The Gospel of Christ

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 we read: "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, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep."

Every portion of the Bible is precious and important according to 2 Timothy 3:16-17. No portion should be slighted, neglected, or ignored. However, there is one portion of the sacred volume which is of special value - the portion that centers around the personality of Jesus of Nazareth. The story of His life upon the earth is told with remarkable vividness in four books which bear the names of their authors - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Although Jesus lived in the world for about 33 years, His public ministry only covered a period of a little more than three years. Approximately one-third of the pages of these four books are devoted to events of the last few days of His earthly existence; namely, His death, burial, resurrection, and related events. Isn't this significant? Doesn't it indicate the importance of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the Savior in the divine plan of things? Doesn't it agree with the language of the apostle Paul we just read? And doesn't it offer a valuable suggestion concerning where we should place the emphasis in our study today?

The fundamental facts listed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 compose the very heart of the Bible, and as the heart of the Bible, it imparts life and power to the greatest of all books.