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15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

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Verses 3-8 are the gospel in its simplest form. We speak the word “gospel” frequently, as does the Bible, but rarely is it defined.

In the fellowship I’ve long been associated with, many use phrases like “preach the gospel” and “obey the gospel” to refer to preaching baptism or being baptized.

That is wrong.

Now, baptism certainly isn’t wrong. The Bible says baptism is our response to the gospel – our decision to symbolically be buried and raised with Christ (Romans 6:3-5, Colossians 2:12).

But it is the gospel itself – the Good News – that is “of first importance,” and that gospel is clearly identified here as Christ’s death, Christ’s burial, and Christ’s resurrection on the third day according to the scriptures.

Paul received this gospel (v. 3); from Jesus Himself (Gal 1:11-12). He preached it to these Corinthians, they received it, and they took their stand on it (v. 1).

Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection are saving these believers if they hold firmly to it.

Isn’t that strange? Today they are saved only if in the end they will have held fast to the gospel as it was passed on to them. If they do not hold fast to the end, they won’t have been saved today. Hebrews 3:14 contains a very similar statement: “we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.” We may claim salvation now, yet it is ultimately a continuous, unfinished process until the day we are resurrected and transformed (cp. Philippians 3:21; 1 Peter 1:5; Romans 13:11-12; 1 John 3:1-3; Hebrews 9:27-28; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; and Acts 2:47)
They may stand in this gospel – which means they may find sure footing it. They may find security in it. When the storms in life come, when the end looks uncertain to everyone else, these Christians (and you and I) may feel secure. But if they do not hold firmly to this gospel, their faith will have been in vain.

Though it’s not mentioned directly here, it’s worth reminding ourselves that death-burial-resurrection reflects a process we symbolically engage in when we become Christians. We die to ourselves, bury the old self, and are raised in a new identity in Christ. That is the point at which God begins transforming us.

It also reflects what will happen actually happen to us in the future. We will die and be buried, as everyone is, but as Christians we will be resurrected to a new life with God.

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5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

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Paul then confirms the surety of what they believe. Jesus Christ appeared to Peter (who is called Cephas here), then to The Twelve, then to over 500 people (most of whom were still living), then to James, then to all of the apostles, and finally to Paul.

Regarding Jesus appearing to the apostles twice:
In v.5 Paul says He appeared to “The Twelve.” This was really to 10 of the 12 apostles since Judas was dead and Thomas was absent (John 20:24). “The Twelve” was a name used for the group - a team name, if you will, just as you might refer to “The Chicago Cubs” even if some players were missing.

Then in v.7 Paul says Jesus appeared to “all the apostles.” That was His ascension (see Luke 24:50-53, Mark 16:19, and Acts 9:1-11).

Regarding the appearance to 500+ people:
There’s not a direct reference to this in the rest of the NT but there are indirect references.

1. Jesus said He’d meet them in Galilee after the resurrection (Matt 26:32).
2. After the resurrection, He told the women at the tomb to tell the apostles to meet Him in Galilee (Matt 28:10).
3. Then “the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them” (Matt 28:16), and that is where Jesus gave them the Great Commission.
4. So we can reasonably speculate that when Jesus told the women to get the message to the disciples, that message spread rapidly to many other believers and they all headed for Galilee. It would be no surprise if five hundred or more were waiting for Him on the mountainside when He appeared. No one would have wanted to miss that!