴ which means "good news," is a term Paul employs more than any other NT writer (60x of 76x).⁵ He also explains elsewhere, as he does in this passage, why the gospel is especially good news for his readers, including you.⁶ He begins with the observation that...

A. The gospel is of personal significance, because it is about your salvation (1 Cor 15:1-2).⁷

Christians do not always recognize the difference between redemption by God and reward from God. The gospel concerns only the former, but that is no small thing, because...

Embracing the gospel results in an eternity with God.

More important than any prize—the square footage of your heavenly condo or the number of stars in your heavenly crown⁸—the gospel secures a place for you, which will be with God and not apart from God, enjoying His presence and not enduring His punishment.

Paul goes on to explain what lies at the heart of the good news, that it concerns a certain individual.

1 Cor 15:3 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, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

The gospel was not an afterthought, a last minute fix for the problem of man's sin. It is what God predicted long ago, for Paul notes that it happened "according to the Scriptures" (2x).⁹ Again, the good news is about what one individual has done.

B. The gospel is of primary importance, because it is about Jesus' death and resurrection (1 Cor 15:3-6).

By marking these elements as of "first importance," Paul indicates that of all the information he could relate, this tops the list. In fact, if they were to get only this, understanding and accepting what Jesus did would be enough to guarantee their salvation, because...

Embracing the gospel represents what is essential to God.

"But wait, don't people need to know about other important doctrines or essential practices in order to be saved?" ...Not according to what Paul says here. The gospel is not about what people think should be uppermost; the gospel is about what God thinks should be uppermost, which is that He has dealt with man's sin in a most dramatic and decisive way.¹⁰

When even well-meaning Christians add to the simplicity of God's grace, they are saying that what Jesus did was not enough, that a person also needs to prove he is worthy by obeying God.... While a person does need to follow repentance with a life of devotion to God, that change occurs after justification, after God's having declared him righteous and eligible to enter heaven.

Part of the confusion stems from our experience. We know people who made a profession but who never manifested a conversion. They continued to live as they pleased. We know that is wrong and that God expects a changed life, so we look for evidence of change in those who claim to be Christians¹¹ or—and here is where the trouble begins—we decide what the evidence of change should be. It might be...

Dressing a certain way, or
Eating certain foods, or
Observing certain holidays.

We may think that such things are clearly what God expects from His people, and that anyone who claims to be among the redeemed will behave accordingly. After all, we are redeemed and that is how we behave. Therefore, anyone who does not, either is not a child of God or is in rebellion against God.

I am not suggesting that the distinctive elements of our congregation(s) have no value, like...

Being a SDB
Baptism by immersion
Keeping the Sabbath

...only that we must not assign such things a value that exceeds what the Bible identifies as most important, as determining a person's eternal destiny.¹²

The problem with adding to the gospel is that there is no place to stop,¹³ and there is no agreement about what else might be necessary. One person's list will not match another person's list, and what is enough for one person, is not quite so for another person. Thankfully, we are not the standard God uses, Jesus is, and the imputation of Jesus' righteousness is all God requires for justification, which is what determines your passage to heaven. What ensures the entry of one person to heaven is the same thing that ensures the entry of any person to heaven: God's grace in response to man's repentance and faith—no less...but no more.¹⁴ Whatever else God wants—wearing certain clothes, eating certain foods, or observing certain days—will be after justification, in the stage called sanctification, which determines your position in heaven.¹⁵

However positive the information Paul presents is—and it is, indeed, positive—we would appreciate it less if we were not aware of the alternative, if we did not realize how dire would be our condition without it.¹⁶ So Paul gives the other side of the coin, for opposite the good news is...

II. The Bad News Contrasted

1 Cor 15:14 [I]f Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15a More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.

Without the crucifixion and resurrection, there is no basis for your belief system. Everything depends on the upstanding of a previously dead body from the grave that first Easter morning. Simply put, if Jesus did not rise, then you are not saved, and...

