我們所傳的福音
哥林多前書十五章1至8節
1弟兄們,我如今把先前所傳給你們的福音告訴你們知道;這福音你們也領受了,又靠著站立得住,
2並且你們若不是徒然相信,能以持守我所傳給你們的,就必因這福音得救。
3我當日所領受又傳給你們的:第一,就是基督照聖經所說,為我們的罪死了,
4而且埋葬了;又照聖經所說,第三天復活了,
5並且顯給磯法看,然後顯給十二使徒看;
6後來一時顯給五百多弟兄看,其中一大半到如今還在,卻也有已經睡了的。
7以後顯給雅各看,再顯給眾使徒看,
8末了也顯給我看;我如同未到產期而生的人一般。
信息分享
他在信中重述這個福音的方式,值得我們再三深思;他所說的每一句話,都帶給我們啟發。保羅指出,這福音原是他們「領受」的。換言之,不是他們自己發明出來的,而是神的使者傳給他們的。
他們能靠這福音站立得穩,那當然表示這福音給他們極大的安全感。他們既因這福音而得救,但神仍要不住地在他們心中工作,以致作成得救的工夫。
他們必須持守這福音。人的一生經常要面對各類試探,導致我們的信心動搖,但他們靠著福音,便能站立得穩。
保羅繼續道出福音的信息,指出基督為我們的罪受死的事實。我們不單要承認「我相信基督曾經受死」,更要承認「我相信基督為我的罪而死」。舊約早已預言基督要降世、要受死和埋葬,第三天從死人中復活。保羅所講的一切都是照著舊約聖經所說的發生。那不是一個即興的計劃,而是神早已為我們預備的救恩計劃,讓我們今天為到得著救恩而歡欣。
這意味著耶穌基督確如保羅所言的,至今仍然活著。對保羅而言,他永難忘記他昔日在大馬色路上遇見耶穌基督的那一刻。那次的經歷,徹底地改變了他的一生。復活改變了耶穌的身體;同樣地,復活的事實也改變了眾使徒,以及保羅的生命。那麼你呢?耶穌的復活對你的生命又有何影響呢?
反思:
一個人的徹底改變,就是基督復活的最大明證。別人能否在我的生命中看見這明證呢?
THE GOSPEL WE PREACH
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.
7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
Message
Here he re-states the Gospel and does it in a remarkable way. Almost every word has something to say to us. Paul says they had 'received' the Gospel. It had come to them from outside themselves. They had not invented it; it had come to them from a messenger sent from God.
This message was one on which they could stand, a message of certainty that gave a wonderful sense of security. Through the Gospel they were being saved. The work was still going on in their hearts.
The Gospel was something they were to hold on to. Life makes many attempts to take our faith away from us, but here was something they had to cling to.
Paul turns to the message of the Gospel and speaks about the fact that Christ died for our sins. It is easy to say, 'I believe Christ died'. We need to go further and say, 'I believe Christ died for my sins! It had been foretold in the Old Testament that Christ would come, he would die and be buried. The third day he would rise again from the dead. All of these things Paul says were according to the Old Testament Scriptures. This was not done on the spur of the moment. It had all been planned by God for our salvation and we can rejoice in it today.
This means Jesus Christ is alive today and that is what Paul said. He could never forget that day on the road to Damascus when he met Jesus Christ. It had changed his whole life. Resurrection changed the body of Christ. The fact of the resurrection changed the apostles and later Paul. What has it done in your life?
A THOUGHT:
The greatest evidence of Christ's resurrection is a complete change. Can that be seen in me?

