1

The Counterpoints of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15

in the Free Grace Movement

The G.E.S. Gospel The Groundless

Gospel1

“The Glorious Gospel”2

Also known as: The promise-only gospel

3

The partial gospel4 The Pauline gospel

5

The message preached to save those who believe:

“Believe in Jesus for everlasting life that can never be lost.”

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“Saving faith is the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died and rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin and the one who gives eternal life to all who trust Him and Him alone for it.”

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“that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Cor. 15:3b-5)

Proponents: The Grace Evangelical Society (G.E.S.), Zane Hodges, Bob Wilkin, John Niemelä, Bob Bryant, Antonio da Rosa

Earl Radmacher,8 J. B.

Hixson,9 Dennis

Rokser,10

Tom Stegall11

John Wycliffe,12

John Bunyan,13

D. L. Moody,

14 Arthur T. Pierson,

15 H. A.

Ironside,16

A. T. Robertson,17

William R. Newell,

18 Herbert Lockyear,

19

Merrill Tenney,20

Warren Wiersbe,21

Norman Geisler,

22 Miles J. Stanford,

23

Renald Showers,24

Don Campbell,25

Rick Whitmire,

26 George Meisinger,

27

Andy Stanley,28

etc.29

Key Verse(s): John 6:47 John 1:12, 3:16, 5:24; Romans 3:23, 6:23, etc.

1 Corinthians 15:3-5

Key Characteristic: An emphasis on the Gospel of John

A synthesis of many Bible verses

An exegesis of 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

Definition of Paul’s Gospel: Various. Zane Hodges sets forth 1 Corinthians 15:3b-4,

30 and later 1

Cor. 15:3b-8.31

Bob Wilkin argues for 1 Cor. 15:3-11.

32 John

Niemelä and Antonio da Rosa both affirm that the actual content of the Gospel is stated in 1 Cor. 15:3b-5.

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Various. J. B. Hixson, Dennis Rokser and Tom Stegall set forth 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

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Earl Radmacher affirms that the actual content of the Gospel is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:3b-5.

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1 Corinthians 15:3b-536

Relationship between Paul’s Gospel and the saving message:

Paul’s Gospel is not the saving message.

Paul’s Gospel contains elements of the saving message.

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Paul’s Gospel is the saving message, for it is “the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Cor. 1:21b; cf. Rom. 10:14-17; Eph. 1:13; 2 Thess. 1:8-10).

Relationship between Paul’s Gospel and saving faith:

All of Paul’s Gospel can be denied (i.e. Christ’s deity, death, burial, resurrection, and appearances can all be denied).

Some of Paul’s Gospel can be denied (i.e. Christ’s burial and resurrection appear-ances can be denied).

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None of Paul’s Gospel can be denied, for it is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16b; cf. 1 Cor. 1:18).

2

1 The groundless gospel label has a double meaning:

1) It refers to a gospel lacking Christ’s burial in the ground (Isa. 53:9; Acts 13:29; 1 Cor. 15:4, etc.) 2) It refers to a gospel lacking biblical support. 2 See: 2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV); 1 Timothy 1:11.

3 The GES gospel/promise-only gospel is perhaps more commonly known as “the crossless gospel”. (See

Tom Stegall, “THE TRAGEDY OF THE CROSSLESS GOSPEL Pt. 1,” The Grace Family Journal [Spring

2007]: p. 8.)

4 The groundless gospel is partial in at least three particulars:

1) It is partial because it omits part of Paul’s gospel: “and that He was buried” (1 Cor. 15:4), “and that

He appeared” (1 Cor. 15:5) – not to mention the removal of “the third day” (1 Cor. 15:4) and the

references to “the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3, 4).

2) It is partial because it necessitates that Christ’s death only partially paid the penalty for sin (and

Christ’s resurrection completed the payment). NOTE: This is Hixson’s position, though not Radmacher’s

(Radmacher, Salvation [Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000], p. 9, 35, 72, 197, etc.), not Rokser’s

(Rokser, Let’s Preach the Gospel [Duluth: Duluth Bible Church, no date], p. 36), nor Stegall’s (Stegall,

“THE GOSPEL OF THE RESURRECTED CHRIST,” [1 Corinthians 15:1-11], March 27, 2005).

3) It is partial because it has lots of holes! Regarding this, Bob Wilkin writes: “Hixson has found [his]

five essentials [of the gospel] hither and yon in the NT [and some “essentials” not even in the NT!] and

then stitched them together into a salvific quilt. But there are lots of holes in the quilt!” (Wilkin, “A Review

Of J. B. Hixson’s Getting The Gospel Wrong: The Evangelical Crisis No One is Talking About,” Journal of

the Grace Evangelical Society [Spring 2008]: p. 24.)

NOTE: The groundless gospel is also known as the no-burial gospel. Some might also call it the

pagan gospel (see the article by Jonathan Perreault, “The Strange Beliefs of Stegall’s System,” Free

Grace Free Speech blog).

5 The “glorious gospel”/Pauline gospel is also known as “the biblical gospel” (John Reed, Donald K.

Campbell, Walvoord: A Tribute [Chicago: Moody Press, 1982], p. 279; cf. Ibid., p. 274), and sometimes as the full gospel (Herbert Lockyear, All the Books and Chapter of the Bible [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986], pp. 259-260; Norman Geisler, Systematic Theology [Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2004], 4 Vols., Vol. 3, p. 549; Michael Svigel, “The Full Gospel and Nothing More,” Insight for Living website, Newsletter Articles, http://www.insight.asn.au/newsletters.php?item=19 [accessed March 15, 2012]). 6 Bob Wilkin, “Four Free Grace Views Related to Two Issues: Assurance and the Five Essentials,” Grace

In Focus, (July/August 2009): p. 1. 7 J. B. Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong (Xulon Press, 2008), p. 84. In his book Getting the Gospel

Wrong, Hixson emphasizes that the content of saving faith must include the belief that “Jesus

Christ…died and rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin”. (Ibid., italics his; cf. Ibid., pp. 89, 92,

99, 100, 104, 110, 145, 205, 229, 237, 242, 258, 285, 347, etc.). Hixson claims that this statement is

“essential” to what he calls “the pure gospel” (Ibid., pp. 84, 205, etc.). This newly published teaching by

Hixson evidences a change from his earlier position which asserted that Christ’s death (not His death and

resurrection) paid the full penalty for sin. For instance, in 2001 Hixson affirmed what he called “the proper

presentation of the gospel,” saying: “The good news is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He

died as man’s substitute on the cross where He paid the entire debt of man’s sin.” (Hixson, “What is the

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Gospel?” [2001], p. 5.) But in his book Getting the Gospel Wrong, Hixson is advocating an atonement

aberration from his earlier position. He’s now teaching that “Jesus Christ…died and rose again to pay

one’s penalty for sin” (Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008], p. 84, etc.). But where in

the Bible is Christ’s resurrection included in the payment for sin? Hixson only says, “In fulfillment of Old

Testament prophecy, the Son of God died and rose again to pay man’s penalty for sin (cf. Ps 16:9-11;

68:18; 110:1; Isa 53:4-10).” (Ibid., p. 89.) However, after looking up all these passages in the Bible none

of them support Hixson’s bold claim that Christ’s resurrection was included in the payment for sin! In fact,

Isaiah 53:4-10 specifically connects the payment for sin with Christ’s death, not His resurrection. (Notice

how Hixson in his previous statement skips over the burial and appearances of Christ highlighted in

Isaiah 53:9-10 and only mentions Christ’s death and resurrection.) Furthermore, the apostle Paul affirms

“that Christ died for our sins [not died and rose again for our sins] according to the [Old Testament]

Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3). Hixson’s bold assertion that Christ’s resurrection was involved “to pay one’s

personal penalty for sin” is not a biblical teaching at all. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible makes it

clear that “the payment for sin is death [not death and resurrection]” (Rom. 6:23, NCV; cf. Gen. 2:16-17;

Lev. 17:11; Ezek. 18:4, 20; Rom. 5:12; Jms. 1:15; Rev. 20:11-15, etc.). More specifically, the Bible

teaches that Christ’s death paid sin’s penalty “in full” (Jn. 19:30, Gr. tetelestai, cf. Gen. 3:15; Isa. 53:5;

Matt. 26:26-28; 1 Cor. 15:3; Rom. 5:9-10; Gal. 3:13; Col. 2:13-14; Heb. 9:22, 10:10, 18, Rev. 1:5, 5:9,

etc.).

