|
"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4, NKJV)
Have you ever found yourself at a loss for words? When it comes to telling someone else about Jesus, many Christians find themselves at a loss for words. They have convinced themselves that because they haven't ever attended an evangelism training or because they have trouble memorizing a gospel script, they wouldn't know what to say when it comes to telling someone else about Jesus.
In his correspondence with the Corinthian church, Paul wrote, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received" (1 Corinthians 15:3a, NKJV). In other words, he explained that the most important thing he said to them while he was with them (Acts 18:1-11) was the most important thing anyone had ever told him—the good news of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul then outlined three components that comprise this good news (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4). First, Paul explained that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures. Jesus' main purpose in dying on the cross was to satisfy God's wrath against everyone's sins. The Scriptures to which Paul refers in this letter were the books of the Old Testament. Some of the Scriptures Paul may have had in mind are Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 53; and Zechariah 12:10.
Second, Paul told the Corinthians that Jesus was buried.
Last, Paul exclaimed that Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures. Paul probably had in mind Jonah's emerging from the belly of the great fish after three days (Jonah 2:10; Matthew 12:39; 16:4; Luke 11:29-30).
Paul's explanation that he delivered to them the same message that he received should comfort all of us who find ourselves at a loss for exactly what words we should use to share the gospel. Basically, what Paul said tells us that if we know enough of the gospel to have been saved by it, then we know enough of the gospel to share it with others. Isn't that good news? What we were told and believed is the same thing someone else needs to hear in order to believe.
Who do you know that needs to hear the good news of Jesus today? Reflect on the presentation of the gospel you heard when you received Christ as your Lord and Savior. Just as someone else once told you how you could be saved, share that same message so that someone who needs God's love and forgiveness can hear it today and receive it.
|
Spotify
Stitcher
YouTube
