Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-17

Consider these questions for your edification.

Hold fast to what is “of first importance.”

Paul reminds the church of what is “of first importance” and then proceeds to tell us the gospel (good news)… Jesus died for our sins and He rose from the dead. Paul says we are saved by this gospel if we hold fast (hold firmly) to it.

Can you articulate why the gospel is “of first importance” above all other matters of faith?  What are some of the implications if we disavow that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, i.e., what are we saying about God and how we can be made right with Him?

How would you say you are doing at holding onto the Gospel of Jesus’ death for your sins and His resurrection?

“If Christ is not raised… you are still in your sins.”

Paul says that if Christ is not raised from the dead then we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). Can you explain why this is so? How is the resurrection proof that Jesus is done paying for our sins?

Note that Paul is proclaiming to a church of Christians who still struggle with sin that they are no longer “in” their sins, i.e., they are not condemned for them but are rather forgiven for all of them through the finished work of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

What are the implications for your life today… that you are not in your sins any longer? What does this mean for your relationship with God, for your future, for your current anxieties and trials, and for your current struggle with sins?