Commenting on this passage of text, Paul Barnett writes the following in his book Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), page 181:
“This tradition consists of a raft (‘what I also received’) of four connected planks, each introduced by ‘that’ (hoti):
- that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures
- that he was buried
- that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures
- that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, etc. (1 Cor. 15:3-5)”
Here are some simple illustrations to describe the gospel in four parts:
- A gospel or barbershop quartet singing in four-part harmony
- A table, chair, or stool with 4 legs
- A baseball diamond with 4 bases
- A heart with 4 chambers
- A hand with 4 fingers
- A square with 4 sides
- A house with 4 walls
- A chain with 4 links
- A raft with 4 planks
- A car with 4 tires
Can you think of any others?
