Is the New Testament authentic and trustworthy? I believe it is. I recently read that 1st Corinthians 15:3-5 was part of a verbal creed dating back to within a few years after the death of Jesus Christ. Listen to this creed: “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the twelve.”
This creed was passed on by oral tradition. In the first century memorizing things was common. Paul wrote it down in this epistle so that it would be preserved. The four truths are foundational to the Christian faith: Christ died, He was buried, He was raised as promised, and He was seen. These are the historical facts. Paul adds the spiritual – Christ died for our sins. There was a glorious purpose in His death.
Paul made it clear that Christ died by pointing out He was buried. You don’t bury people unless they are dead. Pointing out that He was raised on the third day fulfills what Jesus promised, even using Jonah’s experience to illustrate God’s plan. These historical facts were predicted in the Scriptures, thus authenticating the Bible as authoritative.
God keeps His word. If you have questions about this, remember, Jesus Christ was seen by individuals, some of whom were still living when this epistle was written. Doubters could check out the accuracy of the claim by asking eye witnesses.
Believe in these verified truths and you will be saved.
