5th Sunday in O.T. (1Cor 15:1-11)

(1Cor 15:1-11)

1Corinthians 15:1 I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I proclaimed to you and which you received, in which you stand firm,

1Corinthians 15:2 and from which also ye receive salvation, if ye hold it in that form in which I have proclaimed it unto you. Otherwise, you would have believed in vain!

This fifteenth chapter is devoted by Paul entirely to the problem and question of faith concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in which he also sees and contemplates ours. It is the last doctrinal topic of the Epistle to the Corinthians, one of the main points of Christian doctrine, namely the resurrection of the dead. This dogma was denied by the Sadducees, mocked by the pagans, interpreted allegorically by some Christians, judged impossible and absurd by some Corinthians imbued with false philosophical ideas. Along with the resurrection, they probably also denied the immortality of the soul, or at least doubted it. The Apostle refutes these errors, proving the reality of the future resurrection, and then explaining the manner in which this mystery will be fulfilled, with the example of the resurrected Jesus and the lives of the believers and apostles.

In the first verse one can already glimpse the seriousness with which the apostle addresses the subject. The resurrection of Jesus is not one of the many tenets of faith, or one of the many truths that make up the revelation he proclaimed. The resurrection of Jesus is the Gospel he proclaimed to the Corinthians. It, alone, is Gospel. It, alone, is sufficient to firmly ground faith in Christ. From the resurrection of Christ, every other mystery of faith is made comprehensible and receives its proper value.

To produce fruits of eternal life, the Gospel must be composed of three essential moments: the proclamation of the Gospel, the acceptance of the Gospel, and standing firm in the Gospel. If any one of these moments is missing, the gospel is also missing. The gift of Christ to man is essential. If the Church does not give Christ to man, man loses Christ. Those who do not have the Church do not have Christ; the Christ they believe they possess is not the true Christ, it is not the Christ of faith, it is their Christ, made in their image and likeness. This 'Christ' that man gives himself is a pure idol. It is not God's gift to man. God gives Christ to man through his Church, starting with his apostles.

But it is not enough to give and receive the gift, it is necessary that in the gift we remain steadfast, anchored. Paul, in this, is of an unprecedented seriousness. He leaves no room for personal thoughts, for spontaneous reflections. The Gospel is proclaimed by the Church and the apostles, from the Church and the apostles one accepts it, one remains firm and well anchored in it, and through this faith, one comes into possession of salvation ('you are saved'), which will be given to us in all its fullness in the life to come.

Having stated the first principle of faith, another follows immediately. "If you keep it in that form in which I have proclaimed it to you". The necessary condition to obtain this salvation is to keep, that is, to firmly believe the Gospel as it was preached, without taking away or falsifying anything. Salvation is from the Gospel on only one condition: that it is maintained, kept intact, in the form in which the Church and the Apostles proclaimed it. If this does not happen, if the Gospel is changed, altered, it becomes ineffective as far as salvation is concerned. Faith placed in it is a vain faith, because it does not grant salvation.

There is an obligation, and it is an obligation of salvation, to keep the Gospel in its original form, to keep it in the heart and mind as it was proclaimed. He who wants salvation must receive the Gospel from the Church, but he must also keep it as the Church has delivered it to him. He cannot make any changes to it, on pain of losing his soul.

To believe in a personal Gospel and then lose one's soul (this means having 'believed in vain'), what is the use? Better to have no gospel than to have a false one; better to live in the way of the world than to live falsely in the way of God.

Paul's principles cannot be adapted to certain modern theology, which has ousted the gospel from its place, replacing it with human thoughts that have only the appearance of truth and faith. In truth they contain nothing of the liberating and redeeming power of the gospel. Much faith today is in vain; much faith does not lead to salvation, because it is founded on a modified Gospel, reduced to human thoughts.

This too must be said for the sake of truth; the salvation of many souls who have fallen into this trap prepared for them by many men who call themselves men of faith, while they have reduced the Gospel of God, the only word of eternal life, to vanity and foolishness.

Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books

- Revelation - exegetical commentary

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers - Law or Gospel?Jesus Christ true God and true Man in the Trinitarian mystery

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

Catholics and Protestants compared - In defence of the faith

(Buyable on Amazon)

78 Last modified on Monday, 03 February 2025 19:14

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Argentino Quintavalle

Argentino Quintavalle è studioso biblico ed esperto in Protestantesimo e Giudaismo. Autore del libro “Apocalisse - commento esegetico” (disponibile su Amazon) e specializzato in catechesi per protestanti che desiderano tornare nella Chiesa Cattolica.

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