The Single Page- a weekly Bible Study on One Page

By Dennis Lawrence

1 Corinthians 15.1-11- 1Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to
you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are
saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in
vain. 3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for
our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third
day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
6
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most
of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
9
For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and
his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I,
but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we
preach, and this is what you believed.

What are the basics of the gospel and what difference do they make to our lives?

1. Verse 1- What did Paul want to do to benefit the Corinthian Christians? How had
they responded to this message when he gave it to them?
2. Verse 2- What did this gospel do in their lives? If they do not continue in the
gospel, what warning does he give? Why does this warning matter? Based on
your understanding of this entire letter, what are some of the significant changes
many had made in their lives, which Paul was concerned they not alter by giving
up.
3. Verses 3- 8- What sequence of appearances does Paul elaborate? What does this
tell you about the reality of Christ’s resurrection?
4. Verses 9- Did Paul feel worthy of receiving the gospel? Why? Did Paul have
reason, based in his past behaviour, for his personal feeling of worthiness? What
impact did his past behaviour have on some Christians that he would meet again
at the end of his life? Does remembering this intensify understanding of why he
felt as he did?
5. Verse 10- What overcame those feelings for Him? What happened? What had the
power and authority to make him a different man? What reality had the power and
authority to over-ride the power of human feelings?
6. What about you? How did the gospel come to you? Can you outline a sequence
for its journey to your life? What people did it appear to before you? Do you feel
worthy of having received God’s grace? What are your reasons for feeling as Paul
did? Is grace stronger than your reasons and your feeling? What impact has grace
had in your life? What does it continue to do in you? Like Paul, does it propel you
into the work of sharing with others?

© Dennis Lawrence, 2010