A. The gospel is of no personal significance if you are not saved (1 Cor 15:14-15).

Then the gospel does not warrant your faith, for there is no advantage in believing a lie.

Have you ever been scammed? ...If you have an email account, you have probably received solicitations for financial aid from people, usually overseas, who are supposedly in desperate need. Here is one I received:

I am Miss Kundi Magama Zafar and the only daughter of Mr. Magama Zafar. He was the Chairman of [the] Sierra Leone Diamond and Gold Mining Corporation. [Following a military coup, he was ousted from his position and imprisoned. Before he passed away in jail, he had $15 million moved to a neighboring country in a trunk marked "family valuables."] Right now [I] need your assistance urgently in moving this [trunk] to your country, where the fund will be properly secured under your care.... I will give you other details immediately [I] see that you are ready to help me and my mother [someone else in need!], and [I] intend to give 30% of this fund to you while 70% shall be for us.

What a deal! ...This ploy, or some variation on it, is a scam, an attempt to deceive. Paul warns that he and others might be guilty of scamming:¹⁷ "[I]f Christ has not been raised....we are then...false witnesses about God." ...Is he right? Have you been scammed? ...The apostle goes on to say that...

B. The gospel is not of primary importance if Jesus is not raised (1 Cor 15:17-18).

Then the gospel does not win your forgiveness, and you are still under God's condemnation.

Take a few moments to think about how different your life would be if Jesus had not risen from the dead and, consequently, if Christianity were not true and did not even exist...¹⁸

You would not be in church this morning, because there would be no church (here or anywhere).
Many people, including those in this assembly, you would probably never have met (even some who are now part of your own family).
The US might never have come into existence, certainly not as you know it (founded on biblical values).
Decisions you made because of your faith, including those that put you on the right path instead of the wrong path, would be different.
Most importantly, you would have nothing to live for but the here and now.

As Paul says...¹⁹

1 Cor 15:19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.... 32b If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

If Jesus had not been raised, you would not be raised, and you would have no hope for a future beyond this life.... Thankfully, that depressing note is not the end of what the apostle has to say on the matter, because there is....

III. The Good News Confirmed

1 Cor 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

While Jesus is probably glad he did not remain in the grave, the good news about the resurrection is not just for Jesus; it is also for us...for you.

A. The gospel is of personal significance, because it determines your resurrection (1 Cor 15:20).

The gospel unites you with Christ, because as he was raised, so you will be raised.²⁰

Unless you are here when he returns, you will be among the next fruits from the grave.²¹ The resurrection, though, is not just about what God will do in the future; it is also about what God demands in the present. Paul explains the implication in his conclusion.

1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

In other words, what you believe must influence how you behave. What happened in the first century is not merely an historical curiosity from the past; it must have a practical affect in the present.

B. The gospel is of primary importance, because it demands your devotion (1 Cor 15:58).

The gospel recruits you for Christ and, as he was productive, so you will be productive.

What Paul presents here of "first importance" must be for you What Is Most Important,²² because what is most important to you says the most about you.²³ Moreover, if your priority is giving yourself fully to the work of the Lord, you can be sure of your productivity, that your labor is not in vain and that you will receive a reward from the Lord.²⁴

Matt 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Have you identified the work the Lord given you to do? If you do not know what it is, you may be short-changing yourself. If you do know what it is and are not engaged in it, you are definitely short-changing yourself.

In 1 Cor 15, Paul identifies the crucifixion and resurrection as historical events of "first importance." To be sure, there are other events that are important for God's people, including the one Jews celebrate at this time of year: Passover, commemorating the exodus from Egypt. Yet even that event, which delivered God's people from slavery and enabled them to enter the earthly home God had promised, even that event pales in importance to this event, which delivered God's people from sin and enabled them to enter the heavenly home God has promised.²⁵

If you know Jesus, then this event more than any other has had a significant influence on your life, and it should be obvious to anyone who knows you well. Do you think it is?

