Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Burial of Jesus Is Essential to the Gospel

A Baptist preacher named Joel Taylor posted a wonderful Easter-time article last week in defense of the gospel. The article is appropriately titled: "The Burial Of Jesus Christ Essential To The Gospel". I like Taylor's style because he begins the article by  bringing the reader face-to-face with Paul's pronouncement in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5. After quoting this text, Taylor writes the following under the heading "PAUL VIEWED THE BURIAL AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE GOSPEL":
"First, a few preliminaries. In the passage quoted above we have one of the most concise summaries of the Gospel in Scripture. In verse 1, Paul says, 'Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you'. Immediately following he clarifies the precise points of that Gospel. He was crucified…buried…raised on the third day…He appeared. Paul clearly regarded the burial of Christ Jesus as an essential element of the Gospel, and you will note that in Paul’s presentation in Scripture, he does not fail to include it." 

The entire article is a must-read for those wishing to stand in defense of the gospel against the non-buried and never-seen savior of the groundless gospel. I encourage everyone to read Taylor's post!