Christ’s resurrection is part of the gospel of salvation (1 Cor. 15:4), but it is not the means by which

Christ paid the penalty for our sins - that was paid in full by His substitutionary death: “Christ died for our

sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3, emphasis added). Christ’s resurrection is a “proof” that He

had fully paid the penalty for our sins when He died on the cross (Acts 17:31, cf. Acts 2:24). John Hart

affirms: “The resurrection proved our justification, but it did not provide for our justification.” (Hart, “Why

Confess Christ? The Use and Abuse of Romans 10:9-10,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 12

[Autumn 1999].) In reference to 1 Corinthians 15:4, Dennis Rokser similarly affirms: “‘and rose again’

(which is the proof that God was satisfied with Christ’s payment of our sins).” (Rokser, “EXAMINING

LORDSHIP SALVATION Pt. 2,” The Grace Family Journal [Fall 2007]: p. 13, italics his.)

Besides the clear teaching of Scripture, there is also general consensus among Free Grace expositors

that the penalty for sin was “paid in full” (Jn. 19:30, tetelestai) by Christ’s death:

1) Lewis Sperry Chafer notes that “it is not according to sound doctrine to declare that justification is

based upon Christ’s resurrection. It, rather, is certain from the testimony of the New Testament that

justification is based upon the death of Christ.” (Chafer, Systematic Theology [Grand Rapids: Kregel

Publications, 1976], 8 Vols., Vol. 5, p. 248.) Chafer goes on to add: “Justification rests on the redeeming

death of Christ and not, as sometimes supposed, on His resurrection.” (Chafer, Systematic Theology

[Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1976], 8 Vols., Vol. 7, p. 222).

2) John Walvoord writes: “Christ in His death fully satisfied the demands of a righteous God for

judgment upon sinners….The believer is set free by the ransom paid by Christ on the cross….the death

constitutes the ransom by which the sinner is set free….the ransom price has been paid in the death of

Christ”. (Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord [Chicago: Moody Press, 1969], pp. 162-163, 168-170, ellipsis

added.)

3) Charles Ryrie declares: “The price for our redemption from sin was paid in full by our Lord’s death.”

(Ryrie, The Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition, New American Standard Bible [Chicago: Moody Press,

1995], p. 1719) Similarly, Ryrie writes: “‘It is finished’ (John 19:30). This is the cry of victory in the hour of

seeming defeat. The plan of salvation stands completed. This involves especially the work of redemption

from sin, reconciliation of man, and propitiation of God. His work was completely done.” (Ryrie, Biblical

Theology of the New Testament [Chicago: Moody Press, 1987], pp. 69-70, italics his.) Ryrie concludes:

“Redemption is always through His blood; i.e., through the death of Christ (Col. 1:14)….Christ’s

redemption needs no repetition and no supplementation.” (Ryrie, The Ryrie Study Bible Expanded

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Edition, New American Standard Bible [Chicago: Moody Press, 1995], pp. 1877, 1957, italics his, ellipsis

added.)

4) Earl Radmacher writes: “[Christ] exclaimed on the cross, ‘It is finished’ [John 19:30]…Is His work

not really complete, after all? Yes, His judicial substitutionary work on the cross is finished. The crucifixion

made complete provision for redemption, propitiation, and reconciliation.” (Radmacher, Salvation,

[Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000], p. 72, ellipsis added.)

5) Robert Lightner states: “‘It is finished’ [Jn. 19:30] was Christ’s cry from the cross. That proclamation

from the lips of the dying Savior is fraught with meaning….at Calvary, God through Christ had completed

the final sacrifice for sin….Christ’s death atoned for sin….According to Galatians 3:13, all the guilt and

penalty revealed by the Law has been met by Christ’s death….Our redemption is through His blood (Eph.

1:7; Col. 1:14)….The death of Christ satisfied the righteous demands of God the Father….Proof of the

Father’s acceptance of the Son’s sacrifice is found in Christ’s resurrection from the dead.” (Lightner, Sin,

the Savior, and Salvation [Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1991], pp. 114, 117, 119, 121, ellipsis

added.)

6) Mark Bailey affirms that “Jesus’…[cry] from the cross…‘It is finished’ [John 19:30] refers to the

completion of His task of obeying the Father and paying the full price for sin.” (Mark Bailey and Tom

Constable, Nelson’s New Testament Survey, [Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999], p. 191,

ellipsis added.)

7) Joseph Dillow declares: “By Christ’s death a holy God was freed to pardon every sin that was or

ever will be, with respect to its power to condemn. In Col. 2:14, Paul refers to the accumulation of sin as a

‘certificate of debt’: He forgave us all our sin, having cancelled the certificate of debt, with its regulations,

that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. In the ancient

world when a prisoner was incarcerated, a ‘certificate of debt’ was nailed to the door of his prison. On it

the crime he had committed and the duration and nature of the punishment was written. Over a lifetime

every man accumulates a massive ‘certificate of debt.’….Now God knew about all these sins against us

when He saved us in the first place. All these sins, past, present and future, were paid in full by the death

of Christ. When the weary prisoner had paid his debt, the prison guard came to his cell, tore down the

certificate of debt, and wrote a Greek word across it, tetelestai, which means, paid in full. Then the cell

door was opened and the man was free. Recall our Lord’s last words from the cross. Just before He died

He looked to heaven and screamed to the Father, ‘It is finished’ (Jn. 19:30). The Greek word is tetelestai,

‘It is paid in full.’ Either Christ’s death for sin actually paid the penalty or it did not.” (Joseph C. Dillow, The

Reign Of The Servant Kings [Hayesville: Schoettle Publishing Co., 2006], p. 502, italics his, ellipsis

added.)

8) Larry Moyer states: “What makes the gift [of eternal life] so amazing is that Jesus Christ paid the

price when He died in our place on a cross and declared, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30)….God desires that

we proclaim the gospel clearly. He longs for all to understand His Son’s announcement, ‘It is finished’

(John 19:30)….‘It is finished’ means it is finished....The Cross of Christ cries out, ‘be satisfied with the

thing that satisfies God.’ God was [and is] satisfied only with His Son’s death as sufficient payment for our

sins. That’s why Christ declared, ‘It is finished.’” (Moyer, 21 Things God Never Said, [Grand Rapids:

Kregel Publications, 2004], pp. 22, 40, 71, 76, bold his, ellipsis added.)

9) Ron Shea writes: “CHRIST’S DEATH PAID IN FULL FOR OUR SINS….JOHN 19:30…The phrase

‘it is finished’ was actually an expression used in Rome in the time of Christ when a debt had been paid in

full. (Kittel, VIII pp. 57, 60) When Jesus shouted this just before He died, He was indicating that He had

made a perfect, complete and final payment for sin. (Also see Colossians 2:13-14)”. (Ron Shea, THE

GOSPEL [Metairie: Clear Gospel Crusade, 1988], p. 11, capitalization his, ellipsis added.)

10) The Free Grace Alliance (FGA) – of which Hixson was Executive Director – affirms “the

Evangelical Tradition” that: “The sole means of receiving the free gift of eternal life is faith in the Lord

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose substitutionary death on the cross fully satisfied the requirement for

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our justification.” (FGA “Covenant,” http://www.freegracealliance.com/covenant.htm [accessed April 13,

2012].)