Bibliography

Editor, 2006, "Betcha Can't Steal Just One." National Public Radio. Morning Edition (May 26). www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyld=5434729&ft= 1 &f=3
Manuel, Paul (http://paulwmanuel.blogspot.com), 1995, "What is the difference in the respective results of Jesus' death and of Jesus' resurrection?" Query in the Christology unit of A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology.
Manuel, 2007, "Recompense According to Deeds." Soteriology Excursus 10 in A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology.
Manuel, 2011-13, "The Foremost Content" (1 Cor 15:3-8), in the sermon series What Is Foremost?

Endnotes

[1] The list might be even more specific for German Seventh DayBaptists.

Your being part of this church
Your belief in trine immersion
Your practice of washing feet

[2] To complete this task, the administration did not want students simply to copy their notes from
class and, so, restricted their resources for the assignment to a Bible and a concordance.

[3] This passage also appeared in Manuel 2011-2013 as "The Foremost Content" (1 Cor 15:3-8), in
the sermon series, What Is Foremost?

[4] The word appears only in v. 1. The NIV adds it for clarification in v. 2.

[5] He calls it variously...

"the gospel of God" (Rom 1:1; 15:16; 2 Cor 11:7; l Thess 2:8-9; I Tim 1:11; cf. "his gospel" 1 Thess 2:2),
"the gospel of Christ" (Rom 15:19; 1 Cor 9:12; 2 Cor 2:12; 9:13; 10:14; Gal 1:7; Phil 1:27; 1 Thess 3:2; cf. "the gospel of his son" Rom 1:9; "the gospel of our Lord Jesus" 2 Thess 1:8), and
"my gospel" (Rom 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8; cf. "the gospel I preach" Gal 1:11; 2:2; "our gospel" 2 Thess 2:14).

[6] Elsewhere Paul notes the importance of the gospel for his readers.

Rom 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

1 Cor 15:2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

[7] Much of the Bible is about what God does on a national level, with Israel. In contrast, He applies the gospel on an individual level, regardless of a person's nationality. This is good news for the Corinthians, because that church is a mixed congregation, with both Jews and gentiles. Nevertheless, while the gospel has a broad appeal, it has a narrow focus, and Paul advises his readers not to make the gospel more than it is, more than God intends it to be. Similarly, Paul rebuked Peter for adding to what God requires.

Gal 2:14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

[8] While there is some justification for expecting both a condo and a crown...

Condo

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

Crown

1 Cor 9:25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

2 Tim 4:8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

1 Pet 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Rev 2:10c Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Rev 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

...there is no indication that the former will vary in size or that the latter will include stars (contra the hymn Will There Be any Stars?). God determines the extent of a person's reward according to his obedience (Manuel 2007 "Recompense Accordiiig to Deeds").

[9] 1t is also what God planned long ago, for in His mind...

Rev 13:8b ...the Lamb...was slain from the creation of the world.

Jesus, Paul, and Peter refer to the antiquity of God's plan., dating back at least to "the creation."

Matt 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world."

Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world... 5a he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ...

2 Tim 1:9b This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Titus 1:2 ...eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

1 Pet 1:20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

[10] More than any other NT writer, Paul is concerned that his readers, especially his gentile readers, not get the wrong idea about how God saves, and the theme of grace is prominent in his letters as it relates to this unique event.

Rom 3:24 [We] are justified freely by [God's] grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Rom 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of nghteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Gal 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel -

Gal 5:4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Eph 2:5 [God] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.... 8a For it is by grace you have been saved...

2 Thess 2:16 ...God our Father...loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope,

2 Tim 1:9a [God] has saved us...not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

Titus 3:7 ...having been justified by his grace, we...become heirs...of eternal life.

Paul could not make it much clearer: Salvation is all of God and none of us. Moreover, Paul relates man's salvation both to Jesus' death and to his resurrection.

Rom 4:25 [Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Rom 5:9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!

1 Cor 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

Eph 1:7 In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace

Col 1:22a ...he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death....

