“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed” ( I Corinthians 15:1-11).

Christ was buried

     The burial of Jesus Christ is an important aspect of the Gospel in that it details an aspect of substitutionary death. Death is more than the mere separation of the body from the soul and spirit. Death is separation from God. This is an essential truth in understanding the ramifications of vicarious death of Christ.

“1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor” (Matthew 27:1-2).

     The interrogation by Pilate, the choosing of the murderer Barabbas over Jesus, the scourging and mockery of Jesus all took place within a three-hour period. Mark 15:25 tells us Jesus was nailed to the Cross on the 3rd hour or at or about 9 AM.

     For the next three hours, Matthew 27:36 says, “And sitting down they watched him there.” For those three hours, the scene is an amphitheater of carnality. The crowds and the soldiers mock Jesus. Then, they join with the chief priests and the scribes as they ridicule and mock Jesus on the Cross.

“41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God” (Matthew 27:41-43).

     Then God steps in to get their attention. In the very middle of the day, when the scorching Sun stood directly overhead, it was like somebody turned out the lights. I would imagine for the next three hours there was some soul searching going on. I imagine a few chief priests and scribes were sweating bullets. One thing we can be sure of, for three hours the ridicule stopped. One thing we can be sure about is that for awhile there was panic, and then everything settled down into silence. For the next three hours the scene around the Cross was one of solemn, fear filled silence.

     What kind of Being can turn the brightness of Noonday into the blackness of night? Only the Creator can do that. God was showing the world His presence at the Crucifixion of His “only begotten Son.”

“For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name” (Amos 4:13).

     The word “darkness” in Matthew 27:45 is translated from the Greek word skotos (skot'-os). This darkness was caused by God. This was a supernatural interference of the Creator into the realm of His Creation. God spoke to this solemn assembly in the language lost men understand. He took away the normal and replaced it with the abnormal. All the people in the city knew that this darkness was the judgment of God and they quaked in fear.

     All of a sudden, the silence is broken with a voice out of the darkness. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” At the voice of Jesus, the Creator of Heaven and earth, light bursts forth into the darkness.

     For the space of three hours, Jesus Christ the incarnate, eternal Son of God was alone in the darkness of broken fellowship with the Father. For all of the eternal existence of God, the fellowship of the Godhead had never before been broken. Take the loneliest day of your life and multiply that by a billion and you will not even touch upon the agony of those three hours. Add to that the most stressful, painful day of your life and multiply that by a billion and you are still nowhere near the suffering of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.

     We think of suffering in human, physical, and emotional terms. We think of pain, loneliness, stress, and anguish. Yes, Jesus suffered all those things, but on top of all of that, He took our eternal separation from God upon Himself. In a three hours span of time, God the Father poured out His eternal wrath upon the sin of all mankind on the body of His only begotten Son. In that three-hour moment of darkness, Jesus bore the torment of eternal Hell for all of mankind.

“4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6).

     However, Christ’s separation from God extended into the grave and into Sheol until His resurrection. Darkness is a small token of one aspect of Hell. That is what spiritual death is. It is separation from God. He took that death upon Himself and then He died physically (Matthew 27:50). Jesus took our death sentence upon Himself and suffered death {separation from fellowship with God} for us. In doing so, He broke the bondage of the curse of death.

“8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)” (Ephesians 4:8-9).

Christ was resurrected

     Understanding the theological ramifications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an essential Truth to understanding and believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul said that “ . . . if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (I Corinthians 15:14). We must remember that the in depth teaching of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:12-58) follows the three basic statements in verses 3 through 4 that define the basics of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

     The resurrection of Jesus Christ carries with it theological ramifications that extend far beyond the raising of a dead person back to life. The resurrection of Jesus Christ opened a doorway of access and connection to the realm of God’s existence that was closed from the moment of Adam’s leap into the realm of sin and death. This access is described in the beginning and ending statements of the Great Commission. As the resurrected Jesus spoke to the disciples, two important phrases connect the believer to all that He is:

1. “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore”
2. “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world”

     The first statement of Jesus refers to the transposition of His divine authority to do what He commands all believers to do in His Name while He is ascended to Heaven as our High Priest and Advocate. The second statement refers to the transposition of His divine power in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Jesus Christ eternally connects the believer to the Godhead by literally joining the Godhead to the believer’s body in the supernatural act of regeneration. The Holy Spirit of God becomes His “seal” upon the believer’s future resurrection and glorification.

     The resurrection of the God/man, Jesus Christ, out from the dead opened a door from the fallen, cursed original Creation into the New Creation (“the regeneration”) “for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord” (Rom. 10:13). The resurrection of Jesus Christ makes Him the “firstborn” into the New Genesis.

“12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:12-18).

     The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s signature upon Christ’s successful victory over Satan’s bondage of death upon mankind. Satan does not want that message proclaimed and he certainly does not want people to believe it. He has focused his attention on perverting the truth of the gospel for over 2,000 years now. He will continue to do so because the resurrection of Jesus Christ connects people to an existence beyond this world of satanic dominion. For those truly believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, their faith locks the vision of their lives and future in the eternal. Take the resurrection of Jesus Christ away from Christianity and it is just another hopeless religion of endless duties and worthless promises.

“12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (I Corinthians 15:12-19).

     Satan’s only hope of continuing his bondage of sin is his continued deception of mankind regarding the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are many Bible truths that are critical to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What I mean by critical is that all of these truths regarding the Person of Jesus Christ must be true if the gospel is going to be “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is critical if we are going to believe in the success of Christ’s substitutionary life and death.

Seven Facts Critical to the Gospel Message

1. The fact of the virgin birth of Christ
2. The fact that the birth of Jesus is the incarnation of the Son of God
3. The fact of the sinless life of Jesus Christ
4. The fact of the vicarious/substitutionary death of Jesus Christ at Golgotha
5. The fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ out of death
6. The fact of the glorification of Jesus Christ upon His resurrection
7. The fact of the ascension of the resurrected and glorified Jesus Christ

     If any one of these factual essentials are taken away from the Gospel, the Gospel ceases to be “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). The “power” of the Gospel to save lies in these accomplished realities of Who Jesus is and what He did while on earth in a human body. These objective facts of the Gospel message are critical to salvation. These are the details of the Gospel that MUST be understood and believed in order to be saved. These objective facts of the Gospel message allow the sinner to trust the salvation of his eternal soul into the care of Jesus. As I Corinthians 15:12-19 says, if Jesus is ANYTHING less than what the Bible says He is, the hope of salvation is really just another religious fairytale.