11) Even Tom Stegall connects the payment for our sins completely with Christ’s death, not His

resurrection. Stegall states: “[Christ’s] resurrection didn’t pay for our sins, His death did.” (Stegall, “THE

GOSPEL OF THE RESURRECTED CHRIST,” [1 Corinthians 15:1-11], March 27, 2005.) Furthermore, in

an article titled “TRUTHS ONE MUST SEE AND BELIEVE IN ORDER TO BE SAVED” Stegall writes:

“[Christ’s] sacrifice for our sins paid the penalty in full, satisfying God’s holy demands completely….Christ

fully paid for our sins when He died” (Stegall, “TRUTHS ONE MUST SEE AND BELIEVE IN ORDER TO

BE SAVED,” The Word of Grace Bible Church website, http://www.wogbc.org/the-gospel.html [accessed

April 5, 2011], capitalization his, ellipsis added). NOTE: Tom Stegall is no longer the pastor of Word of

Grace Bible Church in Milwaukee, WI. After being exposed as a false teacher he left the pastorate and

went back to Duluth Bible Church to become their first ever “Publications Director”. But Pastor Dennis

Rokser of Duluth Bible Church also connects the payment for sin with Christ’s death, not His resurrection.

Rokser writes: “The…reason ‘for our sins’ [in 1 Corinthians 15:3] is significant is because it reveals

Christ’s death as a COMPLETED SACRIFICE. Note how ‘for our sins’ [in 1 Corinthians 15:3] is only

attached to Christ’s death. Why? Because when He cried, ‘IT IS FINISHED’ (John 19:30), the sins of all

mankind for all time were PAID IN FULL on the cross. He need not be ‘buried’ for our sins or ‘raised’ for

our sins as His death fully accomplished the paying of our sin debt to God.” (Rokser, Let’s Preach the

Gospel [Duluth: Duluth Bible Church, no date], 36, italics, capitalization, and underlining his, ellipsis

added.)

It’s very important to notice here that Rokser and Stegall disagree with Hixson on the gospel – on the

crucial issue of the atonement! It is very revealing that groundless gospel advocates can’t even agree

among themselves on the definition of the gospel.

Hank Hanagraff highlights the serious doctrinal error involved when one tampers with the doctrine of

the atonement. Hanagraff writes: “Christ, in His sacrificial death on the cross, dealt completely with the

problem of man’s sin. Christ, in His body on the cross, ‘redeemed [sinners] from the curse of the law by

becoming a curse for us’ (Galatians 3:13). Christ, the paragon of virtue, became the sacrificial Lamb upon

whom the sins of the world were laid….Thus, through His atoning sacrifice, we are accounted as

positionally righteous before God. I cannot emphasize too strongly that the atonement is crucial to the

historic Christian faith. Interestingly, the word ‘crucial’ comes from the Latin word crux or ‘cross.’ So when

I say that the atonement is the crux of Christianity, I am in effect saying that just as the cross stands at

the center of all history, so also our understanding of the atonement is central to the faith. Tampering with

the doctrine of the atonement is the most direct road from Christianity into the kingdom of the cults – and,

for some people, into the world of the occult.” (Hank Hanagraff, Christianity In Crisis [Eugene: Harvest

House Publishers, 1997], p. 152, italics his, ellipsis added.)

Besides tampering with the doctrine of the atonement, notice how the groundless gospel of the non-

buried and never-seen savior contradicts the very truths it claims to affirm, namely Christ’s death for our

sins and His bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3, 4). In regards to Christ’s death for our sins, if the unsaved

can deny that He was raised from the dead specifically “on the third day” (1 Cor. 15:4; Stegall indicates

“that a person is saved” even though he “is vociferously denying the truth of 1 Corinthians 15:4 that

Christ’s resurrection occurred on ‘the third day.’” See: Stegall, The Gospel Of The Christ [Milwaukee:

Grace Gospel Press, 2009], p. 563, italics his), that would make Christ nothing more than a common

“deceiver” (Matt. 27:6) – because He prophesied that He would in fact rise from the dead “on the third

day” (Matt. 12:38-41, 16:21, 17:23, 20:19; Mk. 9:31, 10:34; Lk. 9:22, 18:33, 24:7, 46; Jn. 2:19-21). Robert

Gromacki writes: "If Christ had been raised from the dead on the second, fourth, or any succeeding day,

that would have been a remarkable, unprecedented achievement; but it also would have declared Him to

be a false prophet." (Gromacki, Called To Be Saints [Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2002], p. 182.)

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Since the Redeemer must be “unblemished and spotless”, any such deceit would disqualify Christ from

being the Savior of the world (1 Pet. 1:18-19; cf. Ex. 12:5; Jn. 1:29).

In regards to Christ’s bodily resurrection, if the unsaved can deny that He “was buried” (1 Cor. 15:4),

and if they can deny that after His resurrection “He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve” (1 Cor. 15:5,

KJV; cf. Jn. 20:19-21:14), then what kind of “body” did Jesus have? A lost soul could affirm Stegall’s

salvation requirement that “Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead” with the misunderstanding that

Christ’s body was only a spiritual body and not a physical body. (Stegall, “THE TRAGEDY OF THE

CROSSLESS GOSPEL, Pt. 1,” The Grace Family Journal [Spring 2007]: p. 9.) Such unbelief leads

directly into various “isms” and cult groups such as the present-day Gnostics and the Jehovah’s

Witnesses who teach that Jesus was only raised spiritually but not physically. The apostle Paul warns:

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted

from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus [like the non-buried and

never-seen savior] whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit [like a spirit of error]

which you have not received, or a different gospel [like the no-burial gospel] which you have not accepted

– you may well put up with it!” (2 Cor. 11:3-4, NKJV).

8 Earl Radmacher penned the “FOREWARD” [sic] to Hixson’s book Getting the Gospel Wrong and also

seems to be a proponent of the groundless gospel. Although Radmacher admits that “the content of the

good news that especially Paul was commissioned to present…He stated this clearly in 1 Corinthians

15:1, 3-5” – Radmacher somehow still affirms that “the burial of Jesus is not a part of the gospel as such”!

(Radmacher, Salvation [Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000], pp. 47, 116, italics his, ellipsis

added.) One also wonders how Radmacher can endorse Hixson’s statement that “Jesus Christ…died and

rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin” (Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008],

p. 84, emphasis added) while at the same time affirming the truth of Robert Lowry’s old hymn: “What can

wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the

blood of Jesus. For my pardon this I see – Nothing but the blood of Jesus; For my cleansing, this my plea

– Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing can for sin atone – Nothing but the blood of Jesus” (quoted by

Radmacher in the “Forward” [sic] to Hixson’s book Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008], p. xvii).

9 Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008], p. 84. Additonally, Hixson boldly asserts that

“belief in Christ’s burial and post-resurrection appearances, whether specifically or generally identified,

are nowhere listed as components of saving faith (Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008],

p. 148).

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Dennis Rokser gives his recommendation to J. B. Hixson’s non-buried and never-seen savior in the

“ENDORSEMENTS” section of Hixson’s book (see Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press,

2008], p. ix), declaring that Hixson’s gospel is “accurate” and “clear” (Ibid). Yet ironically, Rokser actually

disagrees with Hixson’s bold assertion that saving faith must include belief that “Jesus Christ…died and

rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin” (emphasis added). Dennis Rokser writes: “The…reason

‘for our sins’ [in 1 Corinthians 15:3] is significant is because it reveals Christ’s death as a COMPLETED

SACRIFICE. Note how ‘for our sins’ [in 1 Corinthians 15:3] is only attached to Christ’s death. Why?

