5th Sunday in O.T. (1Cor 15:1-11)

(1Cor 15:1-11)

1Corinthians 15:1 I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I proclaimed to you and which you received, in which you stand firm,

1Corinthians 15:2 and from which also ye receive salvation, if ye hold it in that form in which I have proclaimed it unto you. Otherwise, you would have believed in vain!

This fifteenth chapter is devoted by Paul entirely to the problem and question of faith concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in which he also sees and contemplates ours. It is the last doctrinal topic of the Epistle to the Corinthians, one of the main points of Christian doctrine, namely the resurrection of the dead. This dogma was denied by the Sadducees, mocked by the pagans, interpreted allegorically by some Christians, judged impossible and absurd by some Corinthians imbued with false philosophical ideas. Along with the resurrection, they probably also denied the immortality of the soul, or at least doubted it. The Apostle refutes these errors, proving the reality of the future resurrection, and then explaining the manner in which this mystery will be fulfilled, with the example of the resurrected Jesus and the lives of the believers and apostles.

In the first verse one can already glimpse the seriousness with which the apostle addresses the subject. The resurrection of Jesus is not one of the many tenets of faith, or one of the many truths that make up the revelation he proclaimed. The resurrection of Jesus is the Gospel he proclaimed to the Corinthians. It, alone, is Gospel. It, alone, is sufficient to firmly ground faith in Christ. From the resurrection of Christ, every other mystery of faith is made comprehensible and receives its proper value.

To produce fruits of eternal life, the Gospel must be composed of three essential moments: the proclamation of the Gospel, the acceptance of the Gospel, and standing firm in the Gospel. If any one of these moments is missing, the gospel is also missing. The gift of Christ to man is essential. If the Church does not give Christ to man, man loses Christ. Those who do not have the Church do not have Christ; the Christ they believe they possess is not the true Christ, it is not the Christ of faith, it is their Christ, made in their image and likeness. This 'Christ' that man gives himself is a pure idol. It is not God's gift to man. God gives Christ to man through his Church, starting with his apostles.

But it is not enough to give and receive the gift, it is necessary that in the gift we remain steadfast, anchored. Paul, in this, is of an unprecedented seriousness. He leaves no room for personal thoughts, for spontaneous reflections. The Gospel is proclaimed by the Church and the apostles, from the Church and the apostles one accepts it, one remains firm and well anchored in it, and through this faith, one comes into possession of salvation ('you are saved'), which will be given to us in all its fullness in the life to come.

Having stated the first principle of faith, another follows immediately. "If you keep it in that form in which I have proclaimed it to you". The necessary condition to obtain this salvation is to keep, that is, to firmly believe the Gospel as it was preached, without taking away or falsifying anything. Salvation is from the Gospel on only one condition: that it is maintained, kept intact, in the form in which the Church and the Apostles proclaimed it. If this does not happen, if the Gospel is changed, altered, it becomes ineffective as far as salvation is concerned. Faith placed in it is a vain faith, because it does not grant salvation.

There is an obligation, and it is an obligation of salvation, to keep the Gospel in its original form, to keep it in the heart and mind as it was proclaimed. He who wants salvation must receive the Gospel from the Church, but he must also keep it as the Church has delivered it to him. He cannot make any changes to it, on pain of losing his soul.

To believe in a personal Gospel and then lose one's soul (this means having 'believed in vain'), what is the use? Better to have no gospel than to have a false one; better to live in the way of the world than to live falsely in the way of God.

Paul's principles cannot be adapted to certain modern theology, which has ousted the gospel from its place, replacing it with human thoughts that have only the appearance of truth and faith. In truth they contain nothing of the liberating and redeeming power of the gospel. Much faith today is in vain; much faith does not lead to salvation, because it is founded on a modified Gospel, reduced to human thoughts.

This too must be said for the sake of truth; the salvation of many souls who have fallen into this trap prepared for them by many men who call themselves men of faith, while they have reduced the Gospel of God, the only word of eternal life, to vanity and foolishness.

Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books

- Revelation - exegetical commentary

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers - Law or Gospel?Jesus Christ true God and true Man in the Trinitarian mystery

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

Catholics and Protestants compared - In defence of the faith

(Buyable on Amazon)

56 Last modified on Monday, 03 February 2025 19:14

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Argentino Quintavalle

Argentino Quintavalle è studioso biblico ed esperto in Protestantesimo e Giudaismo. Autore del libro “Apocalisse - commento esegetico” (disponibile su Amazon) e specializzato in catechesi per protestanti che desiderano tornare nella Chiesa Cattolica.

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Christians are a priestly people for the world. Christians should make the living God visible to the world, they should bear witness to him and lead people towards him. When we speak of this task in which we share by virtue of our baptism, it is no reason to boast (Pope Benedict)

I cristiani sono popolo sacerdotale per il mondo. I cristiani dovrebbero rendere visibile al mondo il Dio vivente, testimoniarLo e condurre a Lui. Quando parliamo di questo nostro comune incarico, in quanto siamo battezzati, ciò non è una ragione per farne un vanto (Papa Benedetto)

Because of this unique understanding, Jesus can present himself as the One who reveals the Father with a knowledge that is the fruit of an intimate and mysterious reciprocity (John Paul II)

In forza di questa singolare intesa, Gesù può presentarsi come il rivelatore del Padre, con una conoscenza che è frutto di un'intima e misteriosa reciprocità (Giovanni Paolo II)

Yes, all the "miracles, wonders and signs" of Christ are in function of the revelation of him as Messiah, of him as the Son of God: of him who alone has the power to free man from sin and death. Of him who is truly the Savior of the world (John Paul II)

Sì, tutti i “miracoli, prodigi e segni” di Cristo sono in funzione della rivelazione di lui come Messia, di lui come Figlio di Dio: di lui che, solo, ha il potere di liberare l’uomo dal peccato e dalla morte. Di lui che veramente è il Salvatore del mondo (Giovanni Paolo II)

It is known that faith is man's response to the word of divine revelation. The miracle takes place in organic connection with this revealing word of God. It is a "sign" of his presence and of his work, a particularly intense sign (John Paul II)

È noto che la fede è una risposta dell’uomo alla parola della rivelazione divina. Il miracolo avviene in legame organico con questa parola di Dio rivelante. È un “segno” della sua presenza e del suo operare, un segno, si può dire, particolarmente intenso (Giovanni Paolo II)

That was not the only time the father ran. His joy would not be complete without the presence of his other son. He then sets out to find him and invites him to join in the festivities (cf. v. 28). But the older son appeared upset by the homecoming celebration. He found his father’s joy hard to take; he did not acknowledge the return of his brother: “that son of yours”, he calls him (v. 30). For him, his brother was still lost, because he had already lost him in his heart (Pope Francis)

Ma quello non è stato l’unico momento in cui il Padre si è messo a correre. La sua gioia sarebbe incompleta senza la presenza dell’altro figlio. Per questo esce anche incontro a lui per invitarlo a partecipare alla festa (cfr v. 28). Però, sembra proprio che al figlio maggiore non piacessero le feste di benvenuto; non riesce a sopportare la gioia del padre e non riconosce il ritorno di suo fratello: «quel tuo figlio», dice (v. 30). Per lui suo fratello continua ad essere perduto, perché lo aveva ormai perduto nel suo cuore (Papa Francesco)

Doing a good deed almost instinctively gives rise to the desire to be esteemed and admired for the good action, in other words to gain a reward. And on the one hand this closes us in on ourselves and on the other, it brings us out of ourselves because we live oriented to what others think of us or admire in us (Pope Benedict)

Quando si compie qualcosa di buono, quasi istintivamente nasce il desiderio di essere stimati e ammirati per la buona azione, di avere cioè una soddisfazione. E questo, da una parte rinchiude in se stessi, dall’altra porta fuori da se stessi, perché si vive proiettati verso quello che gli altri pensano di noi e ammirano in noi (Papa Benedetto)

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