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Paul’s message on the resurrection is the pinnacle of God’s plan of the ages! This is why Paul could write (Holy Spirit inspired of course):
‘Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,’
II Timothy 2:8
Resurrection was part of God’s plan of redemption before God created one star (Acts 2:23,24). The Old Testament is filled with scripture prophesying the resurrection of the Messiah.
“Peter and Paul preached different messages on resurrection. Same God, same resurrection but each preached to different audiences”
That being said it is crucial to understand that even though both Peter and Paul taught resurrection. Peter preached resurrection only after the cross to prove to his kinsman (fellow Jews) that the Lord Jesus was indeed Israel’s promised Messiah. Despite their role in killing the Prince of life, if they (the nation of Israel) would just repent God would still send Jesus Christ to fulfill the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Which was that Israel’s Messiah would crush Israel’s enemies and bring in the promised glorious kingdom on earth, and God the Son, Jesus Christ will reign as King from David’s throne on Mt. Zion (Acts 3:19-21; Luke 1:67-75).
Peter and the eleven did not preach death, burial and resurrection. How could they the Lord Jesus was still alive, secondly, the apostles had absolutely no clue that the Lord would go to a cross and die, lay in a tomb, then be resurrected three days later.
All of scripture delineates the promise to Israel of a King and a kingdom, from Genesis 12 through the Old Testament, the four gospels, and into the early chapters of Acts. Peter and the eleven preached that the kingdom was at hand because the King was in their midst. However, Israel could not and would not believe that Jesus was indeed the Christ. On the other hand, the apostle Paul preached resurrection as the culmination of God’s plan of redemption through the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). This new gospel was a free gift for all mankind, not just Israel, access to God. Salvation is now by grace through faith alone in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, apart from the Mosaic law and temple worship. For almost 2000 years, Gentiles had no access to Israel’s God until Paul revealed this groundbreaking truth.
Two totally different messages on resurrection. Same God. Why? Scripture is a progressive revelation. God did NOT reveal everything to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, or the apostle Peter. Between Genesis 12 and the stoning of Stephen in Acts chapter 8, God is dealing with the nation of Israel only. Not Gentiles. In Acts chapter 8 the nation of Israel as a whole totally rejects Jesus as their promised Messiah and the nation reaches their peak of unbelief and stoned Stephen. So God commits the entire nation of Israel (temporarily) to disobedience so He could pour out His grace on all.
‘For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.’
Romans 11:32
‘For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ‘
Romans 11:25
The Apostle to the Gentiles
Then God chooses Saul who we now know as the apostle Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15-16; Romans 11:11-13). With new revelations, given to him by the ascended Lord Himself (Galatians 1:1;11). Not from Peter. Paul learned nothing from Peter, James, and John. God the Son, taught the apostle Paul, the glorified and resurrected Lord Jesus revealed to Paul alone that now he was to go to the Gentile world with a new message of salvation by grace through faith alone in the finished work of the cross apart from temple worship and the Mosaic law.
Flashback to Acts 15 and it is the Lord Himself that instructed Paul to go to the Jerusalem Church to tell Peter, James, and John about the new revelations given to him by the risen Lord. And he was to tell those at the Jerusalem Church how it was going to be moving forward. Peter, James, and John nor anyone at the Jerusalem Church had anything to offer Paul. Again, it was Paul who told Peter, James and John how it was going to be moving ahead.
Repeating again:
Paul’s message on the resurrection is the pinnacle of God’s plan of the ages! This is why Paul could write (Holy Spirit inspired of course):
‘Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,’
II Timothy 2:8
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