Because when He cried, ‘IT IS FINISHED’ (John 19:30), the sins of all mankind for all time were PAID IN

FULL on the cross. He need not be ‘buried’ for our sins or ‘raised’ for our sins as His death fully

accomplished the paying of our sin debt to God.” (Rokser, Let’s Preach the Gospel [Duluth: Duluth Bible

Church, no date], p. 36, emphasis his, ellipsis added.) Yet like Hixson, Rokser declares that “the burial of

Christ’s body, as well as His being seen by others after His resurrection, are not integral components of

the Gospel” (Rokser, Let’s Preach the Gospel [Duluth: Duluth Bible Church, no date], 34).

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Tom Stegall also gives his recommendation to J. B. Hixson’s partial gospel in the “ENDORESEMENTS”

section of Hixson’s book (see Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008], p. viii). Yet like

Dennis Rokser, Tom Stegall disagrees with Hixson’s bold assertion that saving faith must include belief

that “Jesus Christ…died and rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin” (emphasis added). Stegall

connects the payment for our sins completely with Christ’s death, not His resurrection. Stegall states:

“[Christ’s] resurrection didn’t pay for our sins, His death did.” (Stegall, “THE GOSPEL OF THE

RESURRECTED CHRIST,” [1 Corinthians 15:1-11], Word of Grace Bible Church message, March 27,

2005.) Furthermore, in an article titled “TRUTHS ONE MUST SEE AND BELIEVE IN ORDER TO BE

SAVED” Stegall writes: “[Christ’s] sacrifice for our sins paid the penalty in full, satisfying God’s holy

demands completely...Christ fully paid for our sins when He died” (www.wogbc.org/gospel.htm, ellipsis

added). Yet similar to Hixson, Stegall has recently removed the gospel truth of Christ’s burial from the

content of saving faith, saying: “[Christ’s] being buried was not a work which accomplished our eternal

redemption, and it is therefore not absolutely essential for someone to know about it and believe it in

order to go to heaven, as the original [church doctrinal] statement seemed to indicate.” (Tom Stegall,

“Proposed Change” to the “SOLE CONDITION FOR SALVATION,” Word of Grace Bible Church handout,

circa 2007.) NOTE: Stegall’s statement that Christ’s burial is “not absolutely essential for someone to

know about…and believe…in order to go to heaven” is contrary to Paul’s words in Acts 13:26-41 and 1

Corinthians 15:1-5.

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John Wycliffe (1324-1384) has often been called the “Morning Star of the Reformation”. He was a leading scholar at Oxford University and the first to translate the Bible into the common English language. He was also an early proponent of the gospel of grace apart from works: “Trust wholly in Christ,” he said, “rely [altogether] on His sufferings; beware of seeking to be justified in any other way than by His righteousness.” Notice Wycliffe’s testimony to the truth of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 and how he highlights the four facts of faith. He writes: "Paul delivered to the Corinthians the faith which he received from the Lord, the faith should be the source of meritorious works that follow. The four articles of the faith of Christ preached to the Corinthians which presupposes the incarnation of Christ and the birth. For he taught them first that Christ died for our sins not for His own (as is clear from Isaiah [53]:5); was buried to prove the truth of his death more miraculous (as is clear in Matthew 27); third He rose again the third day according to the first day and ultimately a synecdoche of the fourth [day], beginning the natural day from the middle of the night; fourth He appeared to Peter and others (the end of Matthew). 1 Cor. 15:3, 4, 5." (Wycliffe, "Sermon XLV [1 Cor. 15:1-11]," Johann Loserth, Editor, Johannis Wyclif Sermones, Vol. 3 [London: Published for the Wyclif Society by Trubner and Co., 1889], p. 386, italics his. The reference to 1 Cor. 15: 3, 4, 5 is cited in the footnotes in the book. Translated from the Latin with Google Translate.) 13

John Bunyan (1628-1688) writes: “Now, friend, faith is that which layeth hold of, or believeth the gospel. And that this is the meaning read the next verse: That (saith he) ‘if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.’ So that it is clear that the word of faith is to believe assuredly from the very heart, that God hath raised up Jesus from the dead, out of the grave into which he was laid by Joseph; and that he was raised again for [or ‘because of’] my justification, Rom. iv. 25. As it is written, I Cor. xv. ‘Moreover, brethren, (saith he), I declared unto you the gospel which I preached unto you at the first, which also you have received, and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory, or assuredly believe, what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain:’ but what was that gospel you preached? Why, saith he, ver. 3. ‘I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received; how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he rose again the third day, according to the Scripture; and that he was seen of the brethren after his resurrection,’ etc.” (Bunyan, “A Vindication of Gospel Truths Opened,” Doctrinal Discourses [London: Thomas Ward and Co., no date], p. 133. NOTE: Bunyan’s Doctrinal Discourses was originally written in 1656.) Elsewhere Bunyan writes: “Pray, who was he that rose out of the ground, The third day after He for Sin did die? Luke xxiv. 34. I Cor. xv. 3-5.” (Bunyan, George Offor, Editor, Profitable Meditations [London:

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John Camden Hotten, Piccadilly, 1860], p. 35. NOTE: Bunyan’s Profitable Meditations was originally written in 1661 from Bedford Jail.) 14

D. L. Moody (1837-1899) writes: “Paul says in the 15th chapter of the 1

st of Corinthians what the gospel

is. He says, ‘I declare unto you the gospel.’ And the first thing he states in the declaration to these Corinthians is this: ‘Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.’ That was the old-fashioned gospel. I hope we never will get away from it. I don’t want anything but that old, old story. Some people have itching ears for something new. Bear in mind there is no new gospel. Christ died for our sins. If He did not, how are we going to get rid of them? Would you insult the Almighty by offering the fruits of this frail body to atone for sin? If Christ did not die for our sins, what is going to become of our souls? And then he goes on to tell that Christ was buried, and that Christ rose again. He burst asunder the bands of death. Death could not hold Him. I can imagine, when they laid Him in Joseph’s sepulcher, if our eyes could have been there, we should have seen Death sitting over that sepulcher, saying, ‘I have Him; He is my victim. He said He was the resurrection and the life. Now I have hold of Him in my cold embrace. Look at Him. There He is; He has had to pay tribute to me. Some thought He was never going to die. Some thought I would not get Him. But He is mine.’ But look again. The glorious morning comes, and the Son of Man burst asunder the bands of death, and came out of the sepulcher. We do not worship a dead God, but a Saviour who still lives. Yes; He rose from the grave; and then they saw Him ascend. That is what Paul calls the gospel.” (Moody, “WHAT ‘THE GOSPEL’ IS,” Moody and Sankey; Their Lives and Labors, pp. 67-68.) Elsewhere Moody says: “I believe that the nearer we keep to the apostles’ way of presenting the gospel, the more success we will have.” (Moody, Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study [New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1895], p. 74.) 15

Arthur T. Pierson (1837-1911) writes: “Christianity rests on four facts – the death, burial, rising, and appearing of Christ. This constitutes the essence of the Gospel. Upon a cross and an empty tomb our faith is built.” (Arthur T. Pierson, “HELPS AND HINTS, TEXTUAL AND TOPICAL,” The Homiletic Review, Vol. 26 [July 1893]: p. 72, italics his.) 16

