1 Corinthians 15:3

Paul states the core of the gospel he preached: "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures." He stresses that this was "first of all" -- of first importance -- and that he himself "received" it before he "delivered" it. This language describes the careful handing on of a fixed tradition, suggesting Paul is passing along an early summary of the faith that predates even his own preaching.

Several truths stand together here. Christ "died" -- a real death, the foundation of all that follows. He died "for our sins" -- His death dealt with the very thing that separates people from God, accomplished on our behalf. And it happened "according to the scriptures" -- not as an accident or tragedy, but as the fulfillment of what God had long foretold. The death of Christ was no failure of God's plan; it was its center. Paul presents this as the bedrock of the gospel, the message he counted most essential. For the Corinthians, who were drifting on various matters, Paul returns to first things. The cross addresses humanity's deepest need -- the problem of sin -- and it does so in line with God's revealed purpose across the Scriptures. This verse remains a compact creed: Christ died, for our sins, as God had promised, the saving heart of the good news.