I Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
After a hard chapter of rebuking this church for their division, Paul now turns to what should unite us: the core elements of our faith. He summarizes what Christ has done, through His suffering, death, burial and resurrection. The then has us look forward to what He shall do: He will raise us up again. He spends more time here looking forward to the resurrection of the dead than almost any one topic in any of his letters. If we truly believe "the package deal", then we will embrace all that it means in this life that we have a life yet to come. We will not bicker with one another, squabbling over small differences, but we will work together as we await the greatest victory yet to come. We will live together in solidarity of faith, having as our battlecry the closing verse of the chapter: 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
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