Harry Ironside (1876-1951) writes: “Paul’s Statement of the Real Gospel Commencing at the first verse of this precious and wondrous portion of Scripture [i.e. 1 Corinthians 15:1], we read: ‘Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures’ (see Isa. Liii. 5, 6); ‘and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that He was seen of Cephas,’ etc.…we have here a statement of the gospel – the gospel which Paul preached; and it is dangerous to preach any other, as we find from Gal. i. 8, 9 that the person who does so, though it be an angel from heaven, is under a curse, or devoted to judgment. …see how the true gospel can be put: 1. Christ died [1 Cor. 15:3]; 2. Christ was buried [1 Cor. 15:4]; 3. Christ has been raised again [1 Cor. 15:4]; 4. Christ is the object for the hearts of His own [1 Cor. 15:5].” (Ironside, The Mormon’s Mistake, or What Is The Gospel? [Cleveland: Utah Gospel Mission, 1896?], p. 3.) NOTE: This quote comes from the unabridged edition of Ironside’s booklet. It appears to have been published around 1896 by Utah Gospel Mission, Cleveland, Ohio. See the following link to read the unabridged edition: http://www.archive.org/details/mormonsmistakeor00iron. Many later editions are abridged and omit the reference to 1 Corinthians 15:5: “and that He was seen of Cephas” – a fact which Ironside specifically includes in “Paul’s Statement of the Real Gospel”. 17

Greek scholar A. T. Robertson (1863-1934) writes: "[I Cor. 15] 3. First of all (en prōtois). Among first things. In primis. Not to time, but to importance. Which I also received (ho kai parelabon). Direct revelation claimed as about the institution of the Lord’s Supper (11:23) and same verbs used (paredōka, parelabon). Four items given by Paul in explaining ‘the gospel’ which Paul preached….The four items are presents by four verbs (died, apethanen, was buried, etaphē, hath been raised, egēgertai, appeared,

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ōphthē). Christ died (Christos apethanen). Historical fact and crucial event. For our sins (huper tōn hamartiōn hēmōn). Huper means literally over, in behalf, even instead of (Gal. 3:13), where used of persons. But here much in the sense of peri (Gal. 1:14) as is common in Koine. In I Peter 3:18 we have peri hamartiōn, huper adikōn. According to the Scriptures (kata tas graphas). As Jesus showed (Luke 22:37; 24:25) and as Peter pointed out (Acts 2:25-27; 3:35) and as Paul had done (Acts 13:24f.; 17:3). Cf. Ro 1:2ff. [I Cor. 15:] 4. And that he was buried (kai hoti etaphē). Note hoti repeated before each of the four verbs as a separate item. Second aorist passive indicative of thaptō, old verb, to bury. This item is an important detail as the Gospels show. And that he hath been raised (kai hoti egēgertai). Perfect passive indicative, not ēgerthē like rose of the King James’ Version. There is reason for this sudden change of tense. Paul wishes to emphasize the permanence of the resurrection of Jesus. He is still risen. On the third day (tēi hēmerāi tēi tritēi). Locative case of time. Whether Paul had seen either of the Gospels we do not know, but this item is closely identified with the fact of Christ’s resurrection. We have it in Peter’s speech (Acts 10:40) and Jesus points it out as part of prophecy (Luke 24:46). The other expression occasionally found ‘after three days’ (Mark 10:34) is merely free vernacular for the same idea and not even Matt. 12:40 disturbs it. See on Luke 24:1 for record of the empty tomb on the first day of the week (the third day). [I Cor. 15:] 5. And that he appeared to Cephas (kai hoti ōphthē Kēphāi). First aorist passive indicative of the defective verb horaō, to see. Paul means not a mere ‘vision,’ but actual appearance. John uses ephanerōthē (John 21:14) from phaneroō, to make manifest, of Christ’s appearance to the seven by the Sea of Galilee. Peter was listed first (prōtos) among the Apostles (Matt. 10:2). Jesus had sent a special message to him (Mark 16:7) after his resurrection. This special appearance to Peter is made the determining factor in the joyful faith of the disciples (Luke 24:34), though mentioned incidentally here. Paul had told all these four facts to the Corinthians in his preaching.” (Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament [Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1931], 6 Vol., Vol. 4, pp. 186-187.) 18

William R. Newell (1868-1956) writes: “The gospel is all about Christ. Apart from Him, there is no news from heaven but that of coming woe! Read that passage in I Corinthians 15.3-5: 'I make known unto you the gospel which I preached unto you: that Christ died, Christ was buried; Christ hath been raised; Christ was seen.' It is all about the Son of God! ...this good news concerning Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and appearing, ‘is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth.’ ….Again we repeat that it is of the very first and final importance that the preacher or teacher of the gospel believe in the bottom of his soul that the simple story, Christ died for our sins, was buried, hath been raised from the dead the third day, and was seen, IS THE POWER OF GOD to salvation to everyone who rests in it, - who believes! ...Paul’s preaching was not, as is so much today, general disquisition on some subject, but definite statements about the crucified One, as he himself so insistently tells us in 1 Corinthians 15.3-5. …This story of Christ’s dying for our sins, buried, raised, manifested, is the great wire along which runs God’s mighty current of saving power. Beware lest you be putting up some little wire of your own, unconnected with the Divine throne, and therefore non-saving to those to whom you speak. …Therefore, in this good news, (1) Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (2) He was buried, (3) He hath been raised the third day according to the Scriptures, (4) He was manifested (I Cor. 15:3 ff), - in this good news there is revealed, now openly for the first time, God’s righteousness on the principle of faith. We simply hear and believe: and, as we shall find, God reckons us righteous; our guilt having been put away by the blood of Christ forever, and we ourselves declared to be the righteousness of God in Him!” (Newell, Romans Verse-By-Verse [Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1994], pp. 6, 18-21, 24, ellipsis added.) 19

Herbert Lockyear (1886-1984) writes: "First of all, Paul states the sum and substance of the sublime yet simple Gospel with which he accomplished mighty victories. Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised, and appeared to His saints. If, as one early leader wrote, there are shallows in this very full and potent Gospel where a little lamb may wade, there are depths where an elephant must swim." (Lockyer, All the Books and Chapters of the Bible [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986], pp. 259-260.)

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Merrill C. Tenney (1904-1985) writes: “The cardinal tenets of Christian doctrine which Paul himself illustrated or stressed belonged to the comprehensive body of truth which the church proclaimed. His letters include occasional references to the substance of the message which he preached in pioneer territory. Paul epitomized the substance of his message in his first letter to the Corinthians church. ‘For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures; and that he appeared…’ (I Cor. 15:3-5a). He concluded this capsule statement with the words ‘So we preach, and so ye believed’ (15:11). He claimed that his gospel was accepted by the entire church (Gal. 2:6-10) and that there was no distinction between him and the other preachers, except that his ministry was directed chiefly to the Gentiles, whereas theirs was for the Jews.” (Tenney, The Reality of the Resurrection [New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1963], pp. 68-69, ellipsis his. Note: This book was also published in Chicago by Moody Press, 1963.) Tenney goes on to say: “Paul, writing to the Galatian churches, stated that Christ gave Himself for our sins that He might free us from this present evil age (Gal. 1:4). He summarized the essence of the gospel for the Corinthian Christians by saying, ‘Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;…he was buried;…he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures; and…he appeared…’ (I Cor. 15:3-5). The apostle emphasized the theological significance of Christ’s death, stating that He ‘who knew no sin he [God] made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him’ (II Cor. 5:21).” (Ibid., ellipsis and brackets his.) 21

Notice the following statements by Warren Wiersbe on the gospel: 1) Wiersbe writes: "We should test everything by the truth of the Gospel. What is the Gospel? Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He was seen alive by many witnesses. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. (See I Corinthians 15.)" (Wiersbe, “Sanctified By Correction,” 2ProphetU website.) 2) Wiersbe writes: "The good news of the Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ, '...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen...' (1 Cor. 15:3-5)." (Wiersbe, “J is for Jesus Part 1,” 2ProphetU website, italics his.) 3) Wiersbe writes: "The gospel is the most important message that the church ever proclaims. While it is good to be involved in social action and the betterment of mankind, there is no reason why these ministries should preempt the gospel. 'Christ died...he was buried...he rose again...he was seen' are the basic historical facts on which the gospel stands (1 Cor. 15:3-5). 'Christ died for our sins' is the theological explanation of the historical facts. Many people were crucified by the Romans, but only one 'victim' ever died for the sins of the world." (Wiersbe, Be Wise [Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1982], p. 164, ellipsis his.) 4) Wiersbe writes: "The burial of Jesus Christ is as much a part of the gospel as is His death (1 Cor. 15:1-5), for the burial is proof that He actually died." (Wiersbe, Be Comforted [Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1992], p. 162.) 5) Wiersbe writes: "What gives us our firm footing? The gospel of Jesus Christ. (See 1 Cor. 15:1-5; Rom. 5:1-2; Gal. 5:1.)" (Wiersbe, A Gallery of Grace [Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2002], p. 123.) 22

