The Gospel is the proclamation of the death on the cross and the resurrection.

 

The Gospel is the proclamation of the death on the cross and the resurrection.

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-2: "Brothers and sisters, I want to make known to you the gospel that I preached to you, which you received and in which you stand. If you hold firmly to the word which I preached and do not believe in vain, you will be saved through it."

 

Paul preached the Gospel, and while people understood the resurrection well at the time of preaching, over time, many began to misunderstand it. Therefore, he emphasizes that by firmly holding onto faith in the resurrection, one attains salvation.

 

It is a fact that Jesus died and resurrected, and all Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Furthermore, the resurrected Jesus remained in this world for about 40 days, appearing to the twelve disciples and over 500 brothers. The fact that the resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples and many brothers and showed them the form of resurrection implies that He appears to believers today in the same form. This is because the resurrected Jesus also appeared to Paul, as Paul was one who had persecuted Christians. It means that the resurrected Jesus did not reveal Himself only to His disciples and brothers.

 

1 Corinthians 15:12 states, "It has been preached that Christ has risen (ekegertai) from the dead (nekron νεκρῶν). Why, then, do some of you say that there is no resurrection (anastasis) of the dead?" Ekegertai signifies the spirit coming to life from the dead. And anastasis signifies the spirit putting on a spiritual body. It is saying that resurrection is exactly this.

 

Ekegertai (ἐγήγερται) does not mean "to come to life," but rather "to rise" (arize). Anastasis (ἀνάστασις) means "to be established from above (heaven)." This means that Jesus' resurrection occurred from those who were spiritually dead. Being spiritually dead means that one's relationship with God has been severed. The point is that Jesus Christ rose from spiritual death to restore the relationship with God. Therefore, those who have entered into Christ are resurrected together, and their relationship with God is restored. In 1 Peter 3:18, it says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."

 

Anastasis means being established from above. In other words, through the resurrection of Jesus, God intends to establish those who have entered into Christ as heirs of the Kingdom of God. This is being born again. Being born again is resurrection. Paul is asking why they claim there is no resurrection. He is pointing out that the believers in the Corinthian church think of resurrection only as a resurrection of the body.

 

1 Corinthians 15:13-14: “If there is no resurrection (anastasis) of the dead, then Christ has not risen either. If Christ has not risen (egegertai), then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.”

 

Here, too, the terms anastasis (ἀνάστασις) and egegertai (ἐγήγερται) are used. Egegertai does not mean to come back to life, but to rise spiritually (arize). In other words, it signifies the restoration of the relationship with God, whereas anastasis means to be established from above (heaven), signifying becoming an heir to the Kingdom of God. This might lead to the misunderstanding that resurrection is merely a spiritual matter. However, resurrection involves the physical body coming back to life outwardly, but it is not a body received from parents, but a body received from God.

 

Paul speaks of a resurrection for the restoration of the spiritual relationship with God. He states that God raised Christ to life in a spiritual body for the purpose of restoring the relationship with God. Romans 8:10 states, "And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness." This means that if Christ has not been spiritually resurrected and the relationship with God has not been restored, then faith is in vain, and no one can be saved.

 

Without resurrection, the phrase "in Christ" is in vain. Resurrection is a life of walking with Jesus. A life that does not walk with Jesus is described as a worldly life. Ultimately, the life of resurrection (being born again of water and the Spirit) refers to the presence of the Ho Logos within the heart of the saint; the saint, too, dies of the physical body and is born again into a spiritual body, entering into the Ho Logos to converse with and walk with Him. Therefore, the resurrection of the saint becomes a present resurrection.

 

Jesus Christ was the first among those who had fallen asleep to be spiritually resurrected, and the relationship with God was restored.

 

1 Corinthians 15:21-22: "For since death came through one man (the first man Adam), the resurrection of the dead also comes through one man (the last Adam). Just as in Adam all died, so in Christ all will be made alive (Zopoeidesontai)."

 

Adam symbolizes one who is spiritually severed from God. Christ signifies one whose spiritual relationship with God has been restored. It means that all people in this world have inherited death (flesh) from Adam. However, those who are in Christ have inherited life (spiritual body) from Christ. *Zopoiedesontai* means "will be made alive." In *Zopo* (life) and *iedesontai* (to make), the root *zo* of *Zopo* signifies spiritual life. Christ is the firstfruits, and those who are in Christ are the next fruit-bearers. The fruit is those who possess resurrection life.

 

The core of the Gospel is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection on the third day. The death on the cross is to escape from sin and transgression, and the resurrection is to give new life. Ephesians 2:5-6 states, "He made us alive together with Christ, even though we were dead in our transgressions (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

 

Receiving resurrection life means being seated in heaven (*ephuranois*) in Christ. The word "heaven" uses the same term as "Kingdom of Heaven" (Uranon) as spoken of in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 3:2 states, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Here, the Kingdom of Heaven refers to Jesus Christ. It means that Jesus Christ is the Kingdom of Heaven and is Heaven.

 

One can enter the Kingdom of God only through Jesus Christ. This is because Jesus holds the key to the Kingdom of God. It means that those who are dead in sin and transgression cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Only those who possess resurrection life can enter, and they receive resurrection life when the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon them. God pours out resurrection life upon repentant sinners through Jesus Christ, thereby bringing to life those who are dead in sin and transgression.

 

Those under the authority of Satan, the ruler of the world, have no resurrection life and cannot be seated in heaven. Only those who believe that they have died with Jesus Christ and resurrected with Him are seated in heaven.