[11] This is reasonable expectation, one that John, Jesus, and James recommend.

Luke 3:8a Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance....

Matt 7:16a You will know them by their fruits.... 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.

Jms 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

[12] The pseudonymous Rupertus Meldenius (= Richard Baxter, 1615-1691) said:

In necessary things, unity;
in doubtful things, liberty;
in all things, charity.

The challenge for most Christians is to identify what properly belongs to each of these categories.

[13] Illustration: A news bulletin reported the following.

Frito Lay's classic slogan "Betcha can't eat just one" seems to be right on. In Missouri, a Frito Lay delivery truck was stolen from behind a local market. When the vehicle was recovered a couple of hours later, police discovered at least 22 bags of chips had been opened. They don't know if more bags were stolen. But they do know that they are looking for a heavy set man caught on a surveillance camera.... (Editor 2006)

Paul might apply the Frito Lay's slogan here. If we add "just one" more condition to what God requires, we might as well add the whole 'bag' of God's revelation. As Paul notes in Gal 5, if a person adds "just one" law to God's requirements for salvation...

Gal 5:3b ...he is obligated to obey the whole law.

[14] 1n this sense, the gospel has always been available.

Rom 10:16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"

Rev 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.

[15] Jesus refers to this distinction as he contrasts entry to heaven with reward in heaven.

Matt 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

[16] Paul does describe man's condition elsewhere, and it is not encouraging.

Col 1:21a ...you were formerly alienated....

Rom 5:10a ...we were God's enemies....

Eph 2:3 ...we... were by nature children of wrath.... 12d . . . having no hope and without God in the world.

[17] This is also a warning he makes about others.

Rom 16:18b By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

1 Tim 3:13 [E]vil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

2 Cor 11:14 ...Satan...masquerades as an angel of light. 15a [and] his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.

[18] The apostle presents a stark, all-or-nothing scenario, with the resurrection as proof of Jesus' messianic identity. Some passages suggest that Jesus' death and resurrection accomplish different, albeit complementary, ends. If so, then God could (in theory) have stopped after the former without implementing the latter, although that would not have completed His plan. See the query "What is the difference in the respective results of Jesus' death and of Jesus' resurrection?" in Manuel 1995, the Christology unit of A Reader's Digest Approach to Theology.

[10] The apostle may be recalling Solomon's best-case scenario.

Eccl 2:24a A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.

[20] Elsewhere, Paul compares believers' identification with Jesus through baptism and the new life that should follow—a life free from the confines of sin—to their union with him in resurrection and the new life that will follow—a life free from the confines of death.

Rom 6:3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Their commitment to Jesus by their baptism is also an expression of their confidence in him for their resurrection.

[21] Paul addresses that event in another letter.

1 Thess 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17a After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

[22] Jude, brother of Jesus, also indicates that there is an essential core of belief we must all recognize. He calls it "the salvation we share" (v. 3). Jude then says...

Jude 3b I...urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

It would have been helpful and would have prevented our stressing things less important if he had explained what that entrusted faith entailed. Alas, he does not. Instead, Jude talks about people whose behavior is contrary to the faith (and it has nothing to do with the items on the list above).

Jude 16a These men are grumblers and faultfinders.... 19a [NAS] These are the ones who cause divisions....

What he then advocates to his readers is not that they emphasize some particular doctrine that distinguishes them from others but that they concentrate on what will bring them together with others.

Jude 20 But you, dear friends...pray in the Holy Spirit. 21a Keep yourselves in God's love.... 22 Be merciful to those who doubt;

[23] Moreover, your commitment to God is often most evident in your concern for others.

Jesus said...

John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Paul said...

Gal 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity. let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

If someone else were evaluating your life, would he conclude that your behavior matches your
belief? That is what will happen when Jesus returns.

2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Does how you behave toward others, especially toward others in the congregation, reflect what
you believe about God?

[24] Paul offers this assurance elsewhere as well.