A Free Grace Translation of 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

One of the things I found very interesting when I translated the Greek text of 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 into English was that there is an interrogative pronoun (tini with the acute accent on the first vowel) in verse 2 that most English translations don't translate, at least not as a question. But the apostle Paul is asking the Corinthians a question about the gospel.[1] He's basically asking them: What have I preached to you? What is the good news I preached to you? Then Paul proceeds to remind the Corinthians (and us today) of what the gospel really is.

   
What follows is my personal translation of 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 from the Koine Greek New Testament. The Greek text I used is from The Reader's Greek New Testament, 2nd Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007).

A Free Grace Translation of 1 Corinthians 15:1-5:

1 Now I declare to you, brothers, the gospel, which I announced as good news to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 through which also you are saved. For what statement have I preached to you if you retain it? Except if not, you believed to no purpose. 3 For I delivered to you in first order of importance that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

ENDNOTES:

[1] The Expositor's Greek New Testament affirms that in 1 Corinthians 15:2 the apostle Paul is asking the Corinthians a question. It translates the Greek text of verse 2 this way: "In what word (I ask) did I preach (it) to you? – (you will remember) if you are holding (it) fast! – unless you believed idly!" (See W. R. Nicoll, The Expositor's Greek New Testament, 5 Vols., Vol. 2, p. 919.) Related to this, there is some debate regarding the exact meaning of the phrase in 1 Corinthians 15:2, "by which also you are saved" (NKJV). Many popular English translations have "are saved" (e.g. the NIV, NASB, NKJV, KJV, etc.) but some translations read: "are being saved" (e.g. the ESV and the NET Bible). The comment by Dr. S. Lewis Johnson on 1 Corinthians 15:2 in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary is helpful. He writes: "Ye are saved (Gr., present tense) may refer to continual salvation from the power of sin in the lives of believers, or it may refer to the day-by-day salvation of the inhabitants of Corinth as they received the message and formed part of the church of Jesus Christ." (S. Lewis Johnson, Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, Editors, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1990], p. 1255.) Commenting on this same passage of Scripture, Dr. Charlie Bing of GraceLife ministries similarly writes: "We have to get the gospel right to be saved (from hell), but we must also get the gospel right to keep on getting saved (from sin). The deliverance God wants for us is not only from the penalty of sin (our justification), but also from the power of sin (our sanctification) and the presence of sin (our glorification)....The gospel that initially saves us is the same gospel that keeps saving us and the gospel that ultimately saves us – and it's all by God's grace!" (Charlie Bing, "You are Saved, if you Hold Fast – 1 Corinthians 15:1-2," GraceNotes, No. 62.)

1 Corinthians 15:1-5 in the Williams New Testament

     "Now let me remind you, brothers, of the essence¹ of the good news which I proclaimed to you, which you accepted, on which you now are standing, and through which you are to be saved,² unless your faith at first was spurious.³ For I passed on to you, among the primary principles of the good news,⁴ what I had received, that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that on the third day He was raised from the dead, in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, and then by the Twelve."[1] 

Footnotes:

¹ Implied in phrase, among the primary principles.

² At last.

³ Lit., in vain.

⁴ Grk., among the first things; good news implied.

Reference:

[1] Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People (Chicago: Moody Press, 1950), pp. 386-387, footnotes his.

The Jeremiah Study Bible on the Gospel

Here is Dr. David Jeremiah's study note on the gospel from 1 Corinthians 15, in The Jeremiah Study Bible:

"[1 Corinthians] 15:3-7 Here is the standard by which every definition of the gospel must be measured. It must include four elements: Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as well as the testimony of the witnesses to the Resurrection. The gospel cannot be preached the way it should be without proclaiming all four truths."[1]

The reason I like Dr. Jeremiah's explanation of the gospel is that he makes it clear that the definition of the gospel includes not merely the two facts of Christ's death and resurrection, but rather four facts: "Christ died for our sins...was buried...was raised...and was seen" (1 Cor. 15:3-5).  Not a popular truth for some people today, but it's biblical!

