“...according to the Scriptures”
So far in our study, we have seen that the gospel is “of first importance.” We are to “receive” it, “take our stand” on it, and “hold fast to it.”
Question 1. What are the two parts of the gospel according to 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV?
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The gospel is “that Christ died for our sins” and “that He was raised on the third day.”
Now, let’s consider the repeated phrase in verses 3 and 4, “according to the Scriptures.”
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV
The phrase "according to the Scriptures" repeats, indicating that it is important for us to understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a recent discovery or new religion invented by Paul. Rather, the gospel is "according to the Scriptures," meaning God had given the gospel in the Old Testament.
In our study today and tomorrow, we will see examples that this good news was "according to the Scriptures" of the Old Testament.
As we remember that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, let us look back at the sin of Adam and Eve and see how God revealed the gospel there.
In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve, the first two humans, were told they could eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden where they lived, but that they were not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which was in the center of the garden. God promised that the day they ate of the forbidden tree, they would die!
But Satan tempted them, and they ate the fruit. They sinned and brought guilt upon themselves and would have to face the consequences. They became afraid of God, so they hid amongst the bushes and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, frightened of the inevitable penalty of death they earned.
But while there were many consequences for their sin, God did not instantly put them to death, instead “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). Most scholars believe that the “skin” God used to clothe Adam and Eve came from an animal, probably a lamb.
Though Adam and Eve deserved death, God sacrificed a substitute in their place and clothed them with its skin. The death of the substitute allowed Adam and Eve to live in His presence. Whenever God looked at Adam and Eve, He saw them covered in their substitute; they would live because the substitute died.
This story corresponds with 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV, which says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Summary: When Jesus went to the cross, He was bearing your sin in His own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24), suffering in your place out of love for you. As a result, if you believe this good news, you are clothed in Jesus' righteousness, which means that when God looks at you, He does not see your sin, but rather sees you covered in the righteousness of His Son.
By faith in Jesus' sacrifice, you are fully forgiven, wholly accepted, and eternally welcomed into God's presence.
Yes, the message that "Christ died for our sins" is "according to the Scriptures."
Question 2. As you look at Jesus, the Lamb of God slain for your sin, and see that you are clothed in His righteousness, what thoughts do you have?
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