📜 Background & Context

✍️ Author: Paul the Apostle

👥 Written To:

The church in Corinth—and to all members of the body of Christ

When:

Around AD 55-56

📂 Purpose of the Passage:

To clearly define the gospel Paul preached—the gospel of grace, which alone is the means of salvation. This passage stands as the clearest delineation of the gospel in all of Scripture.

🔍 1 Corinthians 15:1–4

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

✨ Phrase-by-Phrase Breakdown

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you…”

• Paul opens with urgency: this is the gospel.
• Not a gospel, not one of many gospels—the gospel Paul preached uniquely to both Jew and Gentile (cf. Galatians 1:11–12).
• Paul is not continuing what Peter and the 11 were preaching—this gospel was hidden in God since the world began (cf. Romans 16:25).
• It was revealed to Paul by direct revelation from the risen Lord (Galatians 1:11–12).

“Which also you received and in which you stand…”

• The Corinthians had received this gospel by faith alone.
• It is the foundation of their position in Christ. They now stand on it—not on law, not works, not ritual.

“By which also you are saved…”

• This gospel alone saves.
• There is no salvation outside of belief in this message (cf. Romans 1:16).
• Paul’s gospel will be the standard at the Great White Throne judgment (cf. Romans 2:16).

“If you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

• Holding fast doesn’t mean working to stay saved—it means believing the right gospel.
• “Unless you believed in vain” means believing something false or without true understanding.
• Faith is only saving faith if it is placed in the right object: Christ’s finished work.

⚠️ You must know what you’re believing. A vague belief in Jesus isn’t enough. This gospel is specific.

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received…”

• Paul is passing along what was directly revealed to him by Christ (cf. Galatians 1:11–12).
• The gospel he received was not from man or tradition—it was by revelation from the risen Lord.

“That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…”

• The gospel begins with the substitutionary death of Christ.
• This wasn’t random or new—it was according to the prophetic plan of God (e.g., Isaiah 53).
• Sin had to be paid for—and Jesus paid it all.

“And that He was buried…”

• The burial confirms the reality of His death.
• Jesus did not swoon, fake, or vanish—He died, and was laid in the tomb.

“And that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures…”

• The resurrection is central to the gospel.
• It confirms that Christ’s payment for sin was accepted.
• It was also prophesied (Psalm 16:10; Hosea 6:2).
• A dead Savior can’t save anyone—but Christ is risen!

✅ What It Does Mean

• Salvation is by faith in a specific message: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.
• Paul’s gospel is not optional or secondary—it is the one and only gospel by which we are saved.
• Faith must be rooted in truth, not emotion, tradition, or sincerity alone.

❌ What It Does Not Mean

• This is not a general call to follow Jesus, imitate His life, or commit to religion.
• It is not about joining a church or keeping the commandments.
• Believing “in vain” doesn’t mean losing salvation—it means believing the wrong thing, or with no real understanding.

Summary

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 is the clearest summary of the gospel of grace. It is this gospel—and no other—that saves.

It is this gospel by which you stand, this gospel by which you are saved, and this gospel by which God will one day judge the world (Romans 2:16).

You must know what you believe. And you must believe the right gospel.

Christ died for your sins.
He was buried.
He rose again the third day.
That’s the gospel. Believe it and be saved.