1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Paul's Creed
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Many people of Paul’s time and immediately after Jesus’ death believed that somehow and someway, Jesus had resurrected from His own personal death...Jesus had physically died and was placed in a tomb in Jerusalem and then had risen...This was a fact, among others, that Paul tried to get others to believe...Paul and the other believers, believed that the resurrection was a fact...There were many who believed that Jesus was still alive physically, and not just Spiritually alive...But others sneered at this idea...And Paul had to pay for his faith in Jesus with persecution and being jailed...
Paul did not believe or see these events surrounding Jesus' death as symbolic, as some read the Bible today...Paul saw and studied these events as real and historic...Paul writes that Jesus was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...The Truth of His Word is shaped by this Mystery of the resurrection...And because of this mystery some do not believe the resurrection as a fact...But Paul did...Paul makes it clear in his writings and his epistles that Jesus is alive and has risen from the dead...Jesus has risen and this event of the resurrection makes Him the most talked about and wrote about Person in our history...And the resurrection of Jesus is the most important fact in humanity's history, because now we know that there is eternal life, and a life after one's death...
Paul honestly believed what he had learned about Jesus and what he taught was of utmost importance...He repeated this fact of Jesus resurrection often and in other epistles...And Paul had to to remind us that it was indeed a fact and did happen, and was not just a symbolic idea from God...So Paul had this creed, this belief about Jesus...So he went out writing and teaching others about Jesus...And Paul had great knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament...Paul was a Pharisee, who had studied under Gamaliel...Paul after studying about Jesus and learning about Him from others what He taught, and from Jesus' brother James -Paul believed that God had resurrected Him from the dead, and God had appointed Jesus as the Messiah, from the Old Testament prophecies...Plus Paul had seen Jesus in a vision on the road to Damascus...And this belief of his, this creed fit in with the Old Testament writings and prophecies about an Anointed One that was to come...Jesus was indeed the One to Come, the Suffering Servant that the Prophet Isaiah had written about...
Paul's Creed was 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 Cephas, and then to the Twelve Apostles...After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep...Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to Paul...