Notice the following statements by Norman Geisler on the gospel: 1) Geisler writes: “Jesus’ Burial Was According to the Gospel. Paul used Jesus’ burial as part of the Gospel message in 1 Corinthians 15. Burial is an essential part of the ‘gospel’ since Paul defined the ‘gospel’ as involving death, burial, and resurrection appearances. Burial is the seal of death and resurrection is proof that death is not final (cf. Rom. 4:25; 2 Tim. 1:10). Hence, burial is a significant symbol since it portrays a crucial part of the gospel. (Norman L. Geisler and Douglas E. Potter, “Christian Burial: A Case for Burial,” http://www.equip.org/articles/christian-burial-a-case-for-burial/ [accessed June 9, 2012], bold his.) 2) Geisler writes: “The problem of salvation. The New Testament teaches that belief in the bodily Resurrection of Christ is a condition for salvation (Rom. 10:9-10). It is part of the essence of the gospel itself (1 Cor. 15:1-5).” (Geisler, “The Battle for the Resurrection,” Fundamentalist Journal [March, 1989]: p. 15, italics his.) 3) Geisler writes: “The physical resurrection of Christ’s body is just as much a part of the gospel as His death (1 Cor. 15:1-5)….there are soteriological problems with denying the material resurrection of Christ.

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As noted earlier, the New Testament teaches that belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ is essential for salvation (Rom. 10:9-10). It is part of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-5).” (Geisler, “The Significance of Christ’s Physical Resurrection,” Bibliotheca Sacra 146 [April 1989]: pp. 148, 169, ellipsis added.) 4) Geisler writes: “Without Christ’s physical resurrection there is no salvation (Rom. 10:9), for the Resurrection is at the very heart of the gospel by which we are saved (1 Cor. 15:1-5).” (Geisler, “I Believe…in the Resurrection of the Flesh,” Christian Research Journal [Summer, 1989]: p. 20ff.) 5) Geisler writes: “The NT belief in the resurrection is a condition of salvation (Rom. 10:9; 1 Thess. 4:14) and places it at the heart of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-5).” (Geisler, “In Defense of the Resurrection,” A Reply to Criticisms, A Review Article,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 34/2 (June 1991): p. 243.) 6) Geisler affirms “the full content of the New Testament gospel – including the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ”. (Geisler, Systematic Theology, 4 Vols. [Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 2004], Vol. 3, p. 549.) 7) Geisler writes: “First of all, the empty tomb is found in the earliest Christian documents on which critics and non-critics agree. 1 Corinthians was written by A.D 55-56, and it affirms that Christ was “buried” [in a grave] and that he was “raised” from this grave…all the ‘core’ truths of the gospel, namely, Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and appearances are in these early documents. So, even if there were later literary enhancements, they would not affect the core truths of Christianity which include a bodily resurrection leaving an empty tomb behind.” (Norman Geisler, A Critical Review of The Empty Tomb: Jesus Beyond the Grave [Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2005], edited by Robert Price and Jeffrey Lowder, brackets his, ellipsis added, no page number, http://www.normangeisler.net/articles/theResurrection/2005-ACriticalReviewOfBookTheEmptyTomb.htm.) One last point needs to be made regarding Geisler’s position on the gospel and the content of saving faith. In contrast to the groundless gospel position, Geisler affirms that Christ’s burial and appearances are: a) implied in statements about His death and resurrection, b) included in the content of the gospel, and c) these gospel truths cannot be denied by the unsaved. 23

Miles J. Stanford writes: “Paul’s Gospel is, ‘For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that He was seen…’ (1 Cor. 15:3-5). The heavenly Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ begins with His death; not with His earthly life, as Covenant theology teaches. ‘Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit’ (John 12:24). ‘But I make known to you, brethren, that the Gospel which was preached by me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ’ (Gal. 1:11,12).” (Stanford, “The Dispensational Gospels,” underlining and ellipsis his, http://withchrist.org/mjs/gospels.htm.) Elsewhere Stanford writes: “Heavenly Gospel -- The Gospel for the Church, the Gospel of the Grace of God, Paul’s Gospel, is not mentioned in the Scriptures until 1 Corinthians 15:3–5. ‘For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received [from Christ in glory], that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures; and that He was seen…’” (Miles Stanford, “Pauline Dispensationalism,” http://withchrist.org/mjs/paulinedis.htm, bold, brackets, underlining, and ellipsis his.) 24

Renald Showers writes: “Jesus gave two distinct gospels to His disciples to preach. The content of the first gospel was, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Mt. 10:7; cf. 9:35; Mk. 1:14-15). Paul defined the second gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 when he said: ‘Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,…By which also ye are saved,…that Christ died for our sins…And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day…and that he was seen.’” (Showers, There Really Is A Difference [Belmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., 1990], p. 3, italics and ellipsis his.) 25

Donald K. Campbell (the third president of Dallas Theological Seminary) writes: “The gospel message is simply that ‘Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve’ (1 Cor.

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15:3-5). Paul said this was the gospel he preached to the Corinthians and it was the message by which they received salvation.” (Donald K. Campbell [DKC], “Gospel,” Wendell Johnston, John Walvoord, John Witmer, Charles Swindoll, General Editor, Roy B. Zuck, Managing Editor, The Theological Wordbook [Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000], p. 142.) 26

Rick Whitmire (co-founder of the Free Grace Seminary in Hampton, Georgia) writes: “Romans 1:16 – ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the (Gentiles).’…The Apostle Paul Defines the Gospel: 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 – ‘For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ DIED for our sins according to the scriptures: And that He was BURIED, and that He ROSE again the third day according to the scripture: And that He was SEEN...’ The Apostle Paul summarizes the most basic ingredients of the gospel message, namely, the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ. a. This is the one place where the historical elements of the gospel are clearly defined. Our responsibility is to make the gospel clear and Biblical. But in order to do so, we must have a clear understanding of what the gospel means in the New Testament. These verses, give us the heart of the gospel. Note the four clauses introduced in verses 3-5. b. The Apostles [sic] Paul in defining the gospel uses four verbs: 1). Christ Died… 2). Christ was Buried… 3). Christ Rose… 4). Christ was Seen.” (Whitmire, “The Facts Presentation,” GO TELL EVANGELISM, CHAPTER 2, OUR WITNESS FOR CHRIST [dated “07-15-03”], bold, underlining, capitalization, and second ellipsis his, http://tgcministry.com/gotell/gts_2.htm [accessed April 5, 2012].) 27

