1 Corinthians 15:3-8
3I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 · NLT · read the whole chapter ↗
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Context
Paul wrote this letter to a young church in Corinth, a busy Greek city. some people there had started to doubt that the dead could really be raised.
in chapter 15 Paul goes back to the core of the message. Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised on the third day.
then he lists people who saw Jesus alive: Peter, the twelve, more than 500 people at once, James and finally Paul himself. Paul notes that most of those 500 were still alive when he wrote, so readers could go and ask them.
What it means
Christian faith rests on something that happened in history. Paul points to people who were there. later in the chapter he says that if Jesus did not rise, faith would be useless, and because he did rise, everything is different.
did you know? most historians, including many who are not Christians, agree that Jesus' followers truly believed they had seen him alive after his death.
Think about it
what questions do you have about whether the resurrection really happened?
Try this
read one of the resurrection stories this week, like Luke 24 or John 20, and write down one detail that stands out.
pray: Jesus, help me bring my questions to you, and help me trust that you are alive.
talk about it: what is your biggest question about whether Jesus really rose?