ENDNOTE:

[1] Dr. David Jeremiah, The Jeremiah Study Bible, note on 1 Corinthians 15:3-7.

Bob Utley's "FOUR ASPECTS OF THE GOSPEL"

Dr. Bob Utley begins to discuss the "FOUR ASPECTS OF THE GOSPEL" at 

the "3:44" time stamp of the video. 

Here's a screenshot of Dr. Bob Utley's "FOUR ASPECTS OF THE GOSPEL:"

"DEFINING THE GOSPEL" | by David Jeremiah

In his book Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God, David Jeremiah shares the following true story in a daily devotional titled "DEFINING THE GOSPEL":

"Duncan McNeil, the Scottish evangelist, once said that in school he had a seminary professor who insisted on opening his theology classes with a question. No one could ever anticipate what the question would be. One day he said to his students, 'Gentlemen, can someone give me a definition of the gospel?'

A student rose and read John 3:16: 'For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.'

The professor said, 'That is a good gospel text, but it is not a definition of the gospel.' Another student read 1 Timothy 1:15: 'How true it is, and how I long that everyone should know it, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - and I was the greatest of them all.' Again the professor declined to accept it; he waited for what he wanted. Finally, a student stood and read 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, much to the professor's delight. It was evident that he had the reply he desired; he said, 'Gentlemen, that is the gospel. Believe it, live it, preach it, and die for it if necessary.'"¹


ENDNOTE:

¹ David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God (Nashville: Integrity Publishers, 2002), pg. 277.

The Strongest Definition of the Gospel

The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Zondervan: 2001) is a good layman's resource that I have found very helpful in personal study. It has improved on the original Strong's Concordance in a number of ways. For example, The Strongest Strong's has updated and expanded some of the Hebrew and Greek definitions of the original. In the introduction (page x) it says, "Our dictionaries are based on the latest dictionaries, lexicons, and word study books, reflecting great advances in Biblical scholarship."

One update that I have found very helpful in The Strongest Strong's is the expanded definition of the Greek word euangelizo. The Strongest Strong's gives this definition of euangelizo: 

"to preach (bring) the good news (gospel), often with a focus on the content of the message which is brought. In the NT it always refers to the death, burial, resurrection, and witness about Jesus Christ, including its implications for humankind's relationship to God" (see page 1613, number 2097 euangelizo).

The word euangelizo is used in both Acts 13:32 and 1 Corinthians 15:1 to describe the gospel preached by the apostle Paul: a gospel which according to both texts includes Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and appearances to witnesses (see Acts 13:28-31; 1 Cor. 15:3-5). This is the strongest definition of the gospel!

The FEA Gets the Gospel Right!

The following devotional is excerpted from the Fundamental Evangelistic Association’s (abbreviated FEA) FEATURE Bible Study Guide (April - June, 2014). It is reprinted here by permission.

The Gospel Message                                            

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

“The gospel is very simple. Even a child can comprehend its content and respond to its message. The apostle Paul encompassed the heart of the gospel in just twenty-eight words - ‘Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and . . . He was buried, and . . . He rose again the third day according to the scriptures; and . . . He was seen’ (vv. 3-5). Paul was not ashamed of that gospel (Rom. 1:16) and proclaimed it wherever he traveled, assuring his readers in Rome that he had, up to the time of his writing, ‘fully preached the gospel of Christ’ from Jerusalem all the way to the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea (Rom. 15:19). In his heart, this first century missionary had determined that wherever he engaged with unregenerate men he would preach ‘Jesus Christ, and Him crucified’ (2:2). The church at Corinth was reminded of Paul’s burden ‘to preach the gospel in the regions beyond [them]’ (2 Cor. 10:16).

     

‘The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (2 Thess. 1:8) ‘is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth’ (Rom. 1:16). It was the gospel that Paul preached to the Corinthians (Acts 18), knowing that only through that message would they be saved (v. 2). The good news of Christ, the crucified One, was the very foundation of their salvation. Paul delivered the message he had received (v. 3), and God did a work of grace in their hearts as they responded favorably, in faith. The ‘light of the glorious gospel of Christ’ had penetrated their darkened hearts and given ‘the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Cor. 4:4, 6). Has that light pierced the gloom of your heart? Christ died for sinners - trust Him today!”[1]

Reference:

[1] John E. Duty (JED), “The Gospel Message”. Excerpted from the Fundamental Evangelistic Association’s FEATURE Bible Study Guide (April - June 2014), page 15, ellipsis his. Used by permission. Note: John E. Duty is the pastor of Community Bible Church in Leola, Pennsylvania.

