BIBLE VERSE STUDY
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — The Gospel Core
Paul hands on the earliest creedal summary of the gospel: Christ's death for sins, burial, and resurrection on the third day — each 'according to the scriptures.'
Scripture
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures;
What this passage means
Paul frames the gospel with a technical vocabulary of transmission. He 'delivered' (παρέδωκα) what he also 'received' (παρέλαβον), echoing the rabbinic chain of tradition. This is not innovation; it is stewardship of a deposit received and now handed over. The content is described as 'first of all' (ἐν πρώτοις) — not necessarily first chronologically in the letter, but of first importance — and the following ὅτι clauses (vv. 3-4) define that priority content.
The fourfold ὅτι structure names three events: (1) Christ died for our sins; (2) he was buried; (3) he has been raised on the third day. Burial is more than a transitional detail; it certifies that the death was real and bodily. The phrase κατὰ τὰς γραφάς closes both halves, locating Christ's death and resurrection within the Hebrew scriptures, so the gospel is presented as the scripturally foreseen act of God rather than a post-hoc interpretation.
The verbs carry distinctive tenses. Christ 'died' (ἀπέθανεν, aorist) — a past, completed act. He 'was buried' (ἐτάφη, aorist passive). But he 'has been raised' (ἐγήγερται, perfect passive) — the perfect tense places the reader in an ongoing state produced by an event in the past: the resurrection happened and its effects remain. The third day (τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ) is tied to the scriptural schema of Hosea 6:2 and the Jonah sign, framing resurrection as a divinely timed action rather than a deferred recovery.
Context
Verses 1-2 establish the stakes: this is 'the gospel' in which the Corinthians stand and by which they are being saved, provided they hold fast the form in which it was preached. Verses 3-4 therefore function as that preached content, a fixed deposit before any further elaboration of resurrection bodies in vv. 5+ and the chapter that follows.
The phrasing assumes a prior creed known to the Jerusalem tradition (cf. the language of receiving and handing on). The repeated 'according to the scriptures' binds each event to the Old Testament narrative, echoing patterns of the third day in Israel's story (Genesis 22; Hosea 6:2) and the suffering-and-vindication shape of passages such as Isaiah 53 and Psalms 16.
Key words in the original
- G3880 παρέλαβον (paralambanō) — 'I received.' In Jewish and early Christian tradition, receiving a teaching implied receiving it as a faithful steward to transmit intact. The verb pairs with παρέδωκα ('I delivered') to express that the gospel is a handed-down deposit, not personal invention.
- G5228 ὑπὲρ (hyper) — 'for, on behalf of.' As used here with the genitive, this preposition marks substitutionary benefit: Christ died for our sins. The directional sense ('over, above') underlies the atoning idea of doing something in the place of another.
- G1453 ἐγήγερται (egēgertai) — perfect passive of ἐγείρω: 'has been raised.' The choice of perfect tense is theologically significant: an event in the past (the resurrection) places the reader in a present state produced by it. The passive voice also signals divine agency: the Father raised the Son.
Related verses
- Isaiah 53:12 A servant figure 'poured out his soul unto death' and 'bare the sin of many.' This Old Testament picture of vicarious suffering is one of the scriptural texts Paul has in view when he writes that Christ died 'for our sins according to the scriptures.'
- Hosea 6:2 'After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up.' The 'third day' language in 1 Corinthians 15:4 echoes Hosea 6:2, situating resurrection within a scriptural pattern of restoration on the third day.
- Psalms 16:10 'Thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.' This is a key scriptural reservoir for the 'raised on the third day according to the scriptures' affirmation, since it speaks of the Holy One not undergoing bodily decay.
Common questions
Why is the phrase 'according to the scriptures' repeated twice?
The repetition ties both events — death and resurrection — to the Hebrew scriptures. Paul's claim is not merely that these things happened, but that they happened in fulfillment of what was written, placing the gospel within the story of Israel.
What is the significance of 'the third day'?
The third-day note links the resurrection to a scriptural pattern — Hosea 6:2 speaks of being raised up on the third day, and the Gospels also note Jonah's three days. It signals a divinely appointed turning point rather than a delayed recovery.
Why does Paul mention burial separately from the death?
The burial clause certifies that the death was real and bodily. By stating it explicitly, Paul guards against any later reading that would soften or spiritualize the death, before moving to the bodily resurrection that follows.