George Meisinger (the President of Chafer Theological Seminary) writes: “Paul reveals in [1 Corinthians 15] verses 3b-5 what he considered top priority gospel content. The gospel includes many truths, but 15:3b-5 are the crucial priority of the gospel, which he would preach if he preached nothing else. ‘The stress is on the centrality of these doctrines to the gospel message.’…Now [1 Corinthians] 15:3b-5 forms a unit that answers the question, what is Paul’s priority gospel content…With four ‘that’ ([hoti]) clauses, the apostle boldly puts forth what he preached/delivered and what the Corinthians received/believed for eternal salvation. First Aspect of the Priority Content: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (15:3b)…. Second Aspect of the Priority Content: He was buried (15:4a)…. Third Aspect of the Priority Content: He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (15:4b)…. Fourth Aspect of the Priority Content: Christ was seen by multiple eyewitnesses…. The Corinthians, as did all audiences to which the other apostles preached, believed/received the gospel in keeping with the priority content identified in [1 Corinthians] 15:3b-5. It is this content the Corinthians received/believed so that Paul may elsewhere say that they are sanctified in Christ Jesus (1:2, cf. 1:30), washed and justified (6:11), and forgiven (15:17)…1 Corinthians 15:3b-5 when received/believed results in forgiveness…Paul plainly makes known a sufficient gospel. He received it (from Jesus Christ Himself, Galatians 1:11-12), preached/delivered it as did other apostles, and the Corinthians as thousands of others throughout the Roman Empire received/believed it. What did they preach and receive: Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, rose the third day according to the scriptures, and was seen by multiple eye-witnesses.” (Meisinger, “The Gospel Paul Preached: A Church Age Model of Evangelistic Content,” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal [2009]: pp. 5-9, 12-13, https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B36y94yKNvYpYzA0YzE0YWYtNDM3NC00ZGZkLWI4ZGUtOWI1Zjk2YTc2NmFl&hl=en&pli=1, underlining and italics his, ellipsis added.) 28

Andy Stanley writes: ““MOVING FORWARD The gospel of Jesus Christ is clear: Christ died for our sins; he was buried; he was raised; he appeared. This is the foundational message behind the movement that continues today. CHANGING YOUR MIND For 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 Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5” (Andy Stanley, “Big Audience,” Community Group Curriculum Guide, bold and italics his, http://www.groupcurriculum.org/questions/questions.jsp?messageID=896; cf. Andy Stanley, “Big Church, Part 4: Big Audience” sermon, http://northpoint.org/messages/big-church/part-4.) Elsewhere Andy Stanley says: “the apostle Paul says: 'Okay, okay, okay, okay, let me just, here's the thing you got to know; here's the irreducible minimum, here's the part you just can't ever lose sight of:

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Christ died for your sins, and He was buried; He was raised from the dead, and He was seen' - and that's the gospel; that's the starting point. That's not the point you get to after you get all your questions answered. That's the thing you wrestle with. If you want to wrestle with whether or not Christianity is true, don't look at the Christians who disappointed you; don't attend a church that puts you to sleep; don't worry about the fact that your parents brought you up to be a Christian and then got divorced and your Dad ran off with somebody else. [Paul] says: 'Look, all that stuff is a distraction. If you're going to wrestle with Christianity; if you're gonna wrestle with the truth of the gospel - wrestle with this one thing: Did Christ die for your sins? And was He buried? And was He raised from the dead? And was He seen? That's it. That's the starting point. That's the stopping point. That's the gospel. That's the foundation. That's what it's all about.” Andy Stanley, "Big Church, Part 4: Big Audience," sermon dated January 30, 2011, http://northpoint.org/messages/big-church/part-4 (34:20 minutes - 35:24 minutes), emphasis his. 29

I have documented over 100 proponents of the glorious gospel from Paul to present day – many of them specifically from the Free Grace perspective (in addition to those noted above), but even this number is only a small sampling of the great cloud of witnesses to the biblical gospel. Indeed, John Reed, Senior Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Ministries and Director Emeritus of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Dallas Theological Seminary has well said: “Throughout the history of the church the biblical definition of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 has been the accepted view.” (Reed, Donald K. Campbell, Editor, Walvoord: A Tribute [Chicago: Moody Press, 1982], p. 274; cf. Ibid., p. 279.) 30

Zane Hodges, “How To Lead People To Christ, PART 2, Our Invitation To Respond,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 14 (Spring 2001): pp. 9-10.

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Zane Hodges, “The Hydra’s Other Head: Theological Legalism,” Grace In Focus (September/October

2008). Hodges admits that Paul begins to enumerate the content of his gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3b, and

that these items are “of first importance”. However, Hodges extends the actual content of Paul’s gospel

through 1 Corinthians 15:8 while offering no exegesis to support his claim. Hodges simply declares: “In 1

Cor 15:1-8 Paul is reminding the Christians about the content of his gospel.” (Ibid.) After merely quoting 1

Corinthians 15:1-8 Hodges concludes: “Clearly, for Paul, the term ‘gospel’ is broader than the essential

content of saving faith.” (Ibid.) Such an obvious lack of exegesis is expected from first year seminary

students, but not from a former professor of New Testament Greek and exegesis at Dallas Theological

Seminary! Hodges arguments are exegetically unconvincing.

Let’s consider the question of whether or not the content of Paul’s gospel extends through 1

Corinthians 15:8? In other words, where does the content of Paul’s gospel conclude? The content of

Paul’s gospel concludes with the fourth and final hoti content clause in 1 Corinthians 15:5: “and that [kai

hoti] He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” There is a grammatical break after 1 Corinthians 15:5

indicating the end of the gospel tradition. Famed New Testament scholar Joachim Jeremias affirms: “it

can be proved linguistically that the kerygma (which includes verses 3b from [Christos] to 5 [dodeka], as

shown e.g. by the syntactic break at the beginning of verse 6) was not formulated by Paul….Up to v. 5

there are [hoti]-clauses, from v. 6 onwards main clauses”. (Jeremias, The Eucharistic Words of Jesus

[Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1955], p. 129.) F. Godet notes another exegetical point bearing on the subject

when he states: “The [epeita], thereafter [in 1 Cor. 15:6a], separates more forcibly than the [eita], then, of

ver. 5; it makes the following appearances [in 1 Cor. 15:6ff] a new step in the series, and rightly so.”

(Godet, Commentary On The First Epistle To The Corinthians, 2 Vols. [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1957],

2 Vol., Vol. 2, p. 334.) Even “crossless” gospel advocate John Niemelä affirms these exegetical truths.

Under the heading “Indicating a Content Clause” Niemelä notes that “1 Corinthians…15:3…15:4a-b, [and]

5” (but not 15:6ff) each indicate “a Content Clause”. (Niemelä, “For You Have Kept My Word: The

Grammar of Revelation 3:10,” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal 6 [January 2000]: pp. 29-30.) The

words of Matt Myllykoski are appropriate: “Most scholars have regarded vv. 3b-5 as an old traditional

unit.” (Myllykoski; Ismo Dundererg, Christopher Tuckett, and Kari Syreeni, Editors, Fair Play: Diversity

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and Conflicts in Early Christianity [Leiden: Brill, 2002], p. 66.) The apostle Paul confirms this gospel

tradition by listing several more appearances of Christ in vv. 6-8. Ladd writes: “[The] tradition embodied in

the apostolic kerygma or euangelion. Paul delivered (paredoka) to the Corinthians the gospel that he also

received (parelabon), that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, that he rose on the third day, that

he appeared to his disciples (1 Cor. 15:1-5). It is generally accepted that verses 3b-5 embody a primitive

piece of pre-Pauline kerygma that Paul has received as a tradition from [Christ and] those who were

apostles before him....Probably the appearances mentioned in vv. 6-8 were added by Paul to the tradition

he received.” (George Eldon Ladd, Donald A. Hagner, A Theology of the New Testament [Grand Rapids:

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1953], p. 427.) Zane Hodges has not even attempted to explain these

exegetical truths that even fellow “crossless” gospel advocate John Niemelä affirms!

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Bob Wilkin, “Another Look at 1 Corinthians 15:3-11,” Grace in Focus (January/February 2008). Similar

to this, in a question and answer session at the 1997 GES Conference, Wilkin stated: “In 1 Cor 15:3-9

Paul says that his gospel is the death, the burial, the resurrection, the appearances of Christ.” (See the

article by Don Reiher, “Zane Hodges and GES Did Not Change the Gospel,” Journal of the Grace

Evangelical Society 23 [Spring 2010].)