Andy Stanley Gives a Snapshot of the Gospel

What Is "the Gospel" at Grace Biblical Seminary?

There's division in the ranks at Grace Biblical Seminary in McDonough, Georgia (formerly known as Free Grace Seminary). Amazingly, two contrary definitions of the gospel are being promoted by the staff!

Rick Whitmire and Tom Stegall are both on staff at Grace Biblical Seminary in McDonough, Georgia. The school’s stated mission is “to advance the cause of Christ by presenting the gospel of God’s amazing grace”¹ — yet actually these two men  have contrary definitions of that very gospel! Rich Whitmire is Vice President and Dean of Online Education, as well as Professor of Evangelism, Biblical and Theological Studies. Tom Stegall is Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies. Notice the following public statements these men have made in regards to the gospel, and how their statements are contrary to each other. 

Rick Whitmire's 
Statements on the Gospel:

“Romans 1:16 – ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the (Gentiles).’…

The Apostle Paul Defines the Gospel: 

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 – ‘For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how 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 scripture: And that He was SEEN...’

The Apostle Paul summarizes the most basic ingredients of the gospel message, namely, the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ.

a. This is the one place where the historical elements of the gospel are clearly defined. Our responsibility is to make the gospel clear and Biblical. But in order to do so, we must have a clear understanding of what the gospel means in the New Testament. These verses, give us the heart of the gospel. Note the four clauses introduced in verses 3-5.

b. The Apostles [sic] Paul in defining the gospel uses four verbs: 1). Christ Died.... 2). Christ was Buried.… 3). Christ Rose.… 4). Christ was Seen.” ²

Tom Stegall's 
Statements on the Gospel:

“Paul did not consider the burial and appearances to be part of ‘the gospel’....”³

"...the burial and post-resurrection appearances of Christ are not technically part of the gospel...” ⁴

"...the cross and resurrection are elements of the gospel in distinction to the burial and appearances..."⁵

"The interpretation that views the four clauses in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 as...all being necessary components of the gospel, is at odds with the entire pattern of the New Testament."⁶

“...only the substitutionary death and bodily resurrection of Christ are elements of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15, in contrast to the burial and appearances”⁷

Comparing and contrasting the above statements of the two men, notice that while Rick Whitmire states that "the most basic ingredients of the gospel message, [are] namely, the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ" — Tom Stegall says that "the burial and post-resurrection appearances of Christ are not technically part of the gospel"! So while Rick Whitmire says that Christ's burial and appearances are part of the gospel, Tom Stegall says they are not part of the gospel. So which is it? It cannot be both!

I trust that Grace Biblical Seminary will address this division over the gospel and hold Tom Stegall accountable for his false teaching so the school can move forward in spirit and in truth, “with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).

ENDNOTES:

¹ http://www.gracebiblicalseminary.org/about-us/our-mission-purpose-vision/

² Rick Whitmire, “The Facts Presentation,” GO TELL EVANGELISM, CHAPTER 2, OUR WITNESS FOR CHRIST (dated “07-15-03”), underlining, capitalization, and second ellipsis his, http://tgcministry.com/gotell/gts_2.htm (accessed April 5, 2012). Note: In the original article much of Whitmire’s statement is in bold print.

³ Thomas L. Stegall, The Gospel of the Christ (Milwaukee, Grace Gospel Press, 2009), p. 579.

⁴ Ibid., p. 578.

⁵ Ibid., p. 579.

⁶ Ibid., p. 588.

⁷ Ibid., p. 585. Note: Stegall's statement is false in light of 1 Corinthians 15:3-5. For more information see my article: "Getting the Gospel Right, Pt. 1".

The Hand Illustration of the Gospel