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John Niemelä notes under the heading “Indicating a Content Clause” that “1 Corinthians…15:3…15:4a-

b, [and] 5” (but not 15:6ff) each indicate “a Content Clause”. (John Niemelä, “For You Have Kept My

Word: The Grammar of Revelation 3:10,” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal 6 [January 2000]: pp. 29-

30.) Similarly, da Rosa declares: “In the 1st Corinthians passage, we have four co-ordinate clauses that

make up Paul's gospel message, all divided by the Greek ‘kai hoti’ (‘and that’). 1 Cor 15:3ff, ‘For I

delivered unto you first of all that which I also received: THAT Christ died...AND THAT He was buried,

AND THAT He rose again...AND THAT He was seen...’” (Antonio da Rosa, Unashamed of Grace,

“Another Look at 1 Corinthians 15:3ff/the Pauline Gospel,”

http://unashamedofgrace.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html [accessed June 4, 2008], italics,

capitalization, and ellipsis his.)

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J. B. Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong (Xulon Press, 2008), p. 149; Hixson, “What is the Gospel?,”

(2001); Dennis Rokser, Let’s Preach The Gospel (Duluth: Duluth Bible Church, no date), pp. 31-34; Tom

Stegall, “The Gospel Of The Resurrected Christ”, Miscellaneous Message, Word of Grace Bible Church

message, March 27, 2005; Stegall, “The Tragedy Of The Crossless Gospel (Pt. 1),” The Grace Family

Journal (Spring 2007): pp. 7, 12, 15, 16; Stegall, “The Tragedy Of The Crossless Gospel (Pt. 5),” The

Grace Family Journal (Special Edition 2007): p. 27; Stegall, “The Tragedy Of The Crossless Gospel (Pt.

6),” The Grace Family Journal (Spring 2008): p. 6.

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Earl Radmacher writes: “What was the content of the good news that especially Paul was commissioned to present? He stated this clearly in 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-5: ‘Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel [euangelion] . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.’” (Radmacher, Salvation [Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000], p. 116, emphasis, brackets, and ellipsis his.) Elsewhere Radmacher writes: "Hodges puts it simply: 'What faith really is in biblical language, is receiving the testimony of God. It is the inward conviction that what God says to us in the gospel is true. That - and that alone - is saving faith.' This is the faith that saves from eternal destruction because it has the gospel as its object (cf. 1 Cor. 1:21; 15:1-5). It would be even more consistent to talk about faith in the saving gospel rather than about saving faith." (Earl Radmacher, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 33, "First Response To 'Faith According To The Apostle James' By John F. MacArthur, Jr." [March 1990]: pp. 38-39, italics his.)

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While 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 gives the context of Paul’s gospel, it is 1 Corinthians 15:3b-5 which gives

the actual content of Paul’s gospel (note the four parallel hoti content clauses and three kai coordinating

conjunctions in vv. 3b-5).

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Cf. Tom Stegall, The Gospel Of The Christ [Milwaukee: Grace Gospel Press, 2009], p. 529. J. B.

Hixson writes: “Some [Greek scholars like A. T. Robertson, F. F. Bruce, S. Lewis Johnson, etc.] might

point out that the post-resurrection appearances of Christ could be combined into one category, thus

creating only four components of the gospel here [in 1 Corinthians 15:3ff]: (1) Christ died; (2) was buried;

(3) rose again; (4) and was seen by witnesses. Nevertheless, the point is that belief in Christ’s burial and

post-resurrection appearances, whether specifically or generally identified, are nowhere listed as

components of saving faith.” (Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008], p. 148, emphasis

added.) In light of Hixson’s bold claim, one would expect Hixson to interact with the scholars who hold to

the view he is critiquing. Instead of interacting with renowned Greek scholars like A.T. Robertson, F. F.

Bruce, and S. Lewis Johnson with whom he disagrees, Hixson offers so-called “exegetical

considerations” from 1 Corinthians 15 consisting of “underlined portions” of text from the New King James

Version! (See Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008], pp. 79-80.) As Bob Wilkin has

noted: “Hixson is totally unable to defend [his position] rationally.” (Wilkin, “A Review Of J. B. Hixson’s

Getting The Gospel Wrong: The Evangelical Crisis No One Is Talking About,” Journal of the Grace

Evangelical Society [Spring 2008]: p. 28.) This is yet another example of Hixson’s “sloppy scholarship,

shallow exegesis, and downright theological error.” (Ibid.)

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Although groundless gospel advocates seem hesitant to admit that part of the gospel (i.e. that Christ

was buried and that He appeared again after His resurrection, as highlighted by Paul in 1 Corinthians

15:3-5) can actually be denied by the unsaved, such is the logical and necessary implication of the

following statements from groundless gospel advocates. Although Earl Radmacher admits that “the

content of the good news that especially Paul was commissioned to present…He stated this clearly in 1

Corinthians 15:1, 3-5” – Radmacher somehow still affirms that “the burial of Jesus is not a part of the

gospel as such”! (Radmacher, Salvation [Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000], pp. 47, 116.)

Similarly, Dennis Rokser teaches that “the burial of Christ’s body, as well as His being seen by others

after His resurrection, are not integral components of the Gospel” (Rokser, Let’s Preach the Gospel

[Duluth: Duluth Bible Church, no date], p. 34). J. B. Hixson further clarifies the groundless gospel position

when he states that “belief in Christ’s burial and post-resurrection appearances, whether specifically or

generally identified, are nowhere listed as components of saving faith [although they are part of the

gospel]” (J. B. Hixson, Getting the Gospel Wrong [Xulon Press, 2008], p. 148; cf. Ibid., p. 80). Tom Stegall

goes so far as to assert that “[Christ’s] being buried was not a work which accomplished our eternal

redemption [His resurrection didn’t pay for sins either!], and it is therefore not absolutely essential for

someone to know about it and believe it in order to go to heaven” (Tom Stegall, “Proposed Change” to the

“SOLE CONDITION FOR SALVATION,” Word of Grace Bible Church handout [2007].) In case there is

any misunderstanding or lingering doubt about what Tom Stegall and others are saying, Greg

Schliesmann clarifies the groundless gospel position when he states: “In order to be born again I believe

a person must believe that Jesus Christ is the unique God-man who died for our sins/rose again and

provides reconciliation to God through faith in Him alone. If he believes this message, even if he denies

other orthodox doctrines, he will still be born again. I believe the answer is that simple. In terms of

salvation, there is no distinction between not believing and denying these essential truths of the gospel. In

this post, I will define ‘denying’ in terms of inward rejection.” (Schliesmann, comment under the post

“Zane Hodges, ‘Legalism is Not a Very Nice Word.’ (Part 1)”,

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http://indefenseofthegospel.blogspot.com/2008/10/zane-hodges-legalism-is-not-very-nice.html [accessed

November 3, 2008].)

Not surprisingly, partial gospel advocates fail to explain why various passages of Scripture specifically

include Christ’s burial and resurrection appearances as components of saving faith (cf. Ps. 22:1-22, 40:1-

3; Isa. 53:1-12; Jn. 2:19-21, 19:38-21:14; Acts 2:22-32, 10:38-41, 13:26-41, 18:8; Rom. 10:15-16; 1 Cor.

15:1-5). It is also strange to see how partial gospel advocates remove from the content of saving faith any

mention of “the third day” (1 Cor. 15:4), as it has reference to the burial of Christ (Matt. 27:62-66; 1 Cor.

15:4; cf. W. H. Griffith Thomas, Lewis Sperry Chafer, Editor, Systematic Theology, 4 Vols., Vol. 4, p. 82).

Bob Wilkin correctly concludes that groundless gospel advocates are “totally unable to defend [their

position] rationally.” (Wilkin, “A Review of J. B. Hixson’s Getting the Gospel Wrong: The Evangelical Crisis

No One Is Talking About,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society [Spring 2008]: p. 28.) No wonder one

pastor recently labeled the groundless gospel position as “